Pluto In Capricorn Gets The “Up” Lift

Growing old and up!

A few months ago I posted about the power of the octogenarian as it resides in Pluto in Capricorn, the aspect that will see The Baby Boomers move into Social Security territory and I explored how Pluto In Capricorn would be a deeply empowering one for this generation, as Capricorn rules the bones, joints, the aging process and even death itself. Pluto brings sweeping changes to any sign it co-mingles, rearranging institutional DNA, transforming the social and cultural manifestations of the sign it is in.

In short, Pluto in Capricorn can imbue the aging boomers with a renewed sense of purpose, energy and the realization that their time is shrinking, so they’d better maximize it.

In keeping with that theme, I want to give great praise to Pixar’s latest masterpiece, Up. I saw it today with my son, his friend and his mom at The Emery Bay UA, which is a stones throw from The Pixar studios. Unlike Wall-E, which left me feeling cold, Up had me alternately tearing up and cracking up on numerous occasions. The storytelling, especially at the beginning was so economical and emotional that while my 3D glasses were misting, I was conscious of the care and depth that went into character development as the opening sequences set the stage for the rest of the film. I’m not going to spoil it for you and betray the power of the first ten minutes, so without great detail, you’ll have to take my word for it.

The main action of the film takes place when a crumudgeonly, old, widower, coot named “Carl Hendrickson” perfectly voiced by a real crumudgeonly old coot, Ed Asner sets out on the adventure of a lifetime, by attaching thousands of balloons to his house, which is uprooted from it’s foundation and takes to the sky. However, Carl is unaware of the fact that an eight-year-old Wilderness Explorer named “Russell” has accidentally stowed away on his domicile dirigible.

They make an unlikely pair of travelers and yet, their path is as star crossed as Carl’s was with his wife, Ellie. Together, the two of them wind up somewhere in South America, a mythical and remote area called, “Paradise Falls,” a place that captured Carl’s imagination as a child, when the daring explorer, George Muntz traveled there in super sleek zeppelin, replete with a loyal band of dogs that went everywhere with him. Muntz returned from Paradise Falls and brought back the skeleton of a primordial bird that scientists claimed was a fake. Angered by their denials of his claims, he vowed to go back to the area and never return until he had procured a live version of the rare creature.

Carl would not only meet, but go head-to-head with his childhood idol as Carl and Russell get swept up in an epic battle between good and evil in Paradise Falls. Muntz is ably voiced by Christopher Plummer, who manages to convey a sense of psychopathology that is truly frightening at times.

What does any of this have to do with Pluto in Capricorn?

In old guy vs. old guy, we’re given heros and villains that have no super powers, not even the power of youth. They are the antithesis, especially Carl as someone that can rise to the occasion, and not only open his flinty heart, but make life changing decisions, where he has to surrender his cherished past on the fly. Carl’s heroism lies in his ability, even at his advanced age to find something worth living for, but only as it relates to an equally powerful ability to surrender. It’s these qualities that have everything to do with a positive expression of Pluto In Capricorn as it not only relates to “The Boomers” but all of us who have to find meaning in our lives, after we think they have ended. Muntz represents the negative aspect of Pluto in Capricorn, cold, calculating, desperate for recognition and vindication. Muntz has isolated and deprived himself of any meaningful relationship, save his legion of loyal hounds.

Ironically, the alchemical symbol of Cancer (the hearth and home) meeting Capricorn (the peak of the mountain) is achieved in balance.

One of the gimmicks selling Up is 3D viewing. I didn’t find the 3D all that scintillating, but it seems to be a trend of the future and will no doubt eventually make it to home theaters at some point, as more and more films are being produced in 3D mode.

Up also has a couple of loose ends that are unanswered, like what happened to Russell’s father, but the few plot holes and dangling threads don’t stand in the way of a marvelous viewing experience and a very positive expression of Pluto in Capricorn as a redemptive and regenerative force.