Dug's Special Mission

About Dug's Special Mission

Dug’s Special Mission is an animated short film released in 2009 and produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The story follows the character Dug, a talking dog equipped with a special collar that allows him to communicate with humans, from the movie Up. It presents events that occur just before Dug's encounter with Carl and Russell in the main film of Up.

In the movie, Dug is trying to fulfill a mission designated by the pack leader Alpha. However, he unintentionally creates mayhem and faces several mishaps, causing enormous frustration for Alpha and his gang, but also leading towards a truly special mission providing Dug his long-awaited desire to belong to a pack.

Making / Production

Dug's Special Mission was directed by Ronnie Del Carmen and produced by Galyn Susman. The film utilized the same innovative animation technology as UP, with each character meticulously designed and rendered to create a visually stunning short film.

Actors

• Bob Peterson: Peterson perfectly lent his voice to Dug, managing to capture the innocent, yet determined nature of the character.
• Delroy Lindo: He voiced the character of Beta, establishing a stern and authoritative aura necessary to the role.
• Jerome Ranft: Ranft impeccably voiced the role of Gamma, characterizing him as gullible and lovable in the pack.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The short film was included in the DVD and Blu-Ray release of Up.
• It also gives an inside look at why Dug is chasing the colorful bird named Kevin in Up.
• Lastly, it shows the serendipity of Dug finding Carl and Russell from his perspective.

Music and Soundtrack

• Michael Giacchino: He provided the music for the film, which perfectly complemented the adventures of Dug and the rest of the pack on screen.

Quotes

• "What do you want, bird? I have a mission to fulfill." - Dug
• "I am a great tracker; my pack sent me on a special mission all by myself. Have you seen a bird? I want to find one, and I've been on this trail for... I don't know how long, because I get lost a lot. But I will find the bird. Everyone says I will fail..." - Dug