Unlike other Disney movies, Up opens with a bittersweet portrait of life.
Up Takes the Boring Stuff and Shows Us How Great Life Can Be
Carl Fredricksen and Ellie are two budding adventurers who want to follow in the footsteps of their childhood hero, the disgraced explorer Charles Muntz. Despite their big dreams, what follows is a montage that still manages to make us cry today. Carl and Ellie marry, build a house, and grow old together, never once going on an adventure to South America. Eventually, Ellie passes away and Carl Fredricksen is left alone. He becomes a grumpy, lonely old man as his neighborhood turns into skyscrapers and apartment blocks. He later meets (and promptly rebuffs) Russell, a boy scout seeking his Assisting the Elderly badge. They become an odd duo when Carl decides to fulfill his promise to his late wife and see Paradise Falls. He inflates balloons (20,622 to be exact!) and flies his house to South America, unknowingly bringing along Russell. What unfolds is a touching story about love, adventure, and grief. Although it’s been over a decade since its release, there’s still a lot we can learn from this Pixar classic. Since one of its themes is about chasing dreams, we’ve decided to create a list of the best Up movie quotes to inspire the adventurer inside all of us! (If you’re on a Disney nostalgia kick by the end of this, you can also check out our favorite Hocus Pocus quotes and our ranking of the best High School Musical songs!)
10 Greatest Adventure Quotes from Up
Up may have all traditional Pixar fixings, but what sets it apart from other films is its unconventional take on the adventure genre. As dangers unfold in an exotic wonderland, Up stitches an unlikely trio together: A crotchety old man, a boy scout who needs a role model, and a loveable talking dog (who recently got his own short series). The three couldn’t be further from Indiana Jones, yet together, they beat the odds. Let’s look back on the film’s greatest moments with our favorite Up quotes:
- “Adventure is out there!” – Charles Muntz’s famous tagline
- “Don’t you know this is an exclusive club? Only explorers get in here. Not just any kid off the street with a helmet and a pair of goggles. Do you think you got what it takes? Well, do you?” – Young Ellie when she first meets Carl Fredricksen, her future husband
- “Paradise Falls, a land lost in time. I ripped this right out of a library book. I’m gonna move my clubhouse there, and park it right next to the falls. Who knows what lives up there?” – Ellie on her lifelong dream, the driving force for Carl’s actions in the film
- “A Wilderness Explorer is a friend to all, be it a plant or fish or tiny mole!” – Russell
- “I can’t do it” – Russell before climbing a dangerous rope, proving that he can
- “You know Carl, these people who come here, they all tell pretty good stories. A surveyor making a map, a botanist cataloging plants, an old man taking his house to Paradise Falls. And that’s the best one yet. I can’t wait to hear how it ends.” – Charles Muntz
- “The wilderness must be explored! CA, CA! RAWRR.” – Russell showing off his call sign as a Wilderness Explorer scout
- “Imagine all the wonderful things that will never happen if you do not let them.” – Ellie
- “You and me, we are in a club now. I saw where your balloon went. Come on, let’s go get it.” – Ellie to Carl Fredricksen right before they set off on their greatest adventure together (marriage)
- “Thanks for the adventure—now go have a new one!” – Ellie in her final message to her husband
10 of the Most Romantic Up Quotes
Throughout the film, we never doubt Carl Fredricksen’s dedication to his wife. It’s her passing that pushes him to fulfill their dream and find Paradise Falls just as Charles Muntz did. It’s also this same devotion to Elli that encourages Carl to let go of his grief and forge new bonds with Russell and Dug. Up expertly removes all cliches about true love. By telling an unlikely story about grief, Up reminds viewers that the greatest adventure we can go on is with the people we love the most. In case you need a little reminder, here are a few movie quotes from Up that prove true love is real: 11. “Hi There! My name is Doug. I have just met you, and I love you.” – Dug when he first encounters Carl and Russell 12. “We’re on our way, Ellie.”- Carl Fredricksen 13. “That might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most.” – Russell missing his absent father 14. “I was hiding under your porch because I love you. Can I stay?” – Dug 15. “Can you stay? Well, you’re my dog, aren’t you?” – Carl Fredricksen 16. “You know, you don’t talk very much… I like you!” – Young Ellie to Carl before they become friends 17. “But I wanna help.” – Russell 18. “I don’t want your help, I want you safe.” – Carl Fredricksen 19. “But he promised he’d come to my Explorer ceremony to pin on my Assisting the Elderly badge.” – Russell about his father 20. “It’s just a house.” – Carl after letting go of his grief and defeating Charles Muntz 21. “You will always be my greatest adventure.” – Carl Fredricksen 22. “Russell, for assisting the elderly, and for performing above and beyond the call of duty, I would like to award you the highest honor I can bestow: The Ellie Badge.” – Carl Fredricksen expressing his gratitude to Russel for everything he’s done
