Do we like them?

Do we like Carl Fredricksen?

A character from Up (2009)

Our score: 8 out of 10. A cranky softie whose heart is in the right place. He's stubborn and rude at first, but he's loyal and brave, and we'd happily follow him to Paradise Falls.

Carl Fredricksen is a retired balloon salesman who has lost his wife, Ellie. They shared a childhood dream of seeing Paradise Falls in South America. Now he's old, alone, and about to be moved into a retirement home, so he ties a huge bunch of balloons to his house and floats away to keep the promise he made to her.

His plan goes wrong at once. An eager young Wilderness Explorer named Russell is on the porch when the house takes off, and Carl is stuck with him. Carl is gruff and impatient, and he'd clearly rather be left alone. But he can't bring himself to be cruel to a kid who needs him, and that's the heart of why we like him.

He loses points for being so stubborn and for pushing people away when he's grieving. But he's loyal, brave and kind underneath, and he makes real sacrifices for people he barely knows. That makes him an easy 8 out of 10.