SPOKANE, Wash. – In 2009, Disney and Pixar released "Up." The movie centers around a young boy, named Russell, his neighbor Carl, and the bond they build through their adventures. The hit movie was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The inspiration for one of the movie's main characters now lives in Spokane and is a freshman at Gonzaga University. Russell Jang, a California native, said the idea of a small school was very appealing to him.
"I was looking for a small school that kind of had your back," he said.
So how did this Zag inspire a Disney character? Jang grew up right next door to the movie's director in a small northern California town. Both Jang and the director's son were best friends and Eagle Scouts, just like Russell in the movie is a "wilderness explorer."
Also like the character, Jang was always at his neighbor's front door. He said he is very much like the character he inspired.
"I have that persistence," Jang said. "Being an Eagle Scout, something you have to have a lot of persistence to accomplish and finish."
Jang said his favorite scene from the movie happens in the beginning, when Russell delivers a presentation about his wilderness group. He said he relates to that scene the most, because that is exactly what he did.
"I get my own monologue. That's pretty cool," said Jang. "It's something I have to memorize in Boy Scouts, something that is so long and out there that I just see the similarities in that whole sequence."
Overall, Jang said the entire movie means something special to him.
"This movie kind of symbolizes friendship in that way between me and my friends," he said. "I think that movie is a representation of all those years we've had together."
