With the advent of Disney Plus, a lot of classic Disney and Pixar properties are seeing revivals or continuations of their stories thanks to a new series taking the platform by storm. Monsters Inc. got a canonical sequel within Monsters At Work, and a significant bevy of new series just got announced during Disney+ Day 2021. Most recently, Up got a continuation through Dug Days, taking place right after the events of the heartwarming movie. So, how does it fare?

The first thing I have to address is that this series, which mainly casts the return of Bob Peterson as Dug and Ed Asner as Carl Fredrickson, is the last credit for the latter actor, who passed away on August 29, 2021. He passed mere days before Dug Days hit Disney Plus. It’s a melancholy feeling hearing an impassioned performance from a 91-year-old industry sensation who most certainly did not phone in his performance. Similar emotions were evoked hearing Black Panther‘s Chadwick Boseman within What If?.

Dug Days consists of five episodes, each spanning only about eight minutes. A real bone I have to pick with streaming services is how long each credits sequence spans. While I want every name that worked on a project to be displayed, it’s devious to say an episode lasts a certain length when more than 20% of it is credits; A more accurate minute count would be a game-changer. That, and I also wish for the volume of the shows to not be as quiet as a mouse by default.

On to the show. Carl sells his blimp and settles down in retirement with Dug in tow. The majority of Dug Days takes place in the backyard where Dug roams free and feuds with his worst enemy, a dubious squirrel whose sole intention is to make Dug’s life miserable. It’s the perfect foil and callback from Up, and makes for some sound continuity between episodes, leading to a great climax in the fifth and final offering. Every episode has its own premise and a reason to persist through the short, to-the-point stories.

The vocal delivery from every character involved is heartfelt and maximizes the short screen time given. Carl is endearing, Dug is well-intentioned and bashful, and even though Russell’s voice is utilized through archival recordings, it’s well-executed and makes sense within the context of the episode. While the entirety of the series is shorter than the source material movie itself, it’s also home to strong animation with vibrant hues and fluid movement.

It’s easy to knock out Dug Days in an hour and it is more than worth the time needed to invest in it. Even though I found Dug’s shtick to get old quick, the fast-paced narrative is inoffensive and has more than a few laugh-out-loud moments to warrant a watch for each episode. It’s a massive bummer that we may never see another piece of Up material with the passing of Ed Asner, but at least the franchise goes out on a high note with Dug Days as the swan song.

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Dug Days

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Undeniable Pixar Charm
• Returning Voice Actors
• Beneficial Continuity

Cons

• Woefully Short