10 Movie Characters Who Were Only There To Die
1. Ellie Fredericksen - Up
Pixar had been teasing dropping a neutron bomb of sadness on us in the years prior to Up's release in 2009.
They tested the waters (literally) with Coral's death in Finding Nemo and tugged at our heartstrings with WALL-E before unleashing the ultimate sadness right at the beginning of this animated masterpiece.
The opening segment of Up is dedicated entirely to the lives of Carl and Ellie Fredericksen. We watch them meet as children, start a life together, go through the ups and downs of said life, before an older Ellie becomes sick and eventually succumbs to illness.
Her death is like a dagger through the heart and that dagger is made of crying. Most of us can relate to a grandparent or older relative losing a significant other and then completely shutting down. That's exactly what happens with Carl, until he decides to have one last adventure in his late wife's honour.
The weaponised sadness of Up is one of the most brutal openings to a film ever, but it is completely necessary to its story. Ellie's death and its aftermath reminds us all that there is life after tragedy and it's actually a proper feel good story, even if it does make us cry like a fountain.