Dug Days Trailer Shows The Return Of Carl & Russell In Up Spinoff Show

A new trailer for Disney/Pixar’s animated short series Dug Days shows off the return of Up‘s Carl and Russell. Up is Disney and Pixar’s 2009 animated film about an elderly man named named Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner) who ties thousands of balloons to his house in an effort to float to Paradise Falls and fulfill a lifelong dream. However, a young boy, Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai), is inadvertently caught up in the adventure, which lands them in South America where they encounter a former explorer with an evil agenda and some colorful wildlife, including a flightless bird named Kevin and an adorable dog named Dug, who can speak through his collar.

Dug quickly became a fan favorite from the film and Disney announced that they would be making a Dug series featuring the beloved pooch exclusively for Disney+. Voiced by Up co-writer/co-director Bob Peterson, Dug became known for his easy distractions, particularly if it potentially involved a “squirrel!”. Peterson is once again voicing and directing the series, which follows the “talking” dog on his adventures after the events of Up.

A new trailer for Dug Days has now been revealed by Disney, which reveals not only the return of Dug, but also his human counterparts, Carl and Russell. Pixar’s signature animation style for Up is present in the footage, as well as the usual playful shenanigans of the adorable canine. Peterson says that they’ve gone to great lengths to make Dug’s actions relatable to viewers who own dogs, saying:

“Dug is pure of heart—he’s a good soul. I think people enjoy that part of Dug. Plus, people love their dogs. We’ve gone to great lengths to include truth in dog behavior, so they see their own dogs in Dug.” 

As this is the first time that Dug is out of Paradise Falls, Peterson says it wasn’t difficult coming up with new adventures as “everything is new” for him. However, even “the smallest things can distract Dug, never mind an actual squirrel.” This isn’t the first Pixar project to debut on Disney+,  nor will it be the last. So far, the streamer has released multiple Pixar programs, from a Monsters Inc. spinoff, Monsters At Work, to a shorts series called Sparks Shorts, as well as a Toy Story 4 spinoff with Forky Asks a Question. Disney+ has already made ample use of the platform to release Pixar features, including Onward, Soul and Luca, with more on the way, including Turning Red and the Buzz Lightyear spinoff, Lightyear, starring Chris Evans.

As with most content these days, streaming has become the go-to platform, so it makes sense that something like Dug Days would debut on Disney+ rather than in front of the next Pixar film, which is usually the case for a new short. However, having a shorts series like this allows for a much longer story to be told (or just more animation in general) and creates a binge-worthy show that will get more repeat views, a strong focus in the streaming wars. With the mountain of IP within the Pixar universe the options seem limitless to explore any manner of spinoff for the streamer, be it a well-established property like The Incredibles or a straight-to-streaming movie like Luca. Dug Days will begin streaming on September 1st.

Source: Disney

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