Carl's Date

Once upon a time, not so long ago, Pixar shorts were simple, understated, and, well...short. Sometimes they even had no dialogue, a charming throwback to the days where the theater's organ player had to do all the story's heavy-lifting.

"Carl's Date" is none of these things. It's overwritten, it tries too hard, and it's definitely too long. Credit where credit is due, Ed Asner does a fine job (Rest in Peace) and if you liked his performance in Up, you'll at least find this watchable. But it's far from one of the best Pixar has to offer. Give me "One Man Band" or "Geri's Game" any time. This? Not so much.

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.

What a wasted opportunity to let Ed Asner's wonderful character from Up shine again.

Instead of showing us some more of the heart of this wonderful character in the hands of a talented actor in his last film role we get a barely anything story that manages to damage the glow of the original film, in that it shows Carl moving on from his lifelong devotion to his beloved wife of his entire life, for no apparent real reason. There is nothing in the original film to suggest Carl has any interest in ever giving his attention to anyone else and that was one of the core moments of beauty to it, true undying love.

I don't know what this short film thought it was doing but of all the things they could have used Asner for, this slight and unnecessary film was not a worthy full stop to a wonderful legacy.

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.

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.