Mr. Zuko Takes Flight

Michel Faure could be relied on by his two young daughters to tell them fabulous stories. One of their favourites was spun into being in the summer of 1983, when the family was vacationing in Maine. It tells the story of Mr. Zuko, whose love of balloons sweeps him into an unexpected adventure, and of his talkative parrot Mimi, who goes along for the ride. They travel up and up, and when they finally come down, they discover new friendships and fun with exotic animals. Eventually, though, they realize there is no place like home. Back in Montreal, Michel wrote down his story and Joyce Borenstein was inspired to create illustrations for it. In 1984 and subsequent years, the book was offered to publishers in the United States and Canada. Then in 2009, Disney/Pixar released the movie UP. A legal battle ensued that was resolved by an out-of-court settlement. Now Michel and Joyce have decided to share Mr. Zuko's story, which ultimately proves that time has no effect on dreams.