The trailerThe trailer for the Pixar animated series Dug Days was one of the many highlights of Disney's Investor Day 2020. Though details remain scant, it seems like the series will follow Dug, the lovable hound from 2009's Up, and could introduce a new litter of precocious puppies to accompany him. With these ingredients in place, Dug Days is perfectly set up to succeed by following in the footsteps of one of Disney+'s biggest hits -- The Mandalorian.

There's no denying that these two shows will have vastly different tones. While The Mandalorian's story of a bounty hunter fated to protect a child from the clutches of criminals is influenced by samurai films and Westerns, Dug Days will most likely be a light-hearted comedy. The heroic stoicism of Din Djarin is also directly contrastable to the simple Dug, who wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to emotion.

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Movies Dug Pixar Up

But it's the introduction of the puppies, who may or may not have a recurring role on Dug Days, that makes The Mandalorian a relevant comparison. Diehard Star Wars fans may have watched The Mandalorian regardless, but it was the inspired introduction of Grogu/The Child that encouraged a more general audience to tune in.

Dug Days can tap into the same dynamic by having Dug act as the Din to the puppies' Grogu. He may not have to save them from danger on a weekly basis, but having them tag along on a variety of silly adventures would undoubtedly boost the show's appeal and marketability. The cute antics of pets are relatable to the vast majority of people, and could make them fan favorites much like Dug himself was arguably the breakout star in Up. After all, dogs are among the most common elements in commercials and viral videos.

The puppies can also serve a narrative purpose by bringing levity and innocence, and thereby generating "moments" for viewers to discuss and build word of mouth for the show. There's a reason why Din may have fought cave spiders and infiltrated an Imperial base, but audience conversation centered around Grogu eating the Frog Lady's eggs and stealing a classmate's macarons. Similar discussions on social media sites and in person would only act as positive exposure for Dug Days and Disney+ itself.

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Countless other successful media franchises like Ice Age, Despicable Me, The Last of Us and even God of War have successfully partnered their main characters with a child/children. Prepubescent characters in these cases are usually used to soften the hard edges of the embittered main characters, but animated shows like DuckTales have shown that the formula can succeed with more affable adult characters as well.

As a corporation, Disney is undoubtedly also aiming to maximize the show's profitability. Exact numbers on the sales of Grogu merchandise are hard to come by, but reports indicated that the company missed out on almost $3 million by delaying the production of Grogu toys before Season 1, with actual sales likely being much higher. The House of Mouse would certainly relish a similar type of windfall after all the losses they endured as a result of ongoing pandemic restrictions.

Ultimately, little is still known about the show, and Dug Days could end up heading in a completely different direction and still be successful. At the same time, learning from past successes like The Mandalorian is both a reliable and potentially rewarding strategy, especially when just the trailer has already given the show all it needs to come out on top.

Dug Days will release in 2021 on Disney+.

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