While Up is an adventure film about Carl Fredericksen going to South America to fulfill his wife's dying wish of having an adventure, there are some frightening moments, even for a Pixar film that's Lighter and Softer than its predecessor.
This page contains unmarked spoilers. You Have Been Warned!
- The Corrupt Corporate Executive, just putting his hand on Carl's fencepost and staring ahead. Completely silent and deadpan Evil Gloating.
- Carl losing his house is this and a Tear Jerker. He hurt someone after losing his temper and is clearly feeling guilty and ashamed of himself, and looks so small and vulnerable walking into the courtroom. And then the Corrupt Corporate Executive gets his house taken away after having him declared a "public menace". Carl's been giving off his cantankerous attitude up until this point. Now we're seeing a terrified and helpless old man who made a mistake and is losing everything because of it.
- The Reveal of just how insane Muntz is, particularly when he is fondly caressing the helmets of the people he has brutally murdered.Muntz: You know, Carl. These people who pass through here; they all tell pretty good stories. A "Surveyor" making a map. (He prods a helmet from the table with his cane. The helmet clatters to the floor) A botanist cataloguing plants. (Prods another helmet off the table. He lifts up a third one.) An old man taking his house to Paradise Falls. (He drops the helmet. It rolls to Carl's feet.) That's the best one yet. I can't wait to hear how it ends.
- The part where Muntz tries to kill Kevin, Dug, and Russell with a rifle.
- And there is the part before that, when Muntz takes a tied-up Russell and puts him on the landing ramp, lowers it, and casually walks off. While they are about ten thousand feet in the air. Remember how Muntz died? If Carl hadn't showed up when he did, that would have been Russell.
- How quickly Charles switches from cordially conversing with Carl to wanting him dead. Talk about a mood swing.
- Just the sheer rising horror on Carl's face as it slowly sinks in that the man he once idolized has become a murderous madman...that he and Russel are presently stuck in a room with.
- Pretty much any time someone almost falls to their death, which happens fairly often. Particularly, when Russell falls backward off the porch steps while the house is high in the air. Seriously, be careful when watching this movie if you're afraid of heights.
- It's a very brief moment compared to others, but after Carl first tries to shoo Kevin away with his cane, she puts Russel down, and immediately screeches at Carl. Once she comes down from the tree and begins approaching him, we can clearly see that Kevin is a very large, very strong, and aggressive bird that is capable of seriously harming Carl if she wanted to. Fortunately, Russel is able to convince her that Carl is friendly, and she doesn't antagonize him any more after that. However, this goes to show that the rainforest can be a very dangerous place, and that's not even taking into account Charles Muntz.
- Taking this point further, Kevin is a flightless bird roughly the height of a GIRAFFE, and even ostriches can kill people and dogs with a single kick. If she can leap roughly 30 feet in the air, just imagine what Kevin could DO to any of the other characters in the movie with just the strength in her legs.
- There's a reason why Muntz dubbed Kevin's species the Monster Of Paradise Falls when he explored the area in his youth. Sure, they're colorful with a somewhat goofy design (not to mention ridiculously cute as babies), but they're still enormous birds that physically aren't that far removed from their dinosaur ancestors.
- Those with cynophobia (fear of dogs) will feel really uncomfortable from the many times a dog or pack of dogs hunt down the protagonists.
- Likewise, dog lovers will be disturbed by the subtle background sound of dogs howling in pain as Muntz talks about how many he has lost over the years.
- Muntz's Disney Villain Death might have been terrifying, but at least it was fast. The original storyboards had him try to chase after Kevin and getting lost forever in the maze-like mountains, doomed to die slowly from starvation and cold. Hell, that might still have happened to him, considering that he might have survived the fall due to the balloons stuck to his leg, meaning he's now stranded in the rainforest with no one knowing he's out there, except Carl and Russel, who have no reason to think he's still alive and come looking for him.
- Even though it was very fast, the look of utter terror as he plummets is suitably unsettling. As he starts to fall, he doesn't scream, he just lets out a panicked yelp and that's it.
- Picturing the demise of the other travelers. They probably met Muntz at his most affable. But Muntz's paranoia would soon get triggered by a random comment or perceived insult, and then Muntz would slip into that creepy Tranquil Fury. They would know this man is not just crazy, but homicidal. And it's too late to escape... and nobody's coming to save you, deep in the jungle.
- Carl hits Steve with his cane for accidentally damaging the former's mailbox, causing his head to bleed. Pretty dark, eh? The commentary has Pete Docter noting that in several screenings people were laughing at the initial hit, but then the blood appeared and you could suddenly hear a pin drop.
- The fact that blood is shown in an actual Pixar film alone in general is unnerving.
- Alpha is this when he is not talking, or when his voice modulator is working properly. He is a very smart, intimidating and vicious Doberman who has no problem flinging Dug off a cliff or trying to maul him.
