When an overconfident teen alien gets behind the controls of a spaceship, he must attempt to abduct a slumbering farmer under a critical instructor's watchful eye. But abducting humans requires precision and a gentle touch, and within a few missteps it's painfully clear why more humans don't go missing every year.
As if the teen years don't come with enough angst, Stu must remember the functions of thousands of identical buttons during his abduction exam—and his instructor, Mr. B., is quick to record his every incorrect move. Tears are the only thing that can melt Mr. B's hardened heart, but not for long.
The similarity between Lifted's console and those used by sound mixers is no coincidence. Director Gary Rydstrom is a multiple-Oscar®-winner famous for his sound design on movies like Jurassic Park and Pixar's Finding Nemo. In "Lifted", he found comic relief in conveying the experience of tackling an impossible task while under scrutiny.