Calif. Girl Gets Dying Wish to See Movie 'Up'
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Updated: 10:12 AM Jun 19, 2009
Calif. Girl Gets Dying Wish to See Movie 'Up'
Colby Curtin got her final wish. The 10-year-old girl desperately wanted to see the new Disney-Pixar movie, "Up." But the cancer-stricken girl was too sick to go to a theater.
Posted: 9:29 AM Jun 19, 2009
Reporter: Associated Press
Email Address: news@kolotv.com
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HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Colby Curtin got her final wish.

The 10-year-old girl desperately wanted to see the new Disney-Pixar movie, "Up." But the cancer-stricken girl was too sick to go to a theater.

On June 10, an employee of Pixar Animation Studios, which is based in the San Francisco Bay city of Emeryville, flew with a DVD copy to Colby's home. By then, the girl had only hours to live, The Orange County Register reported Friday.

While waiting for the movie to arrive, Colby's mother, Lisa, said she asked her daughter: "Do you think you can hang on?"

"I'm ready (to die), but I'm going to wait for the movie," she said her daughter replied.

Colby died about seven hours later. A vigil was scheduled Friday.

A call to Pixar seeking comment Friday was not immediately returned.

"Up" is the animated tale of a grumpy old man who, after his wife's death, tries to fulfill their joint dream of visiting South America by tying thousands of balloons to his house and floating away.

"When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie," Colby's mother told the newspaper. "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."

Colby, who was diagnosed with vascular cancer in 2005, saw previews for the film in April and eagerly awaited the movie.

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

Colby's health began to deteriorate. On June 4, Curtin asked a hospice company to bring a wheelchair so that her daughter could go to a movie theater but the chair was not delivered over the weekend, Curtin said.

By June 9, Colby was too sick to go anywhere.

Another family friend, Terrell Orum, wanted Colby to see the movie. She called both Pixar and Disney, which owns the animation
studio.

At Pixar, the automated message system required her to name someone in order to be connected. Orum said she guessed a name and
was transferred.

The message was received by Pixar officials, who agreed to send someone to Colby's house the next day with a copy of "Up" for a private screening, Orum said.

The employee arrived at about 12:30 p.m. with the DVD, stuffed animals of characters and other movie memorabilia.

Colby was unable to open her eyes to see the movie so her mother
described the scenes.

After the movie ended, her mother asked if Colby enjoyed it. Her daughter nodded, Curtin said.

The Pixar employee left after the movie, taking the DVD, which has not been released.

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

Colby, with her parents nearby, died at 9:20 p.m.

Her mother said one of the movie items left by the Pixar employee was an "adventure book" based on a scrapbook that, in the movie, is kept by the wife of the main character.

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

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Latest Comments

Posted by: Christine Location: Burbank, Ca. on Jun 19, 2009 at 05:11 PM

I am so sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine what you are going through. I have 2 sons that are now in their 30's, but of course they will always be my babies. After reading about your daughter's wish to see the Disney-Pixar movie and how your husband was able to reach someone by just guessing a last name, it makes me believe that there was defintely a force that was responsible for making your daughter's wish come true. Kudo's to Disney and Pixar for sending an employee to your home with the movie. My heart and prayers are with you. Sincerely, Christine
Posted by: angeles Location: fort myers fl on Jun 19, 2009 at 04:54 PM

that is so sad but atleast she got her dying wish, she hung on just to see the movie the good thing about that is that her parents got a few more hours with there daughter.
Posted by: sirbarksalot Location: Kenneth1 on Jun 19, 2009 at 10:40 AM

What a very sad story. And God Bless the folks at Pixar for granting this child her final request.
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