hyped garbage

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I found this short whilst browsing the bonus features of the 'Up' DVD that I rented and it was cleverly written.When the short began, it had me thinking, "Does this take place during the film or is it something completely separate?" It was hard to determine to begin with but I laughed at the '"Squirrel!" gag and I enjoyed watching Alpha, Beta and Gamma's failed attempts at following the instructions of Dug's mission. I did sympathise with Dug as well due to him having a terrible birthday until he sees a rock that resembles a man and another that resembles a turtle. It wasn't until this point that I realised this short tied in with the main film since Dug was looking at interestingly-shaped rocks at the same time as Carl and Russell. One thing that puzzled me was that Alpha's voice was already squeaky in this short whereas it is a complete surprise to Beta and Gamma in the main film.Overall, this is an entertaining short that ties in with the main film very well. 8/10.

I saw Dug's Special Mission as I love Pixar and Up is my second favourite of Pixar's films. Plus I wanted to see what this short film was going to be like from Dug's perspective. It was very well done, with a lot of what I loved about Up shown here. As with all of Pixar's work, it is beautifully animated, with character designs that have life and backgrounds and colours that have such a bright and breezy look to them. The music has a uplifting and nostalgic feel to it, the story is cute with a lot of heart to it and while the physical humour is genuinely amusing there is always room for some poignancy as well particularly at the end. The characters do engage, I personally like Dug and I liked what was done with him here, and the other dogs, Carl and Russell are great in support. The voice work is as solid as can be. Overall, very well done, I liked it very much. 9/10 Bethany Cox

In the main film, when we are introduced to Alpha, he has a broken collar that causes his voice to be high-pitched. His companion dogs, Beta and Gamma look surprised upon hearing him speak and start to tease him. Later on, when Alpha contacts Dug on the video collar, Dug also comments on how Alpha's voice sounds funny. Throughout the short, Alpha talks in his squeaky voice and no one seems to think it odd, even though it takes place before the introduction scene in the main film.Either Dug, Beta and Gamma should be used to his voice by the time we hear it in the main film, or Alpha should be talking in his alternate "beefy" voice throughout the short.Other than that, it's a cute story with a sappy happy ending.

Featuring the most memorable of the canines from the feature, 'Dug's Special Mission' marks a refreshing approach for Pixar companion short films, where the events of Dug's birthday lead right into a pivotal moment from the main feature that we had only previously seen from Carl and Russell's perspective.Exploiting the sympathy and adoration many of us expressed towards Dug during the film, this short is primarily a showcase of humour up until its ending, which leaves us to take away some considerably heavy implications regarding Dug's role in the journey of a determined old man and an eager wilderness explorer. When you sit down to 'Up' again in the future you may feel the tug on your heartstrings pulling a little harder knowing what Dug's birthday wish was, or at least you'll have had a few more minutes of fun with this lovable dog.9/10