Character Analysis
If you have a little brother or sister, then you know Russell all too well. He’s boisterous, he’s goofy, he’s…well, he’s kind of annoying, isn’t he?
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
Russell talks more than Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel combined. It’s non-stop, and it starts immediately. When we—and Carl—first meet Russell, he’s on Carl’s doorstep, pestering the old coot in pursuit of his Assisting the Elderly badge. Every time Carl turns down Russell’s offer to help, Russell soldiers on;
RUSSELL: I could help you cross the street… I could help you cross your yard… I could help you cross your porch.
He presses Carl so much that Carl sends the loquacious little tyke on a snipe hunt just to get rid of him. And really, can you blame him?
Here’s the thing, though: Russell’s perky persistence is the perfect compliment to Carl’s crusty, old man crankiness. He’s the soda pop to Carl’s puddle of tepid tap water. Russell’s resolve and enthusiasm shake the dust off of Carl. They force him to start considering other people, and to start interacting with them in more meaningful ways than pouring prune juice in their gas tanks or whacking them with his cane.
Russell’s chatty tenacity also nudges Carl closer and closer to Paradise Falls. Nothing gets this kid down. Not a lost GPS unit, not a dog pack hot on his trail—nothing. Think about it: who’s the one that pilots Carl’s house through the nasty thunderstorm that threatens to end their quest before it even begins? It’s Russell; Carl passed out! We don’t about you, but if we were in a storm, in a flying house, with an old dude that just keeled over, we’d be freaking out. But Russell just forges on. Without Russell’s exuberance and determination, Carl’s chance of getting to South America is slimmer than an iPhone 12.
Somebody Call the Bellhop
Russell brings a lot of baggage on his adventure with Carl, and we don’t mean his backpack. Through his conversations with Carl, we learn that Russell’s parents are divorced. Not only that, but his dad has gotten remarried to some broad named Phyllis who tells Russell that he bugs his dad too much. Not cool, Phyllis.
Still, Russell looks up to his pops;
RUSSELL: He’s really good at camping and how to make fire from rocks and stuff. He used to come to all my Sweat Lodge meetings, and afterwards, we’d go get ice cream at Fentons.
You’ll note that Russell says his dad used to attend his scout meetings and take him out for a couple of scoops of chocolate. Nowadays, Russell’s Dad is AWOL, and, as tenacious as Russell is, there isn’t a darn thing he can do about it. In other words, while Carl’s social exile is totally self-imposed, Russell’s isn’t. Not even a little bit.
The Real Spirit of Adventure
You’d think that, with the way the emotional deck is stacked against Russell, he’d be a sullen, bratty kid with a backpack full of The Cure records and overdramatic eye rolls. But he’s not. Russell remains open and optimistic. He has an unwaveringly enthusiastic sense of hope. That’s why he still has faith in his deadbeat dad. That’s why he’s confident he and Carl will make it to Paradise Falls. That’s why he thinks he can save Kevin from Muntz all by himself. And that’s how he reawakens Carl’s thirst for adventure.
Russell reminds Carl of what he was like when he was a kid himself—what it was like to get psyched about things like movies, Muntz, and making new pals. More than that, he reminds Carl of what Ellie was like: exuberant, talkative, and utterly certain that not only is adventure out there, it’s all around you, just waiting for you to discover it.
Russell’s Timeline