Daily Dialogue — January 23, 2017

“Cross your heart! Cross it!”

— Up (2009), screenplay by Bob Peterson & Pete Docter, story by Pete Docter & Bob Peterson & Tom McCarthy

The Daily Dialogue theme this week: Callback.

Trivia: The villain Charles Muntz is named after Charles Mintz, the Universal Pictures executive who in 1928 stole Walt Disney’s production rights to his highly-successful “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” cartoon series. This led Walt Disney to create Mickey Mouse, who soon eclipsed Oswald in popularity.

Dialogue On Dialogue: The phrase “cross your heart” is referenced twice in dialogue — once by Ellie in this scene and once by Russell who cajoles Carl to promise he will help get Kevin back to her family. It’s also used four other times as a gesture. Here is the first time:

Here is the last time:

Notice how beautifully this both caps off his promise to Ellie in getting her (symbolically the house) to Paradise Falls and recalls the promise he made to Russell, which in effect transitions him into Act Three.

This is a fantastic use of a callback and a great example of powerful they can be as narrative devices.