Why Up Fans Are Heated Over New Pixar Short "Carl’s Date"
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There's still one more adventure out there.
More than a decade after Up's opening scene left fans teary-eyed with the love story of Carl Fredricksen and his late wife Ellie, Pixar Animation Studios is now giving the widower a second chance at love in upcoming short film, "Carl's Date."
The short film finds Carl, voiced once more by the late Ed Asner, "reluctantly agreeing to go on a date with a lady friend—but admittedly with no idea how dating works these days," the press release notes. Luckily for Carl, his "helpful" furry friend Dug, voiced by Up co-director Bob Peterson, will step in to "calm Carl's pre-date jitters and offer some tried-and-true tips for making friends—if you're a dog."
The announcement and poster reveal—which sees Carl carrying a bouquet of purple flowers—sparked buzz on the internet, particularly among those who rejected the idea of Carl moving on from Ellie.
"He doesn't need to go on a date. Better just be friends. He would never do Ellie like that," one user wrote, while another added, "Noo no. I won't tolerate this. Ellis was the love of his life."
However, some fans sparked theories that perhaps "Carl's Date" could have an unexpected twist.
"What if the entire short is the build-up to the date," one person suggested, "and it winds up he's just sitting across from a picture of Ellie or something."
And then there were those who believed Carl had the right to take on this new chapter. After all, Ellie left a handwritten message for Carl in the movie that read, "Thanks for the adventure—now go have a new one!"
"People who are angry about this completely miss the point of Up's message," someone in favor of Carl's potential new romance tweeted. "Ellie would want Carl to keep living. She had her life with him and her adventure. Carl will always love Ellie, but him finding someone else isn't a betrayal to Ellie whatsoever. It's simply how life is."
As for how the date unfolds—and how useful Dug's advice ends up being—fans will have to tune in and find out.
"Carl's Date" will be shown before the Pixar film Elemental, out in theaters June 16.
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