Pixar Grants Girl's Dying Wish

[DefyingEDCT]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 2:08pm

With her daughter's vigil planned for Friday, Lisa Curtin reflected about how grateful she is that Pixar and "Up" were a part of her only child's last day.

"When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie", said Curtin, 46. "I just know that word 'Up' and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that (Colby) was going to go up. Up to heaven."

Pixar officials declined to comment on the story or name the employees involved.

THE PREVIEWS

Colby was diagnosed with vascular cancer on Dec. 23, 2005 after doctors found a tumor in her liver. At the time of her death, her stomach was about 94 inches around, swollen with fluids the cancer wouldn't let her body properly digest. The rest of her body probably weighed about 45 pounds, family friend Carole Lynch said.

Colby had gone to Newport Elementary School and was known for making others laugh, family friend Terrell Orum said. Colby loved to dance, sing, swim and seemed to have a more mature understanding of the world than other children her age, Orum said.

On April 28, Colby went to see the Dream Works 3-D movie "Monsters Vs. Aliens" but was impressed by the previews to "Up."

'It was from then on, she said, 'I have to see that movie. It is so cool,' Lynch said.

Colby was a movie fan, Lisa Curtin said, and she latched onto Pixar's movies because she loved animals.

Two days later Colby's health began to worsen. On June 4 her mother asked a hospice company to bring a wheelchair for Colby so she could visit a theater to see "Up." However, the weekend went by and the wheelchair was not delivered, Lisa Curtin said.

By June 9, Colby could no longer be transported to a theater and her family feared she would die without having seen the movie.

At that point, Orum, who desperately wanted Colby to get her last wish, began to cold-call Pixar and Disney to see if someone could help.

Pixar has an automated telephone answering system, Orum said, and unless she had a name of a specific person she wanted to speak to, she could not get through. Orum guessed a name and the computer system transferred her to someone who could help, she said.

Pixar officials listened to Colby's story and agreed to send someone to Colby's house the next day with a DVD of "Up," Orum recalled.

She immediately called Lisa Curtin, who told Colby.

'Do you think you can hang on?' Colby's mother said.

"I'm ready (to die), but I'm going to wait for the movie," the girl replied.

THE MOVIE

At about 12:30 p.m. the Pixar employee came to the Curtins' home with the DVD.

He had a bag of stuffed animals of characters in the movie and a movie poster. He shared some quirky background details of the movie and the group settled in to watch Up.

Colby couldn't see the screen because the pain kept her eyes closed so her mother gave her a play-by-play of the film.

At the end of the film, the mother asked if her daughter enjoyed the movie and Colby nodded yes, Lisa Curtin said.

The employee left after the movie, taking the DVD with him, Lynch said.

"He couldn't have been nicer," said Lynch who watched the movie with the family. "His eyes were just welled up."

After the movie, Colby's dad, Michael Curtin, who is divorced from Lisa Curtin, came to visit.

Colby died with her mom and dad nearby at 9:20 p.m.

Among the Up memorabilia the employee gave Colby was an 'adventure book' a scrap book the main character's wife used to chronicle her journeys.


"I'll have to fill those adventures in for her" Lisa Curtin said.


http://www.ocregister.com/articles/pixar-up-movie-2468059-home-show.htm

Updated On: 6/20/09 at 02:08 PM

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 2:40pm

I have TEARS!!

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 2:46pm

That is so heartbreaking...and moving.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 2:50pm

That made me smile and cry at the same time.

[I<3bway]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 2:53pm

This just made me love Pixar even more.


I have tears too!

[Q]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 3:18pm

Beautiful.

And I love that they won't comment or name the employees involved, acknowledging that this isn't about them.

Blessings to those poor parents.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 4:59pm

What an incredible story. And I'm surprised by how caring Pixar is. That's an amazing thing they did.

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 5:13pm

That broke my heart, what a great story. Thank you for posting this

[Q]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 6:59pm

"I'm surprised by how caring Pixar is"

I'm not - the care and awareness of life that goes into their product has to come from somewhere.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 7:02pm

Aww, that made me cry.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 7:03pm

I just meant in the business sense. It's rare that corporations as big as Pixar care that much when it isn't for endorsement. This is truly out of the goodness of their hearts and I think that's spectacular. But I agree that the care and heart they put into their films has to come from somewhere and they showed that by doing this.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 8:12pm

Bravo, Pixar! That brought a tear to my eye. Everything I've read about this company (there is a GREAT article in the current issue of D23 Magazine) indicates to me that they really "get it," to say nothing of the consistently high quality films they produce.

I'm also willing to bet money that the anonymous man who came over with the DVD was John Lasseter himself.

That was a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing.

Updated On: 6/19/09 at 08:12 PM

[Anakela]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 8:29pm

I'm also willing to bet money that the anonymous man who came over with the DVD was John Lasseter himself.

Other sites are naming names as the Pixar employee having been Paul Cichocki, Pixar's head of Post Production. But still, very classy of Pixar no commenting and trying to remain a non-entity in the story.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 9:49pm

I read this story earlier today. How sad, but touching! Bravo Pixar.

[BwayBoundJoe]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 12:46am

My eyes are watering. It just goes to show you that there IS good in the world.

[pli1018]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 1:45am

So heartbreaking but I would expect NOTHING less from Pixar. Truly touching.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 3:55am

You would expect nothing less of Pixar..wonderful story.

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 8:00am

I just watched "99 Balloons" and now this?! I'm a blubbering mess *lol*

Truly very kind and special.

[jennafan]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 8:26am

It was great of PIXAR to send out a PR release about this. Ugh!! Certainly this could have all been done behind the scenes, but hey, it makes good press.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 8:30am

Am I the only one that thinks it's weird that the mom just "guessed" a name and got through to someone with that name?

[Q]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 9:49am

Stockard - I have frequently been presented with a list of names on an automated answering system from which to choose, so that's what I assumed they meant. Not that she just pulled a random name out of her head.

And, Jenna - why are you so sure that this article originated with PIXAR? It makes more sense to me that the family contacted the OC Register to highlight and show gratitude for the special thing done for them. I tend to think it wouldn't have only shown up in that specific paper otherwise - it would have more likely been the LA Times.

In any event, I choose to appreciate the experience of that little girl, and check any cynicism at the door.

[Anakela]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 9:52am

Am I the only one that thinks it's weird that the mom just "guessed" a name and got through to someone with that name?

What's so weird about it? I'd just figured it was like any good automated system at a "use the keypad to enter the person's last name" sized company, where if you need to bypass but don't actually have a contact you spell out 'Smith' or 'Jones' or something as common, and get connected to an actual human.

It was great of PIXAR to send out a PR release about this. Ugh!! Certainly this could have all been done behind the scenes, but hey, it makes good press.

Wow- missed the part where the child's family is the one talking to the press, and Pixar has done nothing but no comment the whole thing, huh? Yep, 'no comment' makes for an awesome press release.

Updated On: 6/20/09 at 09:52 AM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 10:05am

What's so weird about it? I'd just figured it was like any good automated system at a "use the keypad to enter the person's last name" sized company, where if you need to bypass but don't actually have a contact you spell out 'Smith' or 'Jones' or something as common, and get connected to an actual human.

That was my guess, too. That she punched in Smith or Jones and got someone with that last name.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 12:37pm

Yeah, Q. That would make more sense. And I would also think that the family was the one to generate the story.

[Taryn]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 2:32pm

What, BWW has gone so sentimental that nobody can snarkily point out the obnoxious typo in the subject?