Dug's Special Mission

Dug's Special Mission
Title screen
Directed by	Ronnie del Carmen
Produced by	Galyn Susman Pete Docter (executive) John Lasseter (executive)
Written by	Ronnie del Carmen Bob Peterson
Starring	Bob Peterson Delroy Lindo Jerome Ranft Edward Asner (uncredited) Jordan Nagai (uncredited)
Music by	Michael Giacchino
Editing by	Steve Bloom Tim Fox (first assistant editor)
Studio	Pixar Animation Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Pictures (2009 release with Up DVD)
Release date(s)	November 10, 2009 (2009-11-10)
Running time	4:40
Country	United States
Language	English

Dug's Special Mission (2009) is a short Pixar film, directed by Ronnie del Carmen. It is tied into and included on the DVD and Blu-ray Disc release of Up.

Premise

Jonas Rivera, producer of Pixar's film Up, revealed that Dug's Special Mission "is a little bit of the backstory of what Dug was actually doing out there on this mysterious mission when we meet him [in Up]". In the short, Dug is instructed on how to catch the bird (Kevin) by Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, but their instructions are really intended to keep Dug away from them.

Plot

It is Dug's birthday. This Golden Retriever wishes that it will be the happiest day of his life, when suddenly, Kevin runs over him and Alpha (a Doberman Pinscher), Beta (a Rottweiler) and Gamma (a Bulldog) run into Dug. Irritated with Dug getting in their way, they come up with "special missions" for Dug to help capture the bird. However, these are just ploys to keep Dug out of their way. Alpha assigns Dug to watch a large rock and make sure it doesn't move, because it is "the bird's favorite rock". Dug accidentally causes a pebble to roll down an incline and topple the large boulder, which nearly crushes Alpha, Beta and Gamma. He is then told to sit and wait in "the bird's favorite hole". After the three dogs leave him there, Dug starts sinking down the hole, which turns out to have quicksand in it. Dug falls through it and ends up falling on top of the three dogs right as they are stalking Kevin.

Dug is then assigned to sit on a rock. When Dug jumps onto a rock, following Alpha's orders, Alpha, Beta, Gamma and the rock they're standing on all start to fall. Numerous scenes follow of Alpha, Beta and Gamma getting caught or captured by traps intended for Kevin, due to actions of Dug as a result of commands given to him by Alpha. The trio is scooped up in a net; then they are shot with darts, one of which hits Beta, knocking him out. Dug then runs in a pile of rocks as Alpha, Beta and Gamma chase after him. The rocks fall down and Alpha screams.

In pain and anger, Alpha contacts Charles Muntz in his airship to report that Dug has caused them "to not capture the bird" and that he is a "bad dog". Dug, feeling dismayed, suddenly sees Muntz's Spirit of Adventure blimp in the sky. Fearful of Muntz and emotionally hurt, Dug runs off. Gamma and Beta talk to Dug by radio and comment on how he is "gonna get it now"; Beta sarcastically wishes Dug a happy birthday. Sad and lonely, Dug runs off into a mist-laden rocky area. He sees a rock that resembles a turtle, followed by one that looks like a man. When he hears a voice saying "I see you back there", he asks if the man is okay. Dug then realizes that he has received his birthday wish: a new master (Carl Fredrickson). The clouds clear, the sun comes out and Dug sits proudly on a flat rock. From here the short comes full circle as it reflects the point when Dug is introduced in the film. Russell notices him and briefly thinks Dug is a rock. After the credits roll, Dug says "Hi there!" to Carl and Russell; the short ends with Carl and Russell gasping in shock.

External links

• Dug's Special Mission at the Internet Movie Database
• Dug's Special Mission at the Big Cartoon DataBase

Preceded by Partly Cloudy

Pixar Animation Studios short films 2009

Succeeded by Day & Night