Carl's Date

Carl's Date is the short that screens before Pixar's Elemental. As the name suggests, it's based on characters from 2009's Up. Its scope is significantly smaller - we see no further than the sidewalk - but it still manages an emotional impact.

Ed Asner returns as the voice of Carl, who finds himself invited to a social encounter with a lady. That prompts panic stations, but loyal canine companion Dug is available to provide useful advice. Useful might be stretching some of it a little, but it's funnier for it.

The short is also a sneaky introduction to Dug Days, a spinoff series about the suburban adventures of the titular mutt now he's returned from the nonspecific South American jungle. I enjoyed it enough that I'll take advantage of access to a Disney+ account to try another episode, but I'm not convinced that something equal parts derivative and advertisement shows parent feature Elemental in the best light.

I laughed, for which I credit Bob Peterson's script and the voice he uses for Dug's translation collar. There's something bittersweet about it, differently so than Up, but as a cat fancier I must reject at least some of its advice. Pixar got its start in shorts, Luxo Jr still opens and closes the films, but changes to how we consume Disney products are changing those relationships too.

For some, watching the logos of their in-house streaming service will serve as Proustian prompts as readily as the vacuum-moulded plastic cases of a particular generation of Disney Home Videos. Moving on from that nostalgia was one of the lessons of Up, and so it is perhaps disappointing that we're back to being back again. That said, sometimes one can enjoy a madeleine as a little bit of sweetness. Time is only lost if you're looking for it.