Pixar has given the world some of the most successful animated films of all time. Near the top of the list is 2009’s Up. One of the most iconic parts of the movie is the main character’s house, which is able to fly up into the air thanks to thousands of helium balloons tied to the roof.
Fans love recreations of their favorite things from movies in the real world. But this time, things might have gone a bit too far. Airbnb is offering customers the chance to stay in a recreation of the house from Up, complete with being lifted into the air via crane. But the edifice is generating doubts as many potential customers appear to view the whole thing as too risky.
Carl’s Floating House From Up
Up tells the story of an elderly retiree named Carl. The death of his beloved wife Ellie leaves Carl feeling alone and bereft of purpose. As a tribute to Ellie Carl decides to embark on visit to Paradise Falls, a place they had always dreamed of visiting together. To do so, Carl attaches thousands of floating balloons to his house and flies into the sky on one final grand adventure.
Up was a big hit with critics and general audiences alike. The idea of flying off into the wild in a house using floating balloons captured the imagination of the viewers in a lively manner. It is no wonder that Airbnb has attempted to get in on the nostalgia by advertising a floating replica of the house complete with helium balloons and a crane that takes the whole thing into the air.
The House From Up Seems Like A Risky Fantasy
While at first glance the idea of recreating the house in real life seems like a fun way to relive iconic moments from Up, social media netizens were quick to point out the dangers of staying in such a building:
no one is staying in that
— bailey (@breakupbye) May 1, 2024
when i walk out and forget im lifted up in the air pic.twitter.com/WO8DBLVi96
— alfonso ☼ ⋆｡˚⋆ฺ (@ctrlalfonso) May 1, 2024
It seems that while fans like to connect with scenes and props from their favorite movies in the real world, a lot of them draw the line at doing so if it involves a floating house that they can fall out of at any given moment. As other users pointed out, it would be all too easy in an unthinking moment to step out of the house and plummet to the ground:
Everyone down below if the crane breaks pic.twitter.com/nG35NaI6lE
— RJ (@ResonantJustice) May 1, 2024
Well… pic.twitter.com/BSkw45CeeN
— Eric Pellinen (@EricPellinen) May 1, 2024
This seriously doesn’t look safe
— Vechtor Cole (@HeavyMetalFoxxo) May 1, 2024
It remains to be seen if some courageous fans will take the chance of staying in the house from Up, even with the risk involved. Or whether Airbnb will find ways to secure the house in a way that assures customers they won’t be in danger of falling to their doom while recreating scenes from Up inside the house.
Airbnb Goes All-In On Pop Culture Icons
The floating house from Up is not the only pop culture landmark that Airbnb has set its sights on. The house is part of an “Icons” category that the company has announced which will allow customers to stay in houses with strong ties to pop culture.
This includes stepping into a 2D-animated recreation of Professor Charles Xavier’s X-Mansion as seen in the original 1997 X-Men cartoon series, complete with a Danger Room. Only time will tell if more houses or locations from Pixar movies will become a part of Airbnb, like Andy’s room from the Toy Story franchise or the spaceship from the future seen in Wall-E.
Up is now available for streaming on Disney+.
