Up - Impact character

Come here to ask questions or give advice about the theory that forms the basis of Dramatica.
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Nigell123
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Up - Impact character

Postby Nigell123 » Jan 16, 2011 4:55 am

Firstly, I discovered that as Up has only two characters it's impossible to search for using your search engine!! In which case an analysis may already be floating around. But if not, here's my question.

Without doing a detailed analysis, I'm struggling with who the IC is.
It feels like it's the lovely wife who died in the first part of the film, as she drives him on, motivates him, and all the objects in the house and her scrapbook keep emphasising her impact on him. And at the end when he gives the badge to the young boy, it's from his wife.

But during the film the boy is having an impact on the old man, and seems like an IC in that he feels different to the MC, and is forcing him to look at things differently.

Or are both the boy and the wife an IC? In which case are they separate ones that hand off to each other, or two separate ICs in two stories, as Pixar are want to do. Whichever it is, they do come together nicely in the almost final scene when he pins one IC on the other.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks.

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Chris Huntley
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Re: Up - Impact character

Postby Chris Huntley » Jan 20, 2011 12:59 pm

Though I like "Up", I think there are some structural (and logistical) problems with it.

I think the old man, Carl, is supposed to be a Change Main Character, with the boy scout, Russell, the Steadfast Impact Character. That part works OK.

Carl's wife represents Carl's personal problems (a lonely widower).

It is the Overall Story that I think is a bit messed up. First the story is about getting to the falls in that far away place. Strangely, that is more or less accomplished by the end of the first act. Then the story is about saving the strange, 'extinct' bird from the bad guy, Charles Muntz (who inexplicably hasn't aged nearly as much as Carl has, which is never addressed).

I enjoyed "Up" quite a bit. The opening "backstory" about Ellie and Carl is magic. I just wish the rest of the story was a tight and cohesive.
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