Up
From Deconstructing Disney by Rachel Casey, Erin Casey
September 4, 2025 · 1h 44m · Season 1 · Episode 61
About this episode
Erin and Rachel discuss the themes of grief and love in Pixar's Up, critiquing its reliance on the 'dead wife' trope.
Erin and Rachel wallow through an elderly man’s grief journey with Pixar’s critically acclaimed Up (2009). They argue the beautiful art and cute sidekicks aren’t enough to redeem this (admittedly beloved) film, especially since the (admittedly moving) love story invokes the classic “dead wife” trope. We’ll keep sailing our balloon house onto the next one, please and thank you.
People in this episode
Hosts: Erin, Rachel
Topics covered
- film analysis
- Pixar
- grief
- love story
- animation
- tropes
Keywords
- Up
- Pixar
- grief
- animation
- film critique
- love story
- dead wife trope
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Up, Pixar
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