Carl's Date

If you are after a comedy that actually makes you laugh out loud, Carl's Date is available in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Disney Plus right now. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Ed Asner sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Disney Plus.

Carl's Date is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The jokes in Carl's Date land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Carl Fredricksen 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. The chemistry Ed Asner and Bob Peterson bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. It was released in 2023. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Carl's Date holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Carl's Date is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Ed Asner anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.