While most people were weeping away while watching the animated movie “UP”, I was furiously pounding at the television screen with my bare fists for the reason that the movie was not within the acceptable prescribed realms of animated movies. The key reason for this is that the movie was premised upon an 80 year old senile man lifting an entire house with only the assistance of his osteoporosis plagued spine and 1 million helium balloons while trekking across an entire continent.
My grievance is with the fact that there was no explanation as to how this ordinary human being was able to perform such superhuman feats. The audience was made to believe that he’s just a cynical, depressed and aged human being with lost dreams. There were no instances of a spell cast upon him or an asteroid landing in his backyard endowing him with super powers.
I concede that animated films are based on the absurd, but what they have been traditionally based on is an absurdity within certain acceptable prescribed rules. You can have talking cars, talking plants, talking robots and mermaids without further explanation because their operation is within a fantasy world where basic principles of earth as we know it don’t exist. This context is comforting and allows me to continue watching the movie rage free.
But “UP” did not take place in such mythical and imaginative settings. It took place on earth in the dimension we currently live in. The country the old man wanted to migrate to was somewhere in Africa, I believe, his wife and that annoying fat Chinese kid were all ordinary humans as well. The endangered bird creature, the lunatic explorer and the dogs that were able to speak via a device engineered by science which the old man had stumbled upon on his adventure were all believable, earthly elements. The only unexplainable thing was a senior citizen carrying a freaking house!
Now I find that this absurd movie is being nominated for an Oscar. I am curious to discover how fans of animated films are able to embrace this movie.
Tawnytheowl's Droppings 
It is definitely possible. I’m obviously not sure 100% whether it is do-able, not having ever carried a house before. But i looked it up, Jeff. Apparently a normal house weighs 60 Tons i.e. 120,000 pounds. I’m assuming this is for a brick house, hence a house made of wooden planks like the one in Up would be lighter.
A 24 diameter helium balloon can carry 455 pounds. Assuming the old man had 100 million helium balloons, this is definitely possible!!
And, Russell is not the annoying kid, he is so super duper cute!! 🙂