Director Bob Peterson and Producer Kim Collins confirmed in a recent interview with Animation Magazine that Carl’s Date, the new Dug Days short that will debut alongside Elemental, will be the final chapter in the short-form series.
What’s Happening:
- Carl’s Date, the newest installment of the Dug Days short-form series from Pixar Animation Studios that originally debuted on Disney+, is set to be the last installment of the series.
- Based on the characters from Up, the series of shorts follows the humorous misadventures of Dug, the lovable dog that has the ability of speech from the film. Each short features everyday events that occur in Dug's backyard, all through the exciting (and slightly distorted) eyes of our favorite talking dog.
- Carl’s Date, the latest entry in the series, was originally expected to arrive on Disney+ near Valentines Day earlier this year before it was decided that it would premiere in theaters alongside the newest film from the studio, Elemental.
- In a recent discussion with Animation Magazine, Director Bob Peterson shared that the new short will tie up all the loose ends and “put a bow” on the series, solidifying that this is the final entry for Dug Days.
- Ed Asner, who provided the voice of Carl Fredericksen, was also able to record the dialogue for the short in one session a few months ahead of his passing in August of last year. Peterson said that after that recording session and the news of Asner’s passing “We really looked for takes that would honor him as best we could and would tell the story with Ed Asner’s humor and heart and gruffness. It was all in there and it was fun finding the best of it.”
- Producer Kim Collins added that the production went into animation shortly after his passing, saying that “I think to that the idea of honoring [Ed Asner] carried forward when we went into animation, and you want the team with all the different animators to be able to balance honoring him because he’s gone at that point, but at the same time not wanting to bring that sort of sorrow and to just really have it truly be Carl. That is how people will always think of Carl Fredericksen, and I think that’s what I remember, just in the animation as well.”
- In Carl’s Date, we see Carl reluctantly agreeing to go on a date with a lady friend, the first date since his wife Ellie passed as we saw in the 2009 film, Up. However, Carl has no idea how dating works these days. Ever the helpful friend, Dug steps in to calm Carl’s pre-date jitters and offer some tried-and-true tips for making friends—if you’re a dog. Pixar is known for their ability to tug on the heartstrings of viewers, so fans are already expecting to be moved as the two friends embark on this journey, ushering Carl into the next phase of his life.
- Carl’s Date arrives in theaters on June 16th, attached with the latest film from Pixar Animation Studios, Elemental.
- You can catch up with the rest of Dug Days, now on Disney+, and check out our interview with Bob Peterson and Kim Collins below.
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