Exclusive: Talking With Pixar’s Dug Days creators, producer Kim Collins and director Bob Peterson
Hitting Disney+ on Sept. 1st from Pixar Animation Studios is “Dug Days,” a new series of five shorts that follows the humorous misadventures of Dug, the lovable dog from Disney and Pixar’s Oscar-winning feature film “Up” whose high-tech collar translates his thoughts into speech. Included in the short is the late Ed Asner, who voiced the character of Carl.
Bob Peterson, the voice of Dug then and now, wrote and directed the new shorts; Kim Collins produces. It was familiar material for Peterson, who was a screenwriter and co-director on “Up,” which won an Oscar for best animated feature. He has long understood why fans are so drawn to the character. “Dug is pure of heart—he’s a good soul. I think people enjoy that part of Dug,” says Peterson. “Plus, people love their dogs. We’ve gone to great lengths to include truth in dog behavior, so they see their own dogs in Dug.”
Coming up with new adventures for Dug was not a problem for Peterson, who kept top of mind the idea that this is Dug’s first time out of Paradise Falls. “Everything is new, and he’s excited about all of it,” he says. “But the smallest things can distract Dug, never mind an actual squirrel.”
BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales recently spoke with Collins and Peterson about the short series and how personal and universal the series is for everyone who has pet animals.
