I have been procrastinating. This post is long overdue. Up (2009) is probably my favorite Disney Pixar film. Yet, I have been delaying writing this article for our Disney Sunday Night Movie series, because I want to do this beautiful film justice. In all likelihood, I will probably do an additional follow-up movie night guide for this film (like we did for Inside Out). I think Disney Pixar’s Up is just that powerful. So here we go, please join me for this adventure and check-out our movie night guide to Up.
Like the other guides in our Disney Sunday Night Movies series, this guide is spent to be easy and low stress. Movie nights should bring your family or loved ones together and not stress you out or distract you with excessive prep. All of our movie night guides call for little or no prep and minimal supplies.
For this Up movie night, you will need paper and writing implements (pens, crayons, pencils… your choice). We also have optional activities involving a balloon and ice cream, so keep reading for more on those. Of course the primary thing you will need is the movie itself…
Watch Disney and Pixar’s Up (2009)
Disney Pixar’s film Up is currently on Disney+. If you do not have this streaming service, we suggest borrowing the film from a friend or your local library. We are thrilled with how many films, even new releases, we can find at our own neighborhood library. And if they do not have the film we want, the librarians borrow it from another library. Seriously, check-out your library!
Loosen-Up with Some Keepy-Up-y
If your group will be more likely to share after some loosening-Up. May we suggest a game of Keepy-Up-y. All you need is a balloon. (Of course, you could always make the game more challenging and add many, many balloons a la Carl Fredricksen.)
Toss the balloon (or balloons) into your group, and work together to keep the balloon from touching the ground. You may tap it with your head, hands, whatever, but do not grab it or catch it. See how long you can keep the balloon aloft.
Feeling loose and ready to share? Let us move onto the conversation.
Conversation Guide for Up Movie Night
Coming up are some questions for you to share with your group after watching Disney and Pixar’s Up. These questions and conversation prompts are meant to guide you into a discussion about Up. More than that, we hope this movie night guide will help you connect with your fellow adventurers. To assist you in having a powerful conversation, here are some…
Helpful Tips for Leading a Discussion
We have a few quick tips to help everyone in your group feel comfortable sharing.
Create a Cozy and Comfortable Space
Try to create a welcoming space for everyone in your group. A simple but inviting environment can go a long way towards helping people feel comfortable inside and out. Gentle lighting and a seating arrangement where everyone can see each other is usually best. With our words and a cozy space, we let everyone know that their thoughts are valued.
Writing & Drawing Can Help People Share
Whether we have a room full or introverts or those prone to speaking before thinking, we find that making time for drawing or writing can be really fruitful. Before we ask our group to share, we read discussion questions out loud and give our group members five to ten minutes to draw or journal. Many people need individual time to process their thoughts before they share.
Group members might choose to show their writing and artwork, or they may just use it as a starting place for themselves.
Listen Well
When people choose to share something difficult, it can be hard to know how to respond. Just let that person know you are listening with empathy. Try to avoid the temptation to minimize a problem or offer suggestions right away. Be attentive and acknowledge their feelings. You can say things like, “How did you feel when that happened?” Or, “That sounds very hard. Thank you for sharing this with me.”
Reflection Questions for Disney Pixar’s Up
Now on to our reflection questions for Up movie night. As group leader, we suggest you read these questions aloud one at a time. After each question, give your group members time to think, write and even draw if they wish. After everyone has had time to reflect, invite each person to share their responses.
These questions are designed to start at the surface level and then prompt your group to go deeper. So, up, up and away we go:
- What was your favorite part of Up, the movie we just watched?
- Why?
- If you could go on any kind of adventure you wished, where would you go, and what would you do? Imagine you are adding a page to the ”Stuff I’m Going To Do” section in the Adventure Book we saw in the film. Draw a picture or write about your adventure.
- Why did you choose this adventure?
- Who will go with you?
- Think about an adventure you have experienced, and now draw a picture of it or write about it. Imagine you are making a page to add to the Adventure Book.
- How did you feel before that adventure, and how did you feel afterwards?
- What makes someone a good adventure companion?
- Early in the film, we see young Carl promise Ellie that he will take them to Paradise Falls. She asks him to cross his heart and swear he will, but Ellie dies before they make it to Paradise Falls together. This seems to cause Carl great sadness and even guilt. He carries this heavy guilt and grief with him through most of the movie, and that burden takes physical form in the house filled with the couple’s possessions. When Carl’s new friends are in danger, he is faced with the choice of keeping this burden or saving his friends. After much anguish, and a newly discovered note from Ellie, Carl chooses to let go.
- What burdens are keeping you from living fully? From connecting with others? From loving yourself?
- What burdens do you need to release in order to be the hero in your adventure?
- What do you need to do to let go?
Additional Activities for Up Movie Night
The reflection questions you just read are really the heart of our movie night guides, but we also like to include some optional activities. Do not worry, because these still require minimal supplies and practically no advance preparation. We already shared our suggestion for Keepy-Up-y, and here are two more easy movie night activities.
Create Your Adventure Book
You have just spent some time creating pages for an imaginary Adventure Book like Carl and Ellie had in the movie. So, why not create an actual adventure book? Ask you group members to contribute any pages they feel comfortable sharing and bind them into Our Adventure Book.
The binding does not need to be anything fancy. Simply staple the pages together down one side and ask your most willing artist to create a cover. What a great souvenir from your Up movie night!
Do Some Bird Watching and Dog Spotting
This next activity is probably better in the daylight. You can save it as a next-morning follow-up to Up movie night.
Did you like meeting Kevin and her babies as much as Russell did? Did you love Dug? How about taking a walk around your neighborhood to observe your resident wild and not-so-wildlife? You can even check online for a guide to bird watching or visit your local library for some guide books.
Up Movie Night Snacks
We love the final scene with Carl and Russell sharing some ice cream together. For your Up movie night, try closing out the evening with some ice cream of your own. You can even eat it while counting red and blue cars.
Or, keep with the theme of adventure, and create an Up trail mix with ingredients including dry cereal, nuts and dried fruit like raisins. We would even add some sunflower “bird” seed in honor of Kevin and her flock.
Finally, we think you cannot go wrong with popcorn at movie night. For our favorite popcorn movie night ideas, see our article, Easy Popcorn Hacks for Family Movie Night.
Whatever you choose to discuss, do and eat, we hope your Up movie night draws you closer together and inspires you to new adventures.
Thank you for reading this guide to Up movie night.
We hope this has been helpful, and we encourage you to check-out the other guides in our Disney Sunday Night Movies series. If you love Pixar, be sure to take a look at the ones for Inside Out, Inside Out 2, A Bug’s Life and Luca. For some real-life adventures, see our other articles like Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep or 5 Fun Things for Kids To Do Near the Chicago Loop. Finally, please consider subscribing to our free newsletter below. Thanks again for reading!
