When Pixar's Elemental releases in theaters this week it will be accompanied by a brand new Pixar short, Carl's Date. The newest short film is based on Pixar's Oscar-winning feature Up and follows Carl Fredricksen as he prepares for a date with a lady friend with the help of his lovable talking dog, Dug.
While once common practice for the Disney studio, it's been a few years since we've seen a Pixar short in theaters. The last time Disney fans enjoyed a Pixar short on the big screen was ahead of 2018's Incredibles 2. It was Domee Sheei's Bao, the heartwarming and emotional story that explores the ups and downs of the parent-child relationship through a dumpling.
Since then, Pixar's focus -- aside from feature movies -- has been SparkShorts and Pixar Popcorn, two series of short films released on Disney+. SparkShorts was a series of animated shorts meant to give Pixar employees a chance to express their creative storytelling, while Pixar Popcorn was also a series of shorts, but they focused more on telling stories of already established Pixar franchises and characters. Both series were tremendous, but there was something lackluster about watching them on Disney+ instead of the big screen for the first time.
That changes this week. If you plan on checking out Elemental in theaters, you'll get to enjoy Carl's Date as a bit of a pre-feature appetizer. As this marks a major occasion for Pixar -- the first in-theater short since 2018 -- the studio is drumming up some hype with the release of a trailer for it.
As you can see, the short will feature plenty of laugh-out-loud moments between Carl and Dug, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a sentimental moment that has us reaching for a tissue. Carl's Date was written and directed by Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Bob Peterson.
Moviegoers will catch up with Carl as he reluctantly agrees to go on a date with a lady friend—but admittedly has no idea how dating works these days. Ever the helpful friend, Dug steps in to calm Carl’s pre-date jitters and offer some tried-and-true tips for making friends—if you’re a dog.
Carl's Date also marks the final time we'll hear the legendary voice of Ed Asner as Carl Fredricksen. As you may very well know, Asner passed away in August 2021. So in addition to this being a big moment for Pixar shorts, it's also Asner's Pixar swan song.
You can catch Pixar's Elemental and the Carl's Date short in theaters this Friday, June 16.