Foil

Character Role Analysis

Carl Fredricksen/Russell

Carl and Russell have a thoroughly unlikely friendship. For starters, there’s that 70-year age gap. Carl is as closed-off and cantankerous as Russell is open and optimistic. Carl is a man of few words; Russell’s never won a game of “Let’s See Who Can Be Quiet the Longest.” But when these two opposites join forces, they’re an unbeatable team. Carl serves as Russell’s wise, reliable father figure, and Russell, in his tireless positivity, teaches Carl that everything’s better with friends. In short, their contrasting personalities compliment each another like sriracha and scrambled eggs.