{ "id": "epjmwepd74", "slug": "dug-days", "title": "Dug Days", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series", "label": "Animated television series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas", "label": "Children's animated adventure and fantasy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas.comedy-and-slice-of-life-series", "label": "Comedy and slice-of-life series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas.comedy-and-slice-of-life-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas.comedy-and-slice-of-life-series.yr-2020-2024", "label": "Premiered 2020 to 2024", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas.comedy-and-slice-of-life-series.yr-2020-2024" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: Children's animated adventure and fantasy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series", "label": "Animated television series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas", "label": "Children's animated adventure and fantasy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Dug Days is a Disney+ series of Pixar shorts spun off from Up (2009), written and directed by Bob Peterson, voice of Dug. Five shorts premiered September 1, 2021; Carl's Date closed the series in 2023.", "snippet": "Dug Days is a Disney+ series of Pixar shorts spun off from Up (2009), written and directed by Bob Peterson, voice of Dug. Five shorts premiered September 1, 2021; Carl's Date closed the series in 2023.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.children-s-animated-adventure-and-fantas.comedy-and-slice-of-life-series.yr-2020-2024", "markdown": "# Dug Days\n\n**Dug Days** is a series of animated short films from Pixar Animation Studios released on Disney+, following the talking dog Dug from the 2009 film *Up* as he adjusts to suburban life with his owner, [Carl Fredricksen](https://www.edgepedia.org/carl-fredricksen). Written and directed by [Bob Peterson](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-peterson-filmmaker), the voice of Dug, the series premiered on September 1, 2021 with five shorts and concluded with a sixth, *Carl's Date*, on June 16, 2023.[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf) • [2](https://tvdocket.com/shows/dug-days/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Five Pixar shorts set in and around Dug's new backyard, each told from his own excited, slightly distorted point of view[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf) |\n| Premiere | All five shorts debuted on Disney+ on September 1, 2021[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf) |\n| Filmmakers | Written and directed by Bob Peterson, an Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner; produced by Kim Collins[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf) |\n| Voice cast | Bob Peterson as Dug, Ed Asner as Carl, Jordan Nagai as Russell[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dug_days) |\n| Episode runtimes | \"Squirrel!\" 9:21, \"Puppies\" 9:14, \"Flowers\" 6:36[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf) |\n| Final episode | \"Carl's Date,\" June 16, 2023, released theatrically ahead of Pixar's *Elemental*[2](https://tvdocket.com/shows/dug-days/) • [4](https://www.pixar.com/our-story) |\n| Reception | 100% Tomatometer from 7 critic reviews and 81% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dug_days) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and setting\n\nThe series picks up shortly after the end of *Up*. Carl, who accepted Dug as his own at the end of that film, has traded in the 1920s airship Spirit of Adventure for a new house in the suburbs, complete with a doggy door and a big backyard. Because Dug grew up at Paradise Falls, the suburbs are an exotic and exciting adventure to him, and each short shows everyday events through his point of view.[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf) • [5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/dug-days?context.unit=HC)\n\nDug's high-tech collar, which translates his thoughts into speech, remains central: his every reaction is voiced, from \"Squirrel!\" to \"Hello, Small Mailman!\"[6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/dug-days) Producer Kim Collins described the setup as a way to keep the setting simple and emphasize character.[7](https://d23.com/6-fur-bulous-facts-from-the-dug-days-filmmakers/)\n\n### Episodes\n\nThe five premiere shorts each carry a theme drawn from dog behavior, including territoriality, nurturing, protection, fear, and smell.[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf) • [7](https://d23.com/6-fur-bulous-facts-from-the-dug-days-filmmakers/)\n\n1. **\"Squirrel!\"** (9:21): an afternoon of Carl's backyard project and Dug \"helping\" turns when Dug comes face to face with his sworn enemy.[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf)\n2. **\"Puppies\"** (9:14): Dug babysits a litter of puppies, which turns out to be more work than he expects; Peterson was inspired in part by old commercials showing toddlers joyfully inundated by puppies.[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf)\n3. **\"Flowers\"** (6:36): Dug's first fireworks show; Carl describes fireworks as \"flowers in the sky\" but neglects to mention the noise. Peterson based the story on his own dog's fear of fireworks and said he did not want to make it unless the problem was solved by the end.[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf) • [8](https://news.disney.com/dug-days-first-look-coming-to-disney-plus)\n4. **\"Smell\"**: Dug smells something he has never smelled before.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dug_days/s01)\n5. **\"Science\"**: the short containing Peterson's favorite moment of the series, when Carl describes what it is like to love a pet.[8](https://news.disney.com/dug-days-first-look-coming-to-disney-plus)\n6. **\"Carl's Date\"** (June 16, 2023): a later short that closed the series and played in theaters before *Elemental*.