Cutesy cash-ins are the new normal for Disney, who are rattling through their classics and giving them live actions. Dug Days avoids that and is all the better for it, but Up as a live-action piece is about three decades away. What director Bob Peterson, who also voices the eponymous Dug does, though, is somewhat similar. He relies on the bond between man and his best friend, giving Ed Asner another go-around of arguably his most notable role. As nice as that is, Dug Days provides a miniseries feel. Mini indeed, because despite its lovely, neat episodes, it barely makes it past an hour in its running time.
That is the perfect length for Dug Days, which is as likeable as expected. Very light on the emotional front, but this is a classic example of Disney experimenting with how they can utilise the short formats presented here. These examples, spread across five episodes of Dug Days, are far better than most of the more recent short offerings. Those that exist on established projects are always going to be peeling back the layers of notable dialogue, the first squirrel reference within this is about halfway through the first nine-minute episode, but it is expected. The target audience wants to hear that, and it provides a nice hook for the rest of the episode, which is just a fight to the death between animals.
Not quite, but it is in the same vein as that, the same action providing some nice animation flourishes and light comedy. It is an extremely light piece, one that would be evidently suitable for the end of a long day. As braindead as it is in that likeable way, Dug Days does begin to repeat itself from time to time. It plays out like a Tom & Jerry cartoon, but little of the action feels all that unique or spectacular. Chase scenes, a haphazard back and forth and a neat little inclusion for Asner to dispense a few lines is all Dug Days can muster. That is more than enough. It is more than some feature-length projects have managed in recent years.
But in making that emotional connection with audiences, is Dug Days reliant on the past or the present? Catching up with Carl (Asner) and Dug (Peterson) is nice for those that hold nostalgia for Up, there is no doubt that the quickfire piece will tug at the heartstrings and engage with the locked-away memories of childhood, but is it necessary? Yes. Absolutely. There is a harmless style to Dug Days that works well because it knows exactly what it wants to do. Stick Dug in the backyard, have Asner introduce the premise and let the periodic and rather expected comedic moments come through. What ties it all together though is the solid animation on offer, it is a display of quality from Disney, who appear to use this as a blueprint for new plans rather than something that can be considered truly, truly great. Still, nice and cute, which is an apt conclusion for Carl and his best pal.
