#ThrowBackThursday: When Pixar's 'Up' ruled Cannes

The last time Pixar was at the Cannes Film Festival, it was the beginning of something truly special. May 13, 2009, was the opening night and world premiere of one of Pixar's greatest films, Up.

The world immediately took notice.  Britain's Guardian noted that the story of a man taking off from the world on a helium balloon adventure gave the festival the most "sublime flying start" and called Up "enchanting."

Director Pete Docter recalls being so overwhelmed by the Cannes reception that he took a seat on the Palais steps during the gala premiere (that doesn't happen much). As Docter tells Paste BN:
"I remember when I got married. I was in my early 20s. I have blurry hazy flashes of those memories. It was so emotionally overwhelming. Cannes felt a little bit like that. So many people and so much attention and focus. That after coming off of years of struggle and doubts. Would this actually turn out at all as a film? Would people like it?"

Even the admission process to Cannes was a mystery as Docter tells us.
"One of the editorial directors flew to Paris. Put the DVD through a little slot. She wasn't even allowed to talk to anyone. And they screened the film. She waited. At the end, the door opened. Someone came and handed it back to her. That was all the interaction. It was very secretive behind-closed-doors kind of decision making."
Of course, the beloved film went from Cannes triumph to box office success and Oscar glory, including best animated film.

Pixar is back at Cannes for the first time since Up next week with an equally ambitious film, Inside Out, with Docter helming once again.

We'll see how it goes down at Cannes then.