There’s a piece in the Agent’s Hot Sheet section of September’s Creative Screenwriting magazine about four quadrant surprise summer hits that come from spec scripts. Jim Cirile mentions that Emile Gladstone of ICM warns writers “never to underestimate the power of heart in a story”.  It’s a point that Robert McKee also likes to hammer home. If there’s no emotional pull, he says, the audience will lose interest, regardless of the quality of the set pieces. Although we could probably all think of plenty of exceptions to disprove that, I think it’s generally true.  

One of the biggest emotional rides I’ve experienced at a cinema was watching Disney Pixar’s Up in 3D a couple of weeks ago. What a rollercoaster that was! And how real was Mr Fredrickson? OK, he doesn’t look real, and he’s not supposed to either, but he’s actually far more real than a lot of people I meet.  

And why? Because not only did the writers et al invest in getting to know his character as part of the development process, but they also let us get to know him in the first act - right from childhood through to old age - so that when the story proper takes off, Mr Fredrickson is not just another CG invention. By then he’s almost our grandfather, or father, or whoever. 

Up is a wonderful film - a wonderful four quadrant summer hit (or make that Autum hit if you live anywhere near me), and one that will stay with its viewers for many reasons, perhaps the most important being good old fashioned emotional impact.