Podcast Like It's ... 84: Up with Josh Spiegel & Scott Renshaw
Mar 6, 2026
Scott Renshaw, Salt Lake City Weekly film critic and co‑host of Mousterpiece Melodies. Josh Spiegel, film critic and Mousterpiece Melodies co‑host. They revisit Pixar’s Up: the emotional opening montage, Carl’s unusual elderly lead, Giacchino’s Oscar‑winning score, themes of aging and grief, humor and adventure, worldbuilding and pacing, and the film’s legacy and awards.
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Opening Montage Rewrites Pixar's Emotional Arc
- Up front-loads its emotional core by putting the intensely sad married-life montage at the beginning, making the rest of the film an uphill emotional climb with Carl already at rock bottom.
- Scott and Phil argue that front-loading the climax-chord (usually third-act territory) reframes audience sympathy and makes Carl's later small softening feel earned rather than built toward a single payoff.
Guests Remember Family Preview Screenings
- Josh and Scott both recall seeing Up in theaters with family; Scott even turned a preview screening into his child's birthday outing.
- That memory underscores how the film landed as a multi-generational theatrical event, not just a kids' cartoon.
Small Cast Makes Everyone Else The Antagonist
- Up centers a tiny cast (Carl and Russell plus a pantomime Kevin and Doug) rather than a large ensemble, which lets the film cast the wider world as antagonistic to Carl's comfort.
- Emily notes this choice focuses the story on Carl's isolation and forces relationships (Russell, Doug) to catalyze change rather than be one of many competing storylines.