Aging In Pixar's Up

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Aging is inevitable. The process looks different on all of us and is dependent upon certain factors including; how well we take care of our health regarding exercise, diet, and the support we get from others. In society aging has a negative connotation because we are led to believe we are less likely to be able to be independent, self-sufficient, and have less social support. Pixar’s UP is a great movie that exemplifies the aging process and two key concepts; ageism and chronological age vs. functional age as it relates to societal beliefs, pressures, and effects. Disney’s UP takes us on an inspiring journey of life, friendship and adventure. A young explorer named Carl has always dreamed of adventure and (….) He meets a fellow explorer as …show more content…

According to ALFA ageism is the discrimination of a person based on their age and it robs seniors of their independence (website at bottom). Not only are these stereotypes negative to the elderly, but it may also shorten their lives.(dittman) In Levy’s research she found that older adults who had a more positive perception of themselves lived 7.5 years longer than those with a negative perception. (dittman) Carl was perceived as a grumpy old widower and a menses to the community because of his seclusion and unwilliness for change. Because of this the judge decided he would be best off in a retirement home. It’s that assumption and attitude that Carl was too old to continue to take care of his home and be a productive citizen that creates this stereotyping. (paper) It can be assumed that Carl quit his job willingly to retire with Ellie so they could travel to South America, but unfortunately she passed. It is likely if Carl wanted to return to work that he would be turned away due to age. Okinawan people believed that retiring early made for an early death and even to this day they don’t have a word for retirement 75(book). Even young Russell displays ageism in UP, when he specifically chooses Carl to achieve his assisting an elderly badge because he assumes that because Carl is a senior that he in fact needs help. Russell would soon realize that Carl has more spunk and push in him than he first

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