So when adventurer Tom Morgan decided to recreate the scene from Up!, where a house is lifted into the skies on hundreds of balloons, he knew he was in for a heartwarming experience.
Mr Morgan, 38, also knew that soaring more than a mile above Johannesburg strapped into a tiny camping chair would be a hair-raising as well as uplifting ride.
The nerve-racking two and a half hour flight took him close to Johannesburg Airport – one of the busiest in the world – and that was not his only concern.
He said: “The problem was finding a good weather window and it was difficult to protect the balloons as they kept bursting.
“I didn’t know what height the balloons would burst, or what the sun would do to them. Then, at 8,000ft, they started accelerating into the flight path.”
The stunt was organised by the event company League of Adventurists, set up 12 years ago to provide daredevil experiences with the motto: “Fighting to make life less boring.”
Other dares include racing across the Indian Ocean in canoes made from dugout mango trees, a marathon horse race across the Mongolian steppes and a 1,000-mile tuk-tuk race through India.
The company has raised over £5 million for charity from thrill-seekers who sign up.
Mr Morgan volunteered to be the pilot with help on the ground from friends Buddy Munro and Kester Hayne.
The brightly coloured party balloons needed 18×9 cubic metres of helium to create the 357lb of lift needed to get Mr Morgan off the ground.
He had tried it three times in Botswana before finally succeeding in South Africa using the last of his helium supply.
Once the balloons were filled he cut the tether and drifted heavenwards relying on just the wind to steer him.
After the 16-mile flight, Mr Morgan came gently back down to earth by carefully cutting the balloons and watching them sail away.
Though the flight was exhilarating, he doesn’t think his unusual form of air travel will catch on.
He said: “The view was amazing – the whole thing was magical but I don’t think it will be a commercial success.”
The pilot’s friend Matt Dickens said: “On the previous attempts gusts of wind shredded the balloons.
The last attempt was the last of the helium supplies, so it was all or nothing.”
He added: “Tom has been harping on about doing something with balloons for a few years now so.
“If something had gone horribly wrong it would have been pretty permanent. There was a priest from South America who did it a few years ago and he went too high and didn’t come back.
“But it’s nice for Tom that he has finally fulfilled his dream.”