The Hero's Journey within Up
Maaya, Grace and Mikayla
Stage 1 - Ordinary World
Stage 1
- When he is young, Carl is a huge adventure fanatic.
- Carl meets Ellie, who also shares his passion.
Ordinary World
- Carl leads a happy life with Ellie.
Inner Journey
Stage 2 - Call to Adventure
Stage 2
- Ellie presents Carl with her adventure book and talks about her dreams to move to Paradise Falls.
- Carl establishes a coin jar for the two of them to save for the trip.
Ordinary World
- Carl shares Ellie's dream to live at Paradise Falls.
- He remains dedicated to her and her happiness which is why he sets up funds to reach the falls.
Inner Journey
Stage 3 - Refusal of the Call
Stage 3
- Carl and Ellie are forced to break their coin jar multiple times.
- Carl eventually realizes their negligence and buys tickets to the falls, but Ellie falls ill.
- When Ellie dies, Carl discards their dream entirely.
Limited Awareness of the Problem
- Carl and Ellie realize that they are delaying their plans for adventure, but must do it to pay for their house and car damages.
- In his grief, Carl abandons their dream after Ellie's passing.
Inner Journey
Stage 4 - Supernatural Aid (the Helper)
- Carl lives unhappily in solitude.
- Russell, a Wilderness Explorer, comes to his house in the hopes that he can help Carl and earn a new badge.
- Carl refuses.
Stage 4
Resistance to Change & Increased Awareness of Need for Change
- Carl does not want Russell's help because he strongly dislikes interacting with other people.
- Ever since Ellie's death, Carl has been constantly grieving her and grumpy.
Inner Journey
Stage 5 - Crossing the Threshold
- Carl does not want to move into an elder's home.
- He attaches balloons to his house with a plan to fly to Paradise Falls.
- Russell also makes his reappearance.
Stage 5
Overcoming Fear & Committing to Change
- Carl breaks out of the constant dreary routine that his life has fallen into.
- He sets off on his journey to the Falls, knowing full well that he is disobeying a court order.
Inner Journey
Stage 6 - Approach
- A storm strands Carl and Russell on the ground with the house on the wrong side of the cliffs.
- Carl wants to fly over to the other side but since they can only access the house via the hose which they cannot climb, he decides that the best way to proceed is by walking, using the hose as a leash.
Stage 6
Experimenting with New Conditions
- Adaptation is required on Carl's part after the storm, and he is diverged from his initial plan.
- Carl also tries to deal with having Russell as his travel companion because, while Russell annoys him, he cannot send him back.
Inner Journey
Stage 7 - Challenges and Temptations
- Carl and Russell encounter Kevin and Dug who Russell opts to keep.
- They also meet Charles Muntz who Carl is tempted to join until Muntz grows threatening towards Kevin.
Stage 7
Experimenting with New Conditions (continued)
- This adventure has put Carl in many foreign situations, and he struggles to adapt to them.
- Carl is especially shocked when he meets his idol, and Muntz is revealed to be crueller than he imagined.
Inner Journey
Stage 8 - Death
- While fleeing from Muntz, Carl's house catches fire.
- Carl makes a quick decision to save his house over Kevin.
- This decision creates tension with Russell who criticizes him for this choice.
- When Carl reaches the falls, he still feels unhappy.
Stage 8
Preparing for a Major Change
- Carl is aware that, by letting Kevin be captured, Russell will come to resent him, but he does not predict that this choice will additionally make him feel guilty.
- However, he chooses to prioritize his and Ellie's dreams over these consequences.
Inner Journey
Stage 9 - Abyss
- Now at Paradise Falls, Carl comes to the realization that his feelings of unfulfillment stem from the fact that he has been living Ellie's dream all this time, not his own.
Stage 9
Big Changes of Feelings with Life and Death
Inner Journey
- It becomes increasingly apparent to Carl just how badly he has let Russell and Kevin down.
- Carl is able to stop denying the fact that he truly grew to care for Russell and his other companions.
Stage 10 - Rebirth
- Carl sets out to go and save his friends.
Stage 10
Accepting Consequences of New Life
- Carl decides to abandon his ideal life at the top of Paradise Falls.
- By throwing out all of his furniture before setting out to save Russell, Carl is able to let go of the grievances that he had throughout his journey thus far.
Inner Journey
Stage 11- Transformation
- Carl journeys to Charles Muntz's blimp and faces a number of ordeals in order to save his friends.
- Carl faces Muntz and his dogs, and is able to fend off their many attempts to stop him and re-capture Kevin.
- He goes as far as attempting to exclude Russell from the face-off with his former idol to keep him safe.
Stage 11
New Challenge and Re-dedication & Final Attempts
- Despite the mass of dogs that he must face, Carl is not dissuaded from aiding his friends.
- Previously, Carl was not dedicated enough to his companions (or anyone besides himself) to endanger himself to this degree.
- When Carl loses his house during the conflict, he is not upset (as he previously would have been) because he has grown to care more about his friends instead.
Inner Journey
Stage 12 - Atonement
- Russell and Carl return Kevin to her babies.
- They then return to the city in Muntz's blimp.
Stage 12
Mastery
- Carl has let go of the dream to live at Paradise Falls.
- He feels satisfied with himself for returning Kevin to her family.
- Carl's heroic actions and friendship with Russell bring him greater happiness.
Inner Journey
Stage 13 - Gift from Someone
- Instead of Carl receiving a gift/reward from someone, he provides a gift to Russell.
- In addition to his "Helping the Elderly" badge, Carl gives Russell the Grape Soda badge which Ellie had once given him.
Stage 13
Mastery (continued)
- Carl is no longer consumed by grief for Ellie's death and is able to share the joy of her memory with Russell instead.
- He is no longer isolated from the world or miserable in his solitude.
Inner Journey
Stage 14 - Return to the Ordinary World
- Carl and Russell sit on the curb together and eat ice-cream while counting cars.
Stage 14
Mastery (continued)
- Carl is no longer obsessed with the absence of Ellie.
- Alternatively, he enjoys the presence of Russell and leads a happier, less troubled life.
Inner Journey