Kids Will Bark with Laughter as ‘Dog Man’ Throws Parents a Bone
Image Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation
By Luis Zonenberg
Part man, part dog, all super-cop; it’s Dog Man and he’s here to take a bite out of crime on the big screen! Dav Pilkey’s famous creation has been flying off the shelves for almost 10 years, coming almost eight years since the release of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (another Dav Pilkey adaptation).
The movie picks up with Officer Knight and his loyal Dog (both voiced by Peter Hastings) in pursuit of Petey the Cat (Pete Davidson) when they are caught in a deadly explosion. With the only salvageable parts being Officer Knight’s body and his dog’s head, the doctors decide to stitch him together to create: Dog Man! Petey is constantly pursued by Dog Man, creating numerous contraptions to foil his every move.
Whether this sounds like a compliment or not, this film’s story feels like it was written by actual children in elementary school. That is the core target audience of the books and definitely hits that target audience with this film, with a bright colorful energy and tons of cheeky jokes galore. However, this does rob the movie of an actual story with it feeling like multiple short films together, which is probably how a young child would probably go about writing this.
With that being said, the animation is beyond stunning to look at. It truly looks like a young children’s book illustration brought to life on the big screen. The style clearly mimics the stop-motion looks of other animated films, while still having enough smooth textures and bouncy visuals to make it feel truly unique. It matches the quick tone of the books while playing to the strengths of what the medium has to offer.
The voice actors all clock in and are clearly having a blast, with Pete Davidson being the absolute highlight of them all. He steals the show every time Petey’s character appears on screen, having great chemistry with other characters while also delivering some genuine heartfelt moments as well. Other supporting leads like Lil Rel Howery, Rickey Gervais and Poppy Liu also get a good chuckle with their respective characters as well.
Most of the jokes are clearly targeted towards a younger audience, with a huge emphasis on silly slapstick and potty humor. They all definitely had kids chuckling in the aisles, with a few also getting some real hard laughs from me and the rest of the adults in the audience. I was also impressed with how they balanced out with some of the more emotional moments in the movie, allowing for some breathing room between all the laughs and bantering.
The movie is truly a children’s book brought to life, for better or worse. The film at least does feel like a labor of love, with each frame and performance matching the energy of the books. Considering that Dog Man was written by fictional fourth grade characters in the books, this movie does feel like it was written by and for that very audience. Carried by its devoted cast, Dog Man throws parents a bone which will enthrall children with its gorgeous animation and juvenile humor.
Dog Man is Now Playing in Theaters
Rating: ★★★★☆
