Carl Fredericksen – Hero’s Journey

The Mundane World

Carl Fredrickson is a quiet old man. He is a lonely and bitter widower. He refuses to move from his home that he shared with his late wife ever since he was young. They never had any children and he is completely alone.

The Call To Adventure

Carl ends up in a small scuffle with a construction worker over his broken mailbox and a court orders him to move into a retirement home.

Crossing The Threshold

Unwilling to leave his home and all the memories he has with his wife, Carl ties tens of thousands balloons to his house and sets off to Paradise Falls, the place to which he and his wife promised each other they would go together.

The Path of Trials

Carl’s first trial is handling Russell, the stowaway Wilderness Explorer who is trying to earn his “Assisting the Elderly” merit badge. They find Paradise Falls where they encounter a giant bird, dogs who can talk, and Carl’s childhood explorer hero Charles Muntz.

Carl figures out that Charles is searching for the bird and will kill anyone who he thinks is going to interfere with him. He realizes that he and Russell are in trouble. They run away from Charles who eventually catches up and steals the bird. Russell goes after Charles because he knows the bird needs his help.

Master of Two Worlds

Carl lets go of his house and all of the sentimental things he’s kept to save Russell. He realizes that in order to move forward and have new and fulfilling adventures in his life, he needs to let some things go. He is no longer lonely as he has taken on Russell as a surrogate grandson and is a much happier person for it.

Submitted by: Steve Kessel

Tags: American, Animation, Male, Movies

About matt

View all posts by matt →