WGTC Weekly Throwdown: Saddest Cinematic Deaths

Christian – Ellie (Up)

Just mentioning the movie Up is enough to elicit tears from fans of the film. Pixar is known for their stable of emotionally charged stories (sans Cars) that can make adults cry while leaving children giggling uncontrollably. At the height of their legendary run, Up was released to a hoard of fans who quickly found that the silly premise was really just a cover for one of the most emotional stories ever told in film.

I’m being 100% serious when I say that the first ten minutes of Up make me cry every time I watch it. If you forced me to watch a week’s worth of videos of cute kittens supporting human rights, I would still immediately burst into tears the second I see that title screen. Up is easily Pixar’s most beautifully accomplished film to date, whether you make it to the end or not.

For those who don’t know what scene I’m referencing, then let me give you a quick overview: Carl, the grouchy old man who eventually floats his house away, is shown as a child forming a loving friendship with Ellie, an exhuberant young girl who shares a love for adventure with him. So begins the most perfect montage in film history, illustrating the life the two share together as they grow older.

Executed without either character speaking, this short sequence shows two people’s dreams coming true while their best-laid plans to escape to a tropical land like their favorite explorer keep getting put aside as real life intervenes. There is no better way to describe the experience than as perfect, because everything about it is done right. Every success, every heartbreak, every second of love is portrayed beautifully. It’s simply one of the most profound scenes in film to date.

The fact that Ellie’s death is so impactful despite the fact that we hardly know her speaks to how well done her part of the story is. I am here to tell you that anybody who doesn’t shed even a single tear during any of this is indeed heartless. That’s not an opinion, either. They’ve done science on this type of thing. Watch Up once for the incredibly well-done story, and watch it again if you forgot to read your Chicken Soup for the Soul today.