Script To Screen: “Up”
From the 2009 Pixar movie Up [screenplay by Bob Peterson and Pete Docter, story by Peter Docter and Bob Peterson & Thomas McCarthy], the Carl and Ellie married life sequence.
Setup: Carl and Ellie get married.
INT. CHURCH — DAY
FLASH! A photo is taken of the wedding couple: Carl and
Ellie, now 19. She jumps at him and gives him a big kiss.
Ellie’s side of the church erupts like wild frontiersmen. A
gun shot is fired in the air.
Carl’s side, rigid puritans in black, clap politely.
EXT. DILAPIDATED HOUSE — DAY
Carl carries her past a “SOLD” sign. It’s the same house
where they met as kids.
EXT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE — DAY
Still in their wedding clothes: She saw as he hammers.
INT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM — DAY
They push two chairs into place side by side in the living room.
EXT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE — DAY
Ellie finishes painting “Carl & Ellie” on their MAILBOX.
Carl lean in to admire her work but leaves a messy paint
handprint on the mailbox! Oh well; Ellie adds her handprint
as well. They smile.
EXT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE — DAY
Their house now matches Ellie’s colorful CLUB HOUSE DRAWING
from her childhood Adventure Book.
EXT. RURAL HILLSIDE — DAY
They run up a hillside together.
They lie side by side on a picnic blanket. She describes the
clouds. He watches as a cloud transforms into a turtle.
Carl closes his eyes and smiles. He’s lucky to be with her.
EXT. ZOO — DAY
Ellie emerges from the South American House, dressed in her
Zookeeper’s uniform.
Carl shows off his new BALLOON CART and uniform. Behind him
the balloons lift his cart off the ground. Carl jumps to
catch it. She giggles.
INT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM — DAY
Carl and Ellie sit side by side in their chairs, reading.
Without looking up from their books, they hold hands.
EXT. RURAL HILLSIDE — DAY
Again at their picnic spot, they watch clouds. Ellie sees an
elephant with wings. Carl gives it a try and points out a
BABY. Ellie lights up, excited. She sees ALL the clouds as
babies! Carl is stunned… but smiles.
INT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, BABY ROOM — DAY
Ellie finishes painting a wall mural of a story carrying a
bundle in its beak. Carl hangs a mobile above the crib.
INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE — AFTERNOON
Carl touches Ellie’s shoulder as the doctor explains. Ellie
drops her head in her hands.
EXT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM — AFTERNOON
Carl looks out the window. Ellie sits alone under a tree,
the wind in her hair.
EXT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, YARD — AFTERNOON
Carl joins Ellie. he hands her the Adventure Book. She smiles.
INT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM — AFTERNOON
Ellie paints a MURAL of their house atop Paradise Falls over
the mantle. Carl organizes a compass, map, binoculars, and
native bird figure beneath the painting. It’s their shrine
to Adventure.
INT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM — AFTERNOON
Carl sets a JAR on a table, “PARADISE FALLS” written on it.
Ellie drops in a few coins. She looks at Carl and crosses
her heart. Carl crosses his.
A SERIES OF SHOTS
The jar slowly fills as Carl and Ellie toss in spare change.
Their car blows a tire.
The two stand by the jar, reluctant. Carl BREAKS the jar.
New tire.
Carl in the hospital with a broken leg.
Breaking jar.
A storm rages. A tree falls, crushing the roof.
Breaking jar.
INT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, FRONT HALL — MORNING
Carl struggles to tie his tie. Ellie helps. They walk out
the front door arm in arm.
INT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, FRONT HALL — 3 YEARS LATER
Ellie struggles to tie Carl’s tie as they rush out the door.
A SERIES OF SHOTS as Ellie straightens Carl’s ties. Stylish
1950’s ties. Wide 60’s ties. Paisley 70’s ties.
INT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, FRONT HALL — 30 YEARS LATER
Older Carl and Ellie smile at themselves in the hall mirror.
EXT. ZOO — DAY
Carl in his 60’s. They still work happily side by side at
the zoo. Carl’s cart lifts off the ground. He casually
leans an elbow on it.
INT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM — NIGHT
Carl and Ellie dance in the evening candlelight. The
PARADISE FALLS JAR sits off to the side, now dusty and
forgotten.
INT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM WINDOW — AFTERNOON
Carl cleans the inside of the window. Ellie cleans the
outside.
INT. CARL’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM — AFTERNOON
Carl vacuums the Adventure Shrine on the mantle. Carl smiles
at a photo of Ellie as a child, wearing her flight helmet and
goggles. He looks up at the mural of their house at Paradise
Falls. His smile fades.
Behind him, Ellie sweeps the floor. Their dream has gone
unfulfilled.
Carl has an idea.
EXT. TRAVEL AGENCY — DAY
Carl buys two tickets to South America.
EXT. RURAL HILLSIDE — AFTERNOON
Carl hurries excitedly up picnic hill. He hides the airline
tickets in his basket.
Behind him, Ellie falters and falls. She tries to get up but
falls again. Something is wrong.
He runs to her.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM — DAY
Ellie lies in a hospital bed. She looks through her
ADVENTURE BOOK.
A BLUE BALLOON floats in to the room.
Carl stands at the door. He smiles and walks to her bedside.
Ellie pushes her Adventure Book toward him. She weakly pats
his cheek and adjusts his tie.
He kisses her on the forehead.
INT. CHURCH — AFTERNOON
Carl sits alone, next to a huge bouquet of balloons.
EXT. CARL AND ELLIE’S HOUSE — DUSK
Carl walks into the house, holding a single blue balloon.
FADE TO BLACK.
Here is the sequence from the movie:
Questions to ask to analyze the scene:
* What elements in the movie scene are the same as the script?
* What elements in the movie scene are different than the script?
* Regarding the differences, put yourself in the mindset of the filmmakers and speculate: Why did they make the changes they did?
* How did the changes improve the scene?
* Alternatively are there elements in the script, not present in the movie, that are better than the final version of the scene?
* Note each camera shot in the movie version. Which of them does the script suggest via sluglines or scene description?
* How does the script convey a sense of the scene’s tone, feel, and pace through scene description and dialogue?
* What ‘magic’ exists in the movie that is not indicated in the words of the script? How do you suppose that magic emerged?
I’ll see you in comments for a discussion of this terrific scene from Up.
One of the single best things you can do to learn the craft of screenwriting is to read the script while watching the movie. After all a screenplay is a blueprint to make a movie and it’s that magic of what happens between printed page and final print that can inform how you approach writing scenes. That is the purpose of Script to Screen, a weekly series on GITS where we analyze a memorable movie scene and the script pages that inspired it.
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