Dug's Special Mission (2009)

Alpha, Beta, and Gamma try to keep Dug out of their way while they hunt for Kevin the Snipe. However, their instructions for his "very special mission" keep backfiring on them.

Director:

Ronnie Del Carmen

Writer:

Ronnie Del Carmen

Stars:

Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft

Cast

Cast overview:
Bob Peterson	...	Alpha / Dug (voice)
Delroy Lindo	...	Beta (voice)
Jerome Ranft	...	Gamma (voice)

Storyline

Dug is a cheerful, dim, short-legged dog, a walking sausage. On his birthday, he stumbles between a running bird and three dogs in chase; the bird gets away, and, in exasperation, the pack gives him mindless task after mindless task. Dug is enthusiastic, and every assignment backfires on the three. Finally, they threaten him with punishment from their master. Can anything turn Dug's birthday into a happy day?

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Plot Keywords:

cgi animation | bird | birthday | dog | mission | 

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is a short spinoff from the movie "Up"

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Goofs

In the movie, Alpha's high-pitched voice is a surprise to all the dogs. In the short, which takes place before Dug's first scene in the movie, Alpha's voice is already high-pitched.

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Quotes

Alpha: [speaking in a high-pitched broken collar voice to Dug, who is in a hole in the ground] This is the bird's favorite hole. Under no circumstances are you permitted to SQUIRREL!
[Alpha, Beta, and Gamma quickly snap their heads to look to screen left. Dug glances in that direction. Alpha regains his composure]
Alpha:

• ever leave this hole. Do you understand the words that I am saying to you now?

[growls]
Dug: Oh yes. I will stay in the hole and I will capture the bird.
Alpha: [all three start to walk away] Yes... definitely!
Gamma: [...]

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Connections

Spun-off from Up (2009)

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Missão Especial do Dug

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pixar Animation Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

5 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1