What is the name of the elderly protagonist in Up?

The elderly protagonist in Up is Carl Fredricksen.

Carl is a widowed retired balloon salesman whose journey begins when he attaches thousands of balloons to his house and lifts it away from his neighborhood. He hopes to reach Paradise Falls in South America, fulfilling a promise he made to his late wife, Ellie. The adventure gradually changes from a solitary quest into a friendship with Russell, a young Wilderness Explorer.

Pixar designed Carl with an intentionally compact, highly caricatured shape. His square silhouette, glasses, hearing aid, cane, and expressive eyebrows make him instantly recognizable as an older man. The filmmakers drew inspiration from figures including Spencer Tracy, Walter Matthau, James Whitmore, and their own grandparents.

Ed Asner provided Carl’s voice, using short, consonant-heavy dialogue to give him a gruff, distinctive rhythm. Viewers sometimes confuse Carl with Russell, the boy who travels with him; Dug, the talking dog; or Charles Muntz, Carl’s former childhood hero and antagonist. Those characters accompany or challenge Carl, but Carl remains Up’s protagonist.