Soundtrack Saturday: Up (2009)

Image: chungaboo.com

"Adventure is out there!" Up (2009)

We’re carrying on with the Disney theme this week after Tuesday’s post on Saving Mr. Banks...this week’s Soundtrack Saturday is Pixar’s Up.

Up tells the astonishing tale of Carl, a 78 year old who wishes to fulfil his and his late wife’s dream of reaching Paradise Falls in South America. From meeting as kids, Ellie and Carl dream of being adventurers, and share a passion for the explorer C.F. Muntz and his ‘Spirit of Adventure’ to reach the Falls. Once Ellie dies, Carl realises that they never made that dream trip to Paradise Falls. He therefore decides to tie thousands of balloons to the house he built with Ellie, as you do, and sets off on a fantastical journey with a young stowaway named Russell. Along the way they encounter Dug, a dog who can talk via a special collar, and Kevin, a rare tall bird that Muntz has been trying to capture for decades.

This soundtrack is an original score by Michael Giacchino, who has composed for films such as Star Trek, Mission Impossible III and other Pixar movies including Ratatouille and The Incredibles. The reason I love this soundtrack is how it captures childhood dreams of adventure. This is certainly true with the track ‘Carl Goes Up’ as Carl releases the balloons and the apt title ‘Seizing the Spirit of Adventure’ at the climactic end of the movie. However, the most memorable track is found right at the beginning of the film and is full of emotion. Tissues at the ready...

I had to share this soundtrack just for one piece of music. ‘Married Life’ displays Carl and Ellie’s life together from marriage, building their house and dreaming of moving to Paradise Falls. They save money, but life gets in the way. I won’t describe every detail because this moment is cinema in its purest form – image and music, no dialogue. And it works. For me, it is arguably one of the greatest sequences not just in animation but in cinematic history. You may think that’s over dramatic, but it is quite a feat to achieve this kind of emotion within a short sequence of 4/5 mins and, more importantly, displaying it through animation. I’m not going to lie, I cry nearly every time I watch it. I AM NOT ASHAMED. If you do not listen to the whole soundtrack, at least watch this clip. The music will break your heart. Plus, it is a better love story than you’ll ever find in any romantic comedy.

Best track? Married Life

Available on Spotify? Yes