Dug's Special Mission (2009)
2009
G
5 Minutes
Dug's Special Mission will give "a little bit of the backstory of what Dug was actually doing" before encountering Carl and Russell in Up.
User Review
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Dug's Special Mission woofs, barks and shouts "Squirrel!" through harmless slapstick comedy. Ever sometimes reminisce of the good ol' fashioned cartoons from Warner Bros, like 'Looney Tunes'? Well, this Pixar short which accompanies the feature 'Up' packs various silly scenarios that sees the titular Dug try and earn the respect of his canine leaders. This involves staring blankly at a rock (which nearly crushes them), staying in a hole (actually quicksand...) and haplessly creating mayhem. It's a suitable short, detailing the fractious hierarchy of these dogs and explaining how Dug encountered Carl and Russell in the original film. Despite how foolish Dug's antics were, this short comes across as a mere deleted scene as opposed to exhuming originality. And that's exactly what this is.
Back in the development phase for 'Up', it was agreed that the focus would always be on Carl, therefore shunning this four minute sequence to a short film instead. Does it further the development of these lovable characters? Debatable. Dug remains his usual clumsy self whilst Alpha, Beta and Gamma are there simply for comedic effect. The only emotional moment in the short is, well, too short to actually have an impact. This is one of those disposable scenes that children will enjoy and probably watch it on repeat, whereas adults are most likely to forget about it almost immediately. Good job that is was removed the original feature. Still, Harmless fun.0 member like this review.
