Carl's Date

After Up, this short film now shows us Carl and the dog Doug moving on with their lives. After that adventure, Carl now continues with his life and the new challenges that life can offer, it is his turn to prepare for a date while Doug tries to help. It's a good short film that offers a glimpse into what happened after Up. Doug is a charming character as always. Carl is no longer the grumpy old man we met in Up and it is noticeable that he even manages to move on some time after the death of his wife. It's an enjoyable short film that offers what could be a good epilogue to Up or perhaps the beginning of a new life in Carl's golden years. My rating for this short film is an 8/10.

Carl is surprised when Ms. Meyers asks him out on a date. He's even more surprised when he says yes. Dug has to help the conflicted Carl.

This was supposed to be part of the Dug Days show. Instead, it becomes the short accompanying Elemental. Apparently, it's one of the last performance of Ed Asner who died in 2021. That may result in the end of Dug Days or any more material for Carl. It deals with a big issue. The big takeaway from Up is the love story. This is Carl taking his first hesitant step in a new chapter. It has a lot of issues that come with that and I don't think a short has enough time to fully discuss them. Ultimately, the short feels short. We don't even get to meet Ms. Meyers.

An actual sequel to Up probably would've been pushing it so Carl's Date feels like the best way to revisit these characters and tell a fun self contained story without any risk of ruining an incredible original. It's inoffensive, funny and sincere.

Ed Asner kind yet gruff voice is a delight to hear one last time, just the mere mention of Ellie triggers the waterworks without fail. Bob Peterson's performance really compliments Dug's animation beautifully.

Andrea Datzman's score wisely chooses to call back to Michael Giacchino's iconic work in its final moments, offering a nice reminder of just how devastating it is. Combined with Ed Asner's performance it's overwhelmingly emotional, even if it's arguably manipulative.

Initially slated to be released on Disney+ as the first episode of 'Dug Days (2021-)' season 2, 'Carl's Date (2023)' was inexplicably promoted to full-blown short film, presumably because the studio realised that they didn't actually have a short to play before 'Elemental (2023)'. The result is, perhaps expectedly, underwhelming. In fact, I'd even say this is less compelling than most (if not all) actual episodes of the show, meaning it would be disappointing even if it were the opener to a straight-to-series second season. To be fair, I think the piece is less effective precisely because it's presented as a pre-Pixar short (plus, although Pixar didn't actually make it, it kind of masquerades as a Pixar film and is therefore subject to a higher level of scrutiny). The piece isn't particularly bad, with solid voice work and several gags that clearly appeal to the intended audience (the kids in the cinema loved it when Dug mentioned rolling in poo). The short is about Carl being invited on a date and becoming increasingly worried as it draws ever nearer. It has some nice theming surrounding his guilt over going on a date with a woman who isn't his late wife, but it doesn't mine this element for all it's worth and feels as though it leaves a lot of potent material untouched in favour of silly "I'm anxious" antics. Still, there are a couple of touching moments that add a bit of gravity to the overall affair. Ultimately, this is a decent yet undercooked short film that doesn't do much to outgrow its straight-to-streaming roots.

There's only so much you can achieve in under ten minutes and Pixar would normally nail it but this little piece of cinema didn't hit the right notes ~ apart from when the sad music begins.

The premise is really, really simple: Carl is asked out on a date and is then bombarded by an incessant stream of the dog prattling on. I'd completely forgotten about the collar from the 2009 original.

Anyway, I wish the writers had given us more time with Carl contemplating the emotional pathway to letting go yet keeping Mrs Carl in his heart. For me, the dog spoiled that tenderness, because it wasn't funny.