‘Dug Days’ – A Downright Delightful Return To The World Of ‘Up’

The first season of Dug Days is premiering on Disney+ on September 1st. This new series of 5 short films is set directly after the events of 2009’s Up, directed by Bob Peterson and produced by Kim Collins.

Dug Days is an absolute delight. Fans of Up will be blown away by how seamlessly it transports you back to Carl’s world, even over a decade later. It’s filled with references to the original film, some of them cleverly hidden, and others joyfully celebrated. It’s easy to feel as carelessly happy as Dug while watching this series (not counting the fireworks episode of course).

We were very lucky to not only get an advance screening of Dug Days, but we even got to (virtually) sit down with Bob and Kim and learn all about how it was made!

Overview

The first season of Dug Days is 5 episodes (all just under 10 minutes long) exploring Carl and Dug’s life together after the exciting adventures of Up. Immediately after returning to civilisation on Charles Muntz’s blimp, Carl sells this aircraft to purchase a new home. Dug Days is centred around Carl and Dug’s relationship as they embark on a new adventure – suburban life!

Russell eventually moves in next door, and is seen visiting the two of them in one of the episodes.

Cast

All the returning characters are voiced by the same voice actors. Ed Asner makes a return as Carl Fredricksen, director Bob Peterson reprises his role as Dug, and Russell is still voiced by Jordan Nagai. With Nagai no longer being a sweet 9 year old kid, a clever solution was found: all of Russell’s lines in Dug Days are unused lines from Up that the team managed to repurpose (including a new Wilderness Explorer-themed song!).

There are also some new characters, namely the garden visitors that Dug gets acquainted with: a beautiful blue jay, and – much to our excitement – a squirrel!

Fun Facts

The joys of working from home
Dug Days was of course another recent Pixar project that needed to be completed almost entirely from home due to the pandemic. Luckily Ed Asner had recorded his lines pre-COVID, but all the other voice actors had to record themselves in makeshift recording studios in their houses. Bob Peterson used his tiny cupboard under the stairs.

A familiar frog and Ferris wheel
There are plenty of easter eggs in Dug Days, but here are a couple to look out for: the Ferris wheel in the Fireworks episode is the same Ferris wheel seen in Toy Story 4, and you’ll be able to spot a little frog ornament in Carl and Dug’s house that looks an awful lot like the frog ‘alarm clock’ seen in Up.

Modelled after a real house
Carl and Dug move into a house that’s numbered 333, and it’s modelled after Bob Peterson’s grandmother’s house. Carl and Ellie’s house in Up was the number 18, the house number of Bob’s other grandparents!

Carl’s new hobby
This is just a really sweet thing to pick up on – Carl has gotten into woodworking since getting home from Paradise Falls. See if you can find some examples of his work on September 1st!

Pete Docter’s macarons
Apparently Pete Docter has a bit of a sweet tooth, so the Dug Days team put a box of macarons on Carl Fredricksen’s table. They’re made by the company “Pete’s Macarons”.

We hope everyone enjoys Dug Days as much as we did when it releases on Disney+ on September 1st!