Pixar's 'Up' Soars Into London

When London's iconic Tower Bridge gets raised, it is usually to accommodate a large container ship or an over-sized cruise ship. Yesterday for the first time in its 105-year history, the bridge parted from the center to allow a giant hot-air balloon to glide through. The occasion? The premiere of Pixar's latest super hit animated movie 'Up'.

The 200lb balloon, painted with a number of tiny colorful balloons, was tethered to a tugboat to help with steering. Also attached to it, with 18 miles of thread, were 500 real balloons, which inflated magically, when hot air was pumped into the larger balloon.

The stunt was created to emulate the main theme of 'Up', which is about a 78-year old retired salesman who ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies to South America to fulfill a life-long dream for adventure. On his way, he discovers that he has a stowaway - an over-enthusiastic 8-year old boy scout. The hilarious adventure, which ran to full houses in the USA will be released in London, on Saturday.

London's Tower Bridge, is one of the City's most recognized landmarks. The 60 ft long and 43 ft high bridge was constructed above the river Thames over 100 year ago. Used by over 40,000 commuters everyday, the bridge is also very popular with tourists as it offers some of the best views of the beautiful city.

sources: dailymail.co.uk, wikipedia.org, telegraph.co,uk