The Dug Days shorts explore Dug’s life after being adopted by Carl and returning home following the events of Up. He experiences amazing wonders like puppies and terrifying shocks like fireworks. In the final Dug Days short, Carl’s Date, Dug helps Carl prepare for his first date since Ellie.
Dug Days continues Pixar’s long-honored tradition of animated shorts showcasing moments from Dug and Carl’s life together after the events of Up. Created, written, and directed by Bob Peterson, Dug Days stars the late Ed Asner in his final performance as Carl.
Bob Peterson spoke with FilmmakerFocus about Dug Days: Carl’s Date. He shares what he learned from working with Asner and how the actor made Carl so endearing while being grumpy. Peterson also discusses the possibility of exploring the world of Up through other characters, honoring Ellie, and bringing Carl’s story to a close.
Bob Peterson On Dug Days: Carl’s Date
FilmmakerFocus: Bob, congratulations on Carl’s Date. It already opened up my emotional spectrum before going into Elemental. It got me especially being Ed Asner’s final performance. Why did you want this last story with Ed Asner to be about Dug and Carl?
Bob Peterson: It’s the sixth one in the Dug Days series for Disney plus. It was just to go to streamer and at the end we decided, well, let’s start that tradition of putting a short film in front of our movies. I was thrilled to hear that. This one’s special because it really tests Carl’s ability to honor what his wife wanted, which was to go have a new adventure. Can he do it? This is about grappling with that.
Were there any other Dug Days stories that you contemplated?
Bob Peterson: Sure, there’s a ton. This one felt like a great way to sort of sum up what we’ve been seeing.
Can you talk about working with Ed Asner both on Up and Dug Days?
Bob Peterson: Ed was Carl. Ed is cantankerous, so much fun, and very smart. He worked in the 50s, 60s ,70s, TV and movies, and just had a great work ethic. Said what he thought, which is what all senior citizens have earned the right to do. “I’m going to tell you what I think.” It was great refreshing in that way. Mainly, we just had fun.
Ed has a ton of experience working in this industry for such a long time. What did you learn from him during the process of working with him throughout the years?
Bob Peterson: His work ethic, he actually injured himself one day, had to go to the hospital, and had to get a few stitches. We thought, “Well go home Ed. You don’t need to come back to the recording booth.” Nope. Coming back, and he gave this great performance for Up. I think that tenacity is a good reminder.
That’s incredible. I never knew that. What do you what do you think Ed brought to the role of Carl that made him so endearing?
Bob Peterson: He like a lot of our characters, hey’re flawed. Woody is jealous, but it’s Tom Hanks. Marlon is worried about his son going into the ocean in Nemo, but it’s Albert Brooks, he makes that fear fun. In this case, we knew Ed Asner could make cantankerous curmudgeonly appealing and fun. That’s what he brought.
That’s incredible. Now Pixar has a legacy of these shorts that tug at the heartstrings. What’s been the most surprising or rewarding part of continuing that legacy, especially through the world of Up?
Bob Peterson: It’s just been fun to see people who grew up watching it as a kid, being so happy to be back in the world with Carl, Dug, and Ed Abner’s voice living in suburbia taking care of each other. It’s really been fun to see the reaction from people that they love being back with these characters.
Yeah, I think I’ve seen up more than any other Pixar film, I absolutely have a soft spot for that movie.
Bob Peterson: Well, there’s a lot of truth. There’s truth about grandparents. In our lives, we know our grandparents, we know our parents, as they grow older. We know our pets, we know our dogs. I think that punches through. We always try to look for the universal truths in anythin and that’s what we tried to stuffed in there was how a dog behaves, how a senior citizen might behave. But in this case, it was kind of fun, because you got to do a dog that wasn’t just talking with its mouth. But just, “I think we should go over there.” Just acting like a real dog would do. You got to hear what might be a real dog’s thoughts.
I know that this is Ed’s final performance is Carl. But have we seen the last of Dug?
Bob Peterson: I don’t know. Pete Doctor and I were the architects of Up especially Pete, and so we’d have to talk about that if we wanted to move forward. It’s such a nice closure to things that we’re not permitting ourselves to even think that.
Now. Can you talk about balancing the humor and naïveté of Dug as well as his insight into Carl’s date?
Bob Peterson: It’s interesting as I started writing this, I realized that I was pushing Dug a little bit more sophisticated. That felt right if he’s living with Carl, and not with those other dogs back with months, he’d start to become more empathetic, more in tune with what humans are. So the balance is he’s a dog and he’s going to react to things that any dog would react. Give advice like a dog would, but to see the two of them together, it just, it’s hard to say. There’s a charisma between them that forms.
Absolutely a chemistry that like no other. Man’s best friend. Do you still want to explore more of the world of Up like Russell or the other dogs?
Bob Peterson: Not sure. If a story comes to us we’re always open the things. Russell has moved on. He’s an old guy now. He’s like a dude. He’s in medical school. I did use his voice from old clips from Up that were unused for the one episode of Dug Days. So we’d have to think about that. Are there actors that could play him? I don’t think we’d ever replace Carl. You’d never want to just have a stand in for Ed Asner. So the answer is, I don’t know.
Was there ever any plans to show Carl’s actual date?
Bob Peterson: I thought about that for about one nanosecond and then I realized the importance of this was to show him grappling. This whole short is about honoring Ellie really. He doesn’t just run right out and date. It’s hard for him and he has to ask for permission essentially. I thought it would be better to honor Ellie by not going on the date because he probably just went had coffee. Went to the library or something like that.
That part when he’s talking to the picture and says, “You’ll always be my girl.” That’s the part that got to me the most. It pulled at my heartstrings like no other. I absolutely thought it was beautiful. What have you learned throughout this process working on Up and then the Dug Days shorts? And what would you want to take with you to any other future project from what you have learned on those projects?
Bob Peterson: Just include the truths of your characters. A senior citizen in a slow moving chair coming down. That ended up being sad to funny to sad again, and it kind of prepared you for what’s to come. So always look at just the truth. They don’t even have to be funny truths. But how does a dog behave? How does an old man behave? And and and center on those truths if you can. And that was a good reminder.
That’s incredible. Look, I absolutely loved this short. And I think it is such a great farewell to Ed. And the character of Carl. What are you working on next?
Bob Peterson: I’m working on something way down the line. So the sky’s the limit. I don’t have to limit myself in thinking of plot or character. I can just just have fun with it. I can’t talk about it yet, but it’s down there. It’s a couple years away. In the meantime, I help with other writing and things like that for other shows. It’s what I do.
About Dug Days: Carl’s Date
In the final Dug Days short, get ready for Carl’s first date since Ellie. Watch as Dug frantically tries to help Carl prepare, while he grapples with guilt and embarks on his first date in years.
Dug Days: Carl’s Date is now playing in theaters, along with the thrilling movie Elemental.
