The Cultural Construction Mechanism of Elderly Images: A Case Study of the Film Up

Abstract

This study explores the cultural construction mechanism of elderly image in Pixar’s Up from the perspective of Cultural Studies and Age Studies. It argues that old age in the film is not a natural or fixed category but a culturally constructed representation shaped through narrative, relational and ideological mechanisms. At the narrative level, the film constructs elderly subjectivity through memory-based structure and emotional storytelling, where non-linear temporality and past memories organize the protagonist’s identity. At the intergenerational level, the relationship between Carl and Russell defines aging through relational positioning, interaction and emotional exchange across generations. At the ideological level, the film reframes decline narratives by transforming vulnerability and loss into emotionally meaningful experiences, embedding aging within cultural values of memory, attachment and emotional resolution. Through this multi-layered analysis, the study demonstrates that Up constructs elderly image through the integration of narrative design, intergenerational dynamics and cultural ideology. While the film enriches the emotional and relational dimensions of aging representation, it also reflects broader cultural expectations that associate old age with emotional closure and narrative coherence.