17 Utterly Hilarious Quotes from Up
Now that its target audience has grown up, the comedic timing of Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer (who voiced Carl Fredricksen and Charles Muntz, respectively) is more pungent. Meanwhile, Dug and the other talking dogs (Alpha, Beta, and Gemma) deliver just the right amount of dopey humor to balance out the film’s more serious moments. And yes, Alpha’s high-pitched voice is still funny. Overall, Up’s humor hits the funny bone for both kid and adult viewers (much like The Grinch still does for us.) Here’s a list of our favorite gags, one-liners, and stupidest jokes from Up: 23. “Oh, we’re in South America, all right. It was a cinch with my Wilderness Explorer GPS.” – Russell 24. “GP what?” – Carl Fredricksen 25. “My dad gave it to me; it shows exactly where we are on the planet! With this baby, we’ll never be lost!” – Russell seconds before losing the GPS 26. “I love you and… SQUIRREL!” – Dug after meeting Carl and Russell 27. “Oh! Mr. Fredricksen! If we happen to get separated, use the Wilderness Explorer call: CA – CA! RAWRRR!” – Russell 28. “You, in the suit… Yes, you! Take a bath, hippie!” – Carl Fredricksen yelling at construction foreman Tom 29. “I do not like the cone of shame.” – Dug after being reprimanded 30. “Hey, that one looks like a turtle! Look at that one! That one looks like a dog! AAH! It is a dog!” – Russell about Dug 31. “You’d better get up, Russell. Or else, the tigers will come and eat you.” – Carl 32. “There are no tigers in South America. Zoology.” – Russell 33. “I finally meet my childhood hero and he’s trying to kill us. What a joke.” – Carl Fredricksen after discovering the true intentions of his hero Charles Muntz 34. “Hey, I know a joke! A squirrel walks up to a tree and says, ‘I forgot to store acorns for the winter and now I am dead.’ Ha! It is funny because the squirrel gets dead!” – Dug 35. “Hey, let’s play a game. It’s called ‘see who can be quiet the longest.’” – Carl Fredricksen 36. “Cool! My mom loves that game!” – Russell 37. “You know, most people take a plane, but you’re smart because you’ll have all your TV and clocks and stuff.” – Russell 38. “Scream all you want, Small Mailman.” – Beta 39. “None of your mailman friends can hear you.” – Gamma 40. “Now, we’re gonna walk to the falls quickly and quietly with no rap music or flash dancing.” – Carl Fredricksen 41. “May I take your bird back to camp as my prisoner?” – Dug about Kevin 42. “She’s storing food for her babies.” – Dug 43. “Her babies! Kevin’s a girl?!” – Russell 44. “My master made me this collar. He is a good and smart master and he made me this collar so that I may talk — SQUIRREL!” Dug, hilariously capturing the inner dog spirit.
Top 10 Cutest Up Movie Quotes
While young Ellie and Carl Fredricksen are undoubtedly Disney’s most adorable couple, the film’s other characters up the cute factor by eleven. Every goofy scene with Dug proves why dogs are man’s best friends. Meanwhile, Kevin and Russell’s dynamic is odd but sweet. And let’s not forget just about every one of Carl’s tender moments with his wife. Check out this list of Up quotes guaranteed to make you go “aww!”: 45. “I like you temporarily!” – Dug 46. “See these? These are my Wilderness Explorer badges. You may notice one is missing. It’s my ‘assisting the elderly’ badge. If I get it, I will become a Senior Wilderness Explorer!” – Russell 47. “I’ll unleash all my Wilderness Explorer training.” – Russell eager to start their adventure 48. “Charles Muntz, explorer. When I get big, I’m going where he’s going: South America. It’s like America, but south.” – Young Ellie about Paradise Falls 49. “The wilderness isn’t quite what I expected… It’s wild!” – Russell after arriving in Paradise Falls with Carl 50. “I am a great tracker. My pack sent me on a special mission, all by myself. Have you seen a bird? I am going to find one, and I am on the scent. I am a great tracker; did I mention that?” – Dug 51. “I’ll meet you at the van in just a minute. I, uh, wanna say one last goodbye to the old place.” – Carl Fredricksen parting with his wife’s memory 52. “I found the snipe, and I followed it under your porch, but this snipe had a long tail and looked more like a large mouse.” – Dug 53. “I am here with the bird, and I will bring it back, and then you will like me. Oh, gotta go.” – Dug about Kevin 54. “Won’t you please be my prisoner? Please, please, please?!” – Dug about Kevin
Final Thoughts on the Best Up Movie Quotes
Up holds a special place in the hearts of many fans—and for good reason. Whether it’s by telling us to cherish the “boring stuff” as Rusell puts it—or reminding us there’s always time to chase our dreams as Carl Fredricksen did, Up is the kind of movie everyone can connect with. What’s your favorite Up quote? Let us know in the comments!
