Hey, newbie here! This is my first post here 
So, I’ve always wondered . . . Muntz is my FAVORITE Pixar villian. He pulls off evil so well! The greatest thing about him is the fact that he’s not truly evil, he’s just driven crazy from being banned from the explorer club, humiliated to the world by being declared a fraud, and spending decades searching for Kevin to prove himself an honest man. I can’t believe they killed him. . . or did they??
Point #1, he had 4 balloons tied to his feet. And remember! Balloons in the “Up World” had alot of lifting power. They are nothing like what we have. A small bunch of balloons lifted Carl’s stand and a ridiculously small amount of ballons held Russell up with no problem. So Muntz’s fall was lightened quite a bit. Point #2, He was over the sea. Well, I guess the sea there is INFESTED with Pirahnas and Crocodiles and Bruce like sharks (Finding Nemo) !! But still, water is better than land!!
I just wish he lived!! He could’ve come back to avenge his ship and dogs and capture the Kevin and the babies who are older. Up 2 would be awesome!!![/i]
I can’t remember the last time we’ve had a topic about Up here (quite a change from the usual talk about Toy Story 3 and Thinkway Toys). I didn’t really know if he died or not when I saw the film, but I also thought of Point #1 for if he did survive.
He died. Originally, the balloons were going to make him float up instead of down, but they changed it because it seemed too uncertain. At the speed he was falling, there was almost no way he could’ve survived.
Bummer big time 
He was the deepest character in any Pixar movie. He was evil and intimidating but wasn’t trying to be. Syndrome annoyed me the way he was so arrogant and gloated about how evil he was. Muntz didn’t want to be evil, he just wanted to salvage what he could of his reputation “back state-side” by catching Kevin.
Yep, Bryko’s right; the DVD and Blu-Ray have a neat little featurette about the various ways they tried to resolve his storyline, and how they decided that they had to kill him off. Of course Muntz never realizes this, but it almost would have been more tragic if he had made it back to the states with Kevin. He would have gone home expecting a hero’s welcome, just to find that the world had moved on without him, and the younger generations (like Russell) didn’t even know who he was. I’ve got to say, I’m a Muntz fan, myself, but I wouldn’t have wanted to see him “win.” He’s a great counterpoint to Carl, though, as far as showing the dark side of what happens when you can’t move on from the past. (Oh, and I always assumed he fell into the jungle.)
It’s cool to meet another Muntz fan, FindingNemoFanatic! But yes, unfortunately I have to agree with the others here, that he did die, and as karly05 said, there’s proof on the DVD extras. Even if he did fall into water, he is a very old guy and wouldn’t have survived long, plus it’s quite likely that he actually fell into jungle, so he obviously wouldn’t have had much of a chance.
At that point there was no going back for him anyway. He’d already been turned crazy and it was all or nothing, so even before he dies you sort of get the feeling that things aren’t going to turn out very well for him.
I didn’t get the DVD, can anyone enlighten me as to this ‘proof’ on the Extras? Did the creators say in the commentary or something? 
And yeah, I think it was an implied off-screen death. Though, with those balloons, maybe he floated elsewhere… probably to return in time for the sequel (God forbid an Up 2…)?
I believe that was why they made him fall down instead of up.
Turns out, the “Many Endings of Muntz” featurette is on You Tube. I hope it’s OK to post the link here.
[url]Up - The Many Endings Of Muntz - YouTube
Thanks for the link, karly05! It is simply inspiring the amount of thought and care that goes into the storytelling planning. 
I liked the part in the third-last alternate ending where Muntz grabs the fake Kevin balloon in Ellie’s house and it deflates with a pathetic ‘farting’ noise. 
I love Pete Docter’s “villain” voice: “How can I do evil tomorrow? Mwahaha!” 
Sorry to disappoint all you Muntz-is-dead-haha’ers, but Sir Charles Muntz is alive and well, the toast of the British aristocracy and currently convalescing from his hardship in an undisclosed suburb of London, plotting his return and the redemption of his reputation.
You see, you all forgot about the dogs. Yes, it was always about the dogs, well trained as they were. All of the wrecked biplane dog parachutists came together in a triad as they descended from the high altitude, easily seen by dear Charles during his supposedly fatal fall, broken only somewhat by a half dozen balloons, which became caught up in one of the canine pilots chute strings.
Indeed, Muntz and his 3 remaining dogs traveled back to the cave, to pick up some things. And thenceforth to Elly’s house, where he found the scrapbook, revealing clues as to where to find Mr. Fredrickson.
Tsk, tsk, too hasty to jump to conclusions. You can’t believe everything you see on You-tube…
Love it!
Nice one, DarkHand! Can’t wait for the sequel! 
Pete Docter should so do a bad guy role!
That is not where they will listen to and Up 2 Live Muntz was