Dug Days

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Dug Days
GenreSlice of life
Comedy
Created byBob Peterson
Directed byBob Peterson
Starring
Opening theme"Opening (Spirit of Adventure)" by Andrea Datzman and Curtis Green
Composers
  • Andrea Datzman
  • Curtis Green
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producers
ProducerKim Collins
EditorTorbin Xan Bullock
Running time6-9 minutes
Production companyPixar Animation Studios
Release
Original networkDisney+
Original releaseSeptember 1, 2021 (2021-09-01) –
present

Dug Days is a streaming series of computer-animated shorts produced by Pixar for the Disney+ streaming service. The series is set immediately after the 2009 3D CGI film Up, following its main characters, dog Dug, voiced by Bob Peterson and his owner, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen, voiced by Ed Asner.[1][2][3] It was created and directed by Peterson, and produced by Peterson and Kim Collins.[4] The series premiered with its five episodes on September 1, 2021, on Disney+.[1][2]

Premise[]

The miniseries is set after the events of Up, and presents the adventures of Golden Retriever dog named Dug living with his owner, widower and childless 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen, in their new house in the suburb.[1][2]

Voice cast[]

Production[]

Development[]

The series was announced on December 10, 2020, during Disney's Investor Day.[1][2] It was produced by Pixar, with Bob Peterson as its creator, director, and writer.[3][1][2] It premiered on Disney+ streaming service, with five episodes, on September 1, 2021.[1][2] Peterson pitched the series following his work on Forky Asks a Question, as he wanted to revisit the characters from Up, and felt a short series centering on Dug was the appropiate format.[5] Kim Collins joined as producer after Peterson wrote the series.[5]

Casting[]

In addition to writing and directing the series, Peterson reprises his role as a Dug from the film. Ed Asner, Carl's voice actor from both the film and the series, died on August 29, three days before the series premiere, making it a posthumous performance.[3] Unused archive recordings of Jordan Nagai were used in the episode "Science', as Nagai had already retired from acting by the time the series entered development.[5]

Due to lockdowns product of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cast had to remotely record their dialogue.[5]

Animation[]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the series was animated remotely, with approximately 100 animators working on the series, a shorter number than usual for a Pixar production.[5] All episodes were produced simultaneously.[5] The series also had a tighter production schedule than most Pixar productions, due to being released on streaming.[5]

For Carl's new home, animators created a design reminiscent of his old home while also being different.[5] They also used similar design aesthetics for Carl's neighborhood.[5] The animators also created new animation rigging, textures, and hair for the characters in order to update their original designs due to advances in CG animation ever since the original film's release.[5] Carl's animation and movement was altered to reflect the events of the original movie.[5]

Episodes[]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboard byOriginal release date
1"Squirrel!"Bob PetersonBob PetersonPaula AssadourianSeptember 1, 2021 (2021-09-01)
Carl builds a birdhouse in his backyard for the birds. Dug takes it upon himself to guard the birdhouse so that the birds can feed from the seeds. However, a squirrel inhabiting a nearby tree steals the seeds, running corners around Dug. Dug resorts to feeding the bird with seeds from a bag. After pursuing the squirrel again, Dug ends up on the tree branch which breaks under his weight, causing all the seeds to flow out of the squirrel's nest. Taking pity on the squirrel, Dug shares Carl's peanut butter with him. Dug informs Carl of his efforts to guard the birdhouse. Though shocked at the damage, he compliments Dug for his efforts.
2"Puppies"Bob PetersonBob PetersonTony RosenastSeptember 1, 2021 (2021-09-01)
Carl babysits five puppies for the day, enlisting Dug’s help to look after them. The puppies are sleeping when they arrive, but Dug chooses to wake them up to play. Things start to go awry when the puppies chew on Dug’s ears and tail. Dug laments that the puppies are not how he thought they would be. They then discover his toys, tearing one apart. He is able to keep the rest safe briefly, but ultimately all but his pig (his favorite) are torn apart. He constructs a wall of lawn furniture and other items to protect his pig from the puppies. When the squirrel encroaches on the bird feeder and the puppies cower from him, he teaches them not to be afraid and how to bark at him. When the puppies’ owner arrives to take them home, Dug gives them his pig to take with them. As he falls asleep, he asks Carl if they can get some puppies of their own. Carl replies they can talk about it tomorrow.
3"Smell"Bob PetersonBob PetersonChristian RomanSeptember 1, 2021 (2021-09-01)
Dug is enjoying smelling the smells in the neighborhood. When the wind changes, bringing more smells with it, there is a smell he has never smelled before. Digging through the azaleas (to Carl's annoyance) and under the fence, he goes along the street to find the smell belongs to a fire. Dug hurries back home to tell Carl, losing his collar in the process. He manages to convince Carl to come with him by going for a walk, and is subsequently awarded a Hero Dog medal.
4"Flowers"Bob PetersonBob PetersonAlexander PimwongSeptember 1, 2021 (2021-09-01)
After attending a town festival, Carl and Dug pass the night in the yard to watch the fireworks, that are described by Carl as "big flowers", then Dug gets panicked when hearing the explosion of the fireworks and runs around the yard and the house, Dug eventually faints and began dreaming about things he likes until the flowers become alive and his dream becomes a nightmare. Carl wakes up Dug and put him some headphones to prevent him from hearing the explosions, calming his dog so he can enjoy the rest of the show.
5"Science"Bob PetersonBob PetersonMelody CisinskiSeptember 1, 2021 (2021-09-01)
Russell uses some of the special collars created by Charles Muntz to do experiments in other animals by allowing them to have their own voice, this makes the squirrel and a blue jay to be able to speak with Dug, when he learns about the needs each one has because they live in the wild, this makes Dug understand their feelings and remembers the days when he was expelled from Muntz's dog pack and finally shares a sandwich Russell gave him while Russell and Carl watch him in approval. Later that night Dug asks Carl if he is only a pet. While admitting that he is a pet, Carl affirms that to Dug that he is also his best friend.

Accolades[]

It has been nominated for Best Animated Television Production for Children for the short "Science" at the 49th Annie Awards.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Every Pixar Project Announced at Disney's Investor Day, From Lightyear To Turning Red". Comic Book Resources. December 11, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Here's what's coming to Disney Plus in September". Yahoo!. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Bill Desowitz (September 1, 2021). ""Dug Days": Pixar's Disney+ Shorts Reunite Carl with His Lovable Golden Retriever from "Up"". IndieWire.
  4. ^ "Ed Asner reprised role as 'Carl' in 'Dug Days' animated shorts streaming soon on Disney+". WLS-TV. August 31, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bob Peterson & Kim Collins Unleash the Truth about ‘Dug Days’ on Disney+
  6. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (December 21, 2021). "'Raya and the Last Dragon' Leads 2022 Annie Awards Feature Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 21, 2021.

External links[]

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