It wasn’t exactly what Boston’s early risers expected to
see, as they took their dogs for walks along the Esplanade or sculled down the
Charles.
But even so, there it was. An armchair floating high above
the Hatch Shell, held aloft by 68 helium balloons.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
“So what’s going here?,” they asked MDC workers at the
scene. “Are the guys from MIT pulling yet another stunt?”
Well, what was going on last Thursday morning on the
Esplanade WAS a stunt. A publicity stunt, to be exact. One that Walt Disney
Pictures’ marketing department hoped would help get the word out about Pixar’s
next release, “Up.”
Photo by Nancy Stadler
So for the past three weeks now, two separate cluster
balloon crews (one for the East Coast & one for the West Coast) have been
driving around the country. Allowing a handful of lucky reporters to channel
their inner Carl Frederickson and then experience what’s really like to go “Up.”
To be lifted high in the air by just a few dozen balloons.
Nancy and I actually drove down to Boston early, early
Thursday morning with the hope of getting some shots of these 5 ½, 7 & 8 ½ foot-tall balloons as
they were being inflated. But by the time we arrived on site at 5 a.m., the
armchair was already in the air. With the volunteers who had actually come out
to the Hatch Shell at 1 a.m. in order to help get all 68 balloons inflated
& tied off (Which – given that some of these balloon enthusiasts had driven
in from as far away as Albany in order to help out – showed some real
dedication) getting the very first rides in this craft.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
But as Nancy took pictures and I quizzed the ground crew,
these folks were full of stories about all the exciting adventures that they’d
had over the course of this “Up” publicity tour. Like how the balloons had
actually gotten loose last Tuesday during a stop in Cincinatti. Which is why it
was lucky that the guy who was seated in the armchair at that time – Troy Bradley
– was a world class balloonist. So that –
after the balloons had rapidly risen up to 5000 feet — Troy was able to
safely land the “Up” armchair some 12 miles away from where the balloons had initially
started out. Which was U.S. Bank Arena.
Here’s hoping that they don’t let go of that rope Photo by Jim Hill
Now where this gets interesting is – right after Jonathan
Trappe (i.e. the cluster balloon pilot who had teamed with Pixar & Disney
to stage these “Up” press events) told me about the incident in Cincinnatti –
he then asked me “Would you guys like to go up?”
Now let me be blunt here: Nancy and I had driven into Boston last
Thursday morning just because we planned on getting some shots at this press
event before we then headed out to another press event. We honestly hadn’t
planned on flying. So to suddenly get an invitation like that really took me by
surprise.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
The next thing I know, I’m being strapped into an armchair while John
quickly runs me through the safety procedures (“You see these scissors? If the
balloon breaks free, use them to cut the purple ropes. Not the white ropes,
mind you. Those are the ones that actually tie the balloons to the chair. Just cut
the purple one”).
And then — after Trappe pulled some lead weights out of the
arms of the chair to get the balance just so (not to mention adding two extra balloons in order to get my oversized ass aloft) – I’m suddenly 35
feet in the air, looking down on the traffic as it zooms along Storrow Drive. The
sun is just coming up over the city. It’s a beautiful spring morning in Beantown
…
Photo by Nancy Stadler
… And then – all too soon – I was back down on the ground,
telling Nancy that “You really have to try this. It’s so peaceful up there. And
you won’t believe the view.”
Which is why – 5 minutes later – it’s Nancy who’s now floating
up above the trees on the Esplanade, snapping pictures of all the boats out on
the Charles.
Photo by Nancy Stadler
By 6:30 a.m., we were back on the ground and back in the
car. Headed out to the western part of Massachusetts to cover the press opening
of Six Flags New England’s newest coaster, “Bizarro.” But all Nancy and I could
talk about – as we drove down the Mass Pike – was how cool it was to go up in
that “Up” cluster balloon.
So thanks to all the guys & gals on the ground crew (as
well as the folks at Walt Disney Pictures’ marketing and Allied Advertising)
for allowing me to do my Winnie the Pooh impression: (singing) “I’m just a little black rain cloud hovering under the honey tree …”
Photo by Nancy Stadler