Does It Remind You of Up?
Blaine’s latest stunt might remind you of the adorable 2009 Pixar film Up. You know, the one with the old man who ties a bunch of helium balloons to his home and floats across the sky. Well, most people don’t know this, but Up was inspired by a real-life story about a real person who did basically just that.
Source: YouTube
There was a real estate holdout named Edith Macefield, who stayed in her little house during extensive commercial development. But long before Edith, there was another inspiration: “Lawnchair Larry.” In 1982, Larry Walters flew to 15,000 feet in, yes, a lawn chair attached to helium balloons. His flight almost ended really badly, but after struggling with power lines, he made it down safely. He was in the air for 14 hours.