Pixar’s “Up” Stars An Asian American Boy Scout
I had to do a double take when I first saw the trailer to Pixar’s latest computer-animated feature, Up. No, it wasn’t the talking golden retreiver, the Fruit Loops-esque dodo bird or the endearing octogenarian protagonist, Fredricksen. It was the fat, hyperactive boy scout, Russell, whose almond-shaped eyes and black tuft hair took a moment to register.
Then suddenly, the revelation dawned on me. Is Russell Asian? Could it be? An animated Asian character without a stereotypical accent, martial arts know-how, and other clichéd cultural cues? I had to YouTube the trailer again and do a little research before I was convinced. Yes, all evidence points to Russell being Asian.
A wholly touching film that will have the most emphatic of audiences weeping within the first 12 minutes, Up marks a progressive stepping stone in media’s representation of Asian Americans. Finally, 14 years after Pixar premiered Toy Story in 1995, we see the first casting of an Asian American lead animated character, who is voiced by 9-year-old Japanese-American, Jordan Nagai, no less! And according to the LA Times, the pudgy, eager boy scout who accompanies Fredricksen was modeled after Pixar animator Peter Sohn, who is of Korean descent.
Just as the refreshing possibility of Russell’s ethnic identity rushed through my mind when I initially viewed the trailer, a second more sobering one immediately replaced it: Asian American representation in mainstream media has a long way to go before we no longer feel the need to rely on stereotypes to denote an animated character of our own ethnicity. Pixar incorporated Russell’s ethnicity so subtly that other than his facial features, there are no other clues. I mean, sure, Mulan was great, but for once, I enjoyed the ambiguity of having a hard time deciding.
What about you, readers? Did you realize Russell was Asian immediately or did it take awhile? Did you question yourself when no other cultural clues lent themselves to the idea?
P.S. And while we’re on the subject of elderly white grandpas mentoring young Asian Americans, Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino hits the DVDs sales tomorrow.
Photo by Michael Tran, FilmMagic
I have to say when I saw the preview, the asian boy IS what first caught my attention and I was literally like, “wait…is that boy asian??” great article!
I just recently saw Up in 3-D and you’re right, I basically cried within the first 10 minutes or so. But on the topic of Russel, I was so suprised that I actually didn’t even realize he was Asian until near the very end! The last 15 minutes or so I said to my friend, “Hey, does he look Asian to you?” And then at the last scene at the boy scouts award ceremony they showed his Asian mom! Definitely made an already amazing movie that much better for me
When I first saw it I thought it reminded me of my brother (he’s a little less chuby). So I thought he looked kinda Asian, but I didn’t think about it much. It’s just automatic thinking that people are usually suposed to be white. I haven’t seen Up yet, but it looks very cute!
the mom’s fobby response cracked me up at the end
took me a while to realize it because of the stereotype that i have in my head that all lead characters (esp. in big-hit cartoons) are white. but then it dawned on me that he may be asian half-way through, and seeing the mom at the end sealed it. awesome!!!
[...] Finds on December 9, 2009 by J I was wondering about that! I still have yet to see UP in its [...]
[...] I was wondering about that! I still have yet to see UP in its entirety. [...]
[...] I was wondering about that! I still have yet to see UP in its entirety, since I’ve only seen the ending about three times while it was playing in PAACH. I only started suspecting when I read this. I also wonder: is Boo (Monsters, Inc) supposed to be Asian? [...]
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