[2](https://tvdocket.com/shows/dug-days/) • [4](https://www.pixar.com/our-story)\n\n## Production\n\nPeterson, who was a screenwriter and co-director on the Oscar-winning *Up*, returned as writer, director, and voice of Dug; Kim Collins, a Pixar veteran whose production management credits include *The Incredibles* and *Toy Story 4*, produced.[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf) • [7](https://d23.com/6-fur-bulous-facts-from-the-dug-days-filmmakers/) Peterson has said Dug's voice is based on how he talks to his own dogs, and that the character grew out of an earlier, shelved science-fiction project developed with [Pete Docter](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-docter) in which a dog suddenly began to speak.[7](https://d23.com/6-fur-bulous-facts-from-the-dug-days-filmmakers/)\n\n**Ed Asner's return.** Asner, who voiced Carl in *Up*, returned to the recording studio roughly a decade later to record new dialogue. He died on August 29, 2021, three days before the series premiered, and coverage of the series noted *Dug Days* as a celebration of his career and possibly his final vocal role.[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf) • [10](https://pixarpost.com/2021/09/dug-days-interview.html)\n\n**Russell's voice.** [Jordan Nagai](https://www.edgepedia.org/jordan-nagai) was 21 by the time of recording and no longer sounded like a junior explorer, so the filmmakers used unused lines Nagai had recorded for *Up*, including a small song Peterson described as opening a time capsule.[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf)\n\n**Pandemic-era recording.** The series was just gearing up when production shifted to work from home in 2020. Peterson recorded a large portion of Dug's lines in a cramped closet below his stairs, and the team equipped voice actors' homes with recording gear and updated Ethernet connections so reviews would not crawl along.[7](https://d23.com/6-fur-bulous-facts-from-the-dug-days-filmmakers/)\n\n**Music.** The score is by Andrea Datzman, a longtime collaborator of [Michael Giacchino](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-giacchino), together with Curtis Green. It is designed to represent Dug's overblown inner emotions and includes nods to Giacchino's Oscar-winning *Up* score, with a twist on it in the opening credits.[1](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf)\n\n## Reception\n\nOn Rotten Tomatoes the series holds a 100% Tomatometer from 7 critic reviews and an 81% audience score from more than 50 ratings.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dug_days) Common Sense Media gave it 5 out of 5, calling it endearing, funny, and clever, and named it a Common Sense Selection for ages 5 and up.[6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/dug-days) Critics singled out Peterson's performance as Dug, which one reviewer said carries each episode, and the return of Asner as Carl.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dug_days/s01)\n\nThe series is listed as TV-PG by Rotten Tomatoes and Disney+ publicity, while Metacritic and Plex list it as TV-G.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dug_days) • [11](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dug-days/) • [5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/dug-days?context.unit=HC)\n\n## Place in the Up franchise\n\n*Dug Days* extends a Disney tradition of human-and-dog shorts that Peterson traces back to Mickey and Pluto, with [Lady and the Tramp](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-and-the-tramp) in between; Collins noted that streaming on Disney+ gave the studio a new way to continue that tradition of shorts.[8](https://news.disney.com/dug-days-first-look-coming-to-disney-plus) Pixar's own history records that the series kicked off the annual September celebration Pixar Fest on September 1, 2021, and that *Carl's Date* later accompanied *Elemental* in theaters, directed by Peterson and produced by Collins.[4](https://www.pixar.com/our-story) The series has ended, with no further episodes after *Carl's Date*.[2](https://tvdocket.com/shows/dug-days/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Dug Days Production Brief, Disney+ Publicity (August 27, 2021)](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/dug_days_production_brief_disney_913ebdfb.pdf)\n2. [Dug Days: All Seasons, Episodes & Where to Watch, TV Docket](https://tvdocket.com/shows/dug-days/)\n3. [Dug Days, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dug_days)\n4. [Our Story, Pixar Animation Studios](https://www.pixar.com/our-story)\n5. [Where to Watch Dug Days (2021), Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/dug-days?context.unit=HC)\n6. [Dug Days Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/dug-days)\n7. [6 Fur-bulous Facts from the Dug Days Filmmakers, D23](https://d23.com/6-fur-bulous-facts-from-the-dug-days-filmmakers/)\n8. [A First Look at Pixar's Dug Days Shorts Coming to Disney+, Disney News](https://news.disney.com/dug-days-first-look-coming-to-disney-plus)\n9. [Dug Days: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dug_days/s01)\n10. ['Dug Days' Streaming Now, Pixar Post](https://pixarpost.com/2021/09/dug-days-interview.html)\n11. [Dug Days Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dug-days/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Children's animated adventure and fantasy series › Comedy and slice-of-life series › Premiered 2020 to 2024*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/dug-days", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/dug-days.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Dug Days\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/dug-days. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Dug Days](https://www.edgepedia.org/dug-days)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/dug-days](https://www.edgepedia.org/dug-days). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Dug Days\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/dug-days. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Dug Days is a Disney+ series of Pixar shorts spun off from Up, written and directed by Bob Peterson, voice of Dug." }