#4: Up (2009) — Carl Dies Before the Adventure Begins
This theory turns Pixar’s colorful adventure into one enormous passage toward the afterlife. Carl supposedly dies sometime after Ellie’s funeral, while his floating house represents his journey to heaven. Russell becomes a guardian angel, earning his final badge, and Paradise Falls becomes Carl’s destination beyond life. It is emotionally tidy and completely unnecessary, which is why fans love it. Pixar already made the opening devastating enough without secretly killing Carl too, but apparently viewers wanted additional suffering.
