“Premakes“ Up! (1965)

What if... Walt Disney produced “Up“ in the 1960s? Ah, the swinging 60s. It was a time when films were dominated by flying automobiles and flying nannies. It was also a time when live-action Disney films flourished and spawned such hits as “The Love Bug“, “The Absent-Minded Professor“, and “The Monkey’s Uncle“. In an alternate reality, this era also saw the production of the high-flying adventure-comedy, “Up!“. Starring Spencer Tracy and Kirk Douglas, “Up!“ followed the oddball escapades of the elderly widower, Carl Fredricksen, and his earnest band of misfits as they traveled through the wilds of South America. Produced two decades after “Saludos Amigos“ and “The Three Caballeros“, the film continued the Disney tradition of telling stories set against Latin American backdrops. Editor’s Note: I have always enjoyed old Disney movies from the 60s and 70s. They managed to tap into such an imaginatively o