Dog Man: The Movie Kids Will Love, Adults Might Just Tolerate

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Peter Hastings’ “Dog Man” is a film designed for children, and this doesn’t mean it’s inferior or problematic. In fact, it’s tailored for young viewers, not trying to appeal to everyone across all age groups (parents may need to embrace the entertainment their kids are enjoying). The narrative and pace are crafted in a way that suits shorter attention spans often associated with younger audiences. While I can’t confirm this from personal experience, I imagine the fast-paced, energetic scenes translate into endless fun for children.

Dog Man

Launch Date: January 31, 2025

Behind the Scenes: Peter Hastings (Director & Writer)

Cast: Peter Hastings, Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, Billy Boyd, Ricky Gervais

Content Advisory: This film is rated PG for instances of action and crude humor.

Duration: Approximately 89 minutes

The movie “Dog Man,” apart from its poignant finale, can be considered quite light-hearted and playful. Despite lacking deep wit or sophistication, the film maintains a sincere level of absurdity. Humor is primarily derived from animal/police tropes, yet it manages to overcome these shortcomings with an engaging simplicity. The movie’s strongest point lies in its unwavering embrace of silliness, a silliness that appears tailored exclusively for younger audiences.

According to the spinoff of Dav Pilkey’s “Captain Underpants,” titled simply “Dog Man,” our title character, a unique combination of human and canine, is born when Officer Knight and his loyal dog Greg are caught in an explosion during a chase after the mischievous Petey The Cat (Pete Davidson). In a surgical effort to save them, doctors connect Greg’s head to Officer Knight’s body, resulting in the creation of the new super officer, Dog Man (Peter Hastings). Despite Dog Man’s success in capturing Petey, the sly cat manages to find ways to keep escaping prison. However, unfairly, the blame for these escapes is placed on Dog Man. Facing public outcry, led by the mayor (Cheri Oteri), and due to pressure from the police chief (Lil Rel Howery), Dog Man is removed from the case.

In his secret hideout, Peety brainstorms various strategies to defeat his arch-enemy. These range from a robot that launches explosive squirrels to a colossal vacuum cleaner. However, his main schemes crystallize in two ways: first, he attempts to produce a duplicate of himself to craft an ideal aid – leading to the birth of the kind-hearted Little Peety (played by Lucas Hopkins). Second, he endeavors to modify and resurrect Flippy (portrayed by Ricky Gervais), a deceased fish possessing telekinetic abilities.

Dog Man is hyperactive in its storytelling, constantly flipping around and throwing around new ideas.

One approach for storytelling that some filmmakers choose is crafting a straightforward tale suitable for young audiences. However, Peter Hastings decides to take a different path – he bombards the screen with numerous ideas, ensuring there’s always something new if the kids don’t respond to one quickly. The multiple storylines are interwoven with subplots that layer upon each other: Dog Man continually hunts and captures Petey, who is simultaneously carrying out both the clone and Flippy projects. Meanwhile, Li’l Petey finds care under Dog Man, a character grappling with deep loneliness. Yet, even this complexity doesn’t account for the strife between Dog Man and Chief, who has feelings for a local news anchor named Sarah Hatoff (Isla Fisher). And that’s not even mentioning the romantic tension between Chief and Sarah Hatoff.

The movie packs a considerable amount of material into its short 89-minute duration, which can be challenging for young viewers. However, I must admit that it skillfully ties up most loose ends in the final act, delivering a fulfilling ending.

Cute canine antics in Dog Man will delight younger audiences,

For younger viewers, keeping up with all the action in “Dog Man” might be somewhat challenging, but as they piece everything together, they will still discover numerous things to chuckle about. If you have a soft spot for anything adorable or amusing about dogs, rest assured that it’s humorously portrayed in this movie, ranging from exuberant jumping and drooling to rolling on decaying matter and disliking mail carriers. It resembles the PG-rated comedy “Strays” from 2023 in this regard, but for those who have been watching dogs used as comedic devices for several decades, the well of fresh ideas may run dry rather quickly.

Dog Man does a tremendous job adapting the artistic style of Dav Pilkey.

Fans of Dav Pilkey’s work will undoubtedly be thrilled, as Dog Man offers an exhilarating cinematic experience that showcases his unique, signature style to perfection. Although I should clarify that I didn’t catch 2017’s Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, I believe it’s fair to compare it with The Peanuts Movie from two years earlier, which did an exceptional job adapting a renowned 2D style into 3D. The movie maintains the endearing charm of Pilkey’s art through handwritten (and occasionally misspelled) signs, while the animators skillfully create a surreal world that is neither realistic in design nor physics but offers a tactile quality that makes it feel alive and vivid.

As a child, I vividly remember the days when movies similar to “Dog Man” filled my weekends with uncontrollable laughter. These cinematic experiences turned into a casual fascination for me; I’d collect reviews and advertisements from newspapers, reenacting scenes with friends during recess. However, just like a changing tide, the next month would bring new TV shows or films to captivate my attention. While it might not become a timeless classic or have a significant impact on kids, it will undoubtedly provide an enjoyable experience.

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2025-01-29 20:09