Charles Muntz

**Charles Muntz** is the main antagonist of the 2009 Disney/Pixar film Up as well as the unseen overaching antagonist of the short Dug's Special Mission and a mentioned character in the 2021 Disney+ series Dug Days.

He is an adventurous explorer who is looking for a legendary bird in order to prove that he did not made up the discovery so he can regain his fame and reputation. He is also Dug's former master/owner and Carl Fredricksen's arch-nemesis and former idol.

He is voiced by the late Christopher Plummer.

Up
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Charles Muntz is first seen coming out of his blimp seeing his fans also say "Adventure is out there" which in a movie Carl is watching. During that, Muntz brought a skeleton of a bird but however scientists believe that the skeleton is fake and because of that, Muntz was removed from the National Explorers Society. Humiliated, Muntz tells everyone that he promises that he will capture the bird alive and he will not come back until he does.

Muntz is seen again meeting the heroes and tell his dogs to stay revealing himself to be the dogs's master and also notice Carl has a floating house. He also sees Carl and Russell as guests instead of intruders from now on. Muntz then takes Carl and Russell to his Blimp where he takes them to all of his collection and served dinner to them. He later reveals his obsession to Carl and Russell where he tries to catch Kevin. When Charles learns that his guests befriended Kevin. he thinks they want to steal it (given that it's implied that he killed innocent people due to thinking that they're after Kevin) and Charles then notice Kevin is with them and Carl and Russell left which cause him to order his dogs to get them.

Charles then notices that his dogs failed to catch him which caused him to be angry and notice that Dug is with them which he uses him to track them down. Charles late came with his blimp trying to take Kevin but before Carl, Russell, Kevin, and Dug can escape, Charles cause Carl's house to be on fired which cause Carl to be shocked and try to get rid of the fire. Charles then orders his dogs to catch Kevin which he did. Russell try to prevent any of them catching but the dogs ignores them and catches her. Charles also tells his dogs careful with Kevin since he wants to have her in good shape in his return.

Charles is seen telling Kevin they wouldn't believe him and just wait till they get a look of her. Alpha then tells Charles that Russell has returned. Charles then came ask Russell where Carl is and also tries to kill him by dropping him to death. Charles then notices that Carl is coming back and orders Alpha guard Kevin and when Carl is seen, he knows what to do. Russell tells Charles where he is going, and he is not finished with him. Charles then says nice talking with him.

Charles then heard all of his dogs which cause him to realize that Carl got Kevin. Charles hides in a door in order to kill Carl but Dug notices him and bites him but Charles lock Dug continue to attempt to kill Carl but just then Dug accidentally caused the switch on which also caused the blimp turned sideways. Carl and Kevin escape along Charles chases them but Charles secretly use a shortcut. When Carl, Kevin and Dug are about to go to the house, Charles shoots the house, Carl caught the house, but Charles came and also ignores Carl and then tries to break the door. When Charles finally broke the door, Carl uses chocolate so all of three. When Charles tries to take them, the balloon strings caught him and cause to fall to his death.

## Dug's Special Mission

Charles did not appear in the short but was mentioned as Master.

## Dug Days

Charles did not appear in the series due to his death but he was mentioned in the fifth short of the series where Russell said "Thank you, Mr. Muntz.

## Personality

Charles is an obsessed with finding the bird after him being accused of making up the discovery. It is also implied that he killed innocent people thinking that they're after Kevin.

However despite this, he was nice to Carl and Kevin before turning against them thinking they're after Kevin as well as good explorer before his discovery of the bird.

## Trivia

* Considering that Charles was between 20 and 30 and Carl was 9 during the beginning of the movie and that Carl was 78 by the time he takes off with his house, Muntz could be 90 to 100 years old when they first meet.
* Charles is named after Charles Mintz, a film producer who Walt Disney worked for while making the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons, who took the cartoon from Walt Disney since Universal Studios owned the copyrights.
	+ The name "Carl" is also a Germanic form of the name "Charles", suggesting that both characters are foils of each other and how Charles represents a side of Carl.
* Muntz is based on aviator Howard Hughes who was known for his intelligence, eccentricity, ego, and obession. He also had real-life adventurers, Charles Lindbergh and Percy Fawcett.
* Muntz's objectives, actions, and fate are arguably very similar or nearly identical to those of Percival C. McLeach, the main antagonist of The Rescuers Down Under.
* Muntz is a dark reflection to Carl: both elderly men who both suffered terrible tragedies in their lives and become bitter (Carl losing his wife, and Muntz being cast up). When Carl meets Russell, Kevin, and Dug, he first viewed them as a nuisance. Later, Carl viewed them as the family he never had and later redeemed himself, as well as learning and accept the loss. On the other hand, Muntz refused to accept the loss and lived obsessed with his past and was trying to relive it in any way possible. Muntz served as an example of Carl would become if he never learned to accept the loss and move on with his life.
* The ultimate fate of Muntz was a work in progress for Pixar as they tried several versions to get him out the way so the film could get back to Carl and his connection to Ellie:
	+ First, they tried giving Muntz a chance to redeem himself to the point where it restored to just him talking with Carl.
	+ Then they tried an ending that was reminiscent to Jack Torrance's fate in Stanley Kburick's version where Muntz goes after Kevin in the labyrinth, where he is left to wander forever, but it felt more like Muntz's ending rather than Carl's ending.
	+ At another point, Pixar decided to place the climax on the Spirit of Adventure and one version had Muntz trapped in the house after being tricked thinking that Kevin is there as it floats away, but it felt wrong due to the house being Ellie.
	+ Another version had Muntz caught in a bunch of balloons and it pulls him up (similar to Scroop's death from Treasure Planet), but it was left uncertain as to whether he was deceased. It was point that it was decided to have Charles getting caught by the balloon strings and make him fall. This is discussed on the DVD extra "The Many Endings of Muntz".
	+ And speaking of those, the commentary indirectly implies that it's confirmed that Muntz did not survive the fall.

* Muntz's voice actor died the same year as Carl's voice actor Ed Asner, only six months apart from each other.
	+ And not to mention, they're both also born in the same year 1929.

* Charles Muntz is similar to Randall Boggs from Monsters, Inc.
	+ They're both the main antagonists of their films.
	+ Both of their films were directed by Pete Doctor.
	+ Both of them tried to kidnap one of the main characters of the films (Boo and Kevin).
	+ Both of them serve as a dark reflection to the heroes (Sulley and Carl)
	+ But however, the only difference is that Charles Muntz has some redeeming qualities while Randall doesn't (not counting Monsters University since he subverted those).