Carl’s Traveling Animal Farm
- Cut to a bright, colorful, ostrich-like bird racing through the jungle. It’s being chased by snarling pack of dogs. We see part of the chase from the bird’s perspective, and these puppies look fierce.
- Just then, a loud, high-pitched sound rings out. It seems to be coming from the collars that the dogs are all decked out with. The mutts all wince in pain and then retreat. Peace out, bird.
- Cut to Carl and Russell lugging the house. Carl’s hearing aid is bugged by the sound, too.
- Russell’s whining. He’s tired, and he has to go to the bathroom. Carl tells him has to keep going, or the tigers will eat him. Drawing on his Zoology badge, Russell points out that there aren’t any tigers in South America, and Carl relents.
- Russell runs off, trowel and leaves in hand. Ew.
- After he takes care of business, Russell spots some tracks in the dirt and, thinking it’s a snipe, follows them.
- He finds “the snipe” and lures it back to Carl with a candy bar. It’s the huge, colorful bird that was being chased by dogs.
- Carl is shocked, and finally admits that there is no such thing as a snipe.
- Russell names the bird Kevin and tells Carl not to be afraid of it. It may be gigantic, but it’s friendly.
- Russell wants to keep Kevin. Carl says nope. After Carl expresses his disbelief to Ellie, Russell appeals to Ellie, and tells Carl she wants him to let Russell keep Kevin. Carl gives in. That Russell; he’s a resourceful one.
- Carl and Russell resume walking the house to the falls, Kevin following along behind. This irritates Carl to no end. Before he finishes trying to shoo Kevin away, Carl hears someone yell, “Hey, are you okay over there?”
- Turns out it’s a dog! That’s right, a talking dog named Dug.
- Dug’s wearing a collar like the far more sinister looking dogs that chased Kevin earlier. His master made the collar, which communicates his thoughts into spoken English—or whatever language is selected. We onder-way if it has Pig Latin.
- Dug explains that he’s on a special mission to find Kevin, and he has orders to take the bird back to his pack as a prisoner. But for now, he’s cool with just joining Carl’s motley crew. Dug’s not the sharpest Milk-Bone in the box, if you know what we mean.
- Cut to the dog pack: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Turns out they’re tracking Carl and Russell. Alpha, the leader, makes it clear that they sent Dug on a fool’s errand: his own snipe hunt, if you will.
- Also, Alpha’s collar is malfunctioning. His words may be menacing, but he sounds like a chipmunk.
- Beta and Gamma worry that if their master finds out Alpha sent Dug off by himself, none of them will get doggie treats, so Alpha checks in with Dug via their collar-based video communication system. It’s like FaceTime for necks.
- When Dug says he has Kevin, the pack can’t believe it. Then they see Russell. They race off to find Dug.
- Cut back to Carl, Russell, Kevin, and Dug making their way toward the falls. Dug’s hanging onto Kevin’s foot, pleading with him to let Dug take him as his prisoner. Russell tells Dug to leave Kevin alone. Carl tells them all to knock it off.
- Distracted by all of the commotion cause by his unruly companions, Carl lets his house bump into a cliff, breaking a window. He angrily lays down the law: he doesn’t want any of them following him. This is a solo mission.
- Carl throws one of the tennis balls from the bottom of his cane off screen, and Dug excitedly chases after it. He demands some chocolate from Kevin, chucks that into the jungle, too, and Kevin rushes off. Russell, he’s stuck with.
- Carl and Russell forge on, faster now. They cross streams and fight off bees. Finally reaching the top of a cliff, Carl takes a seat, confident that he’s lost his animal hangers-on.
- Surprise! Dug’s back with the ball, and Kevin’s back, full of chocolate. Womp womp.