While I might not be a father, I do have three nephews, and I remember how excited I was to share with them my love of comic book movies one day. From the day they were born, I was counting down until I could take them to see their first Marvel film or wondered when was the right time to buy them their first comic and which superhero they should start with. The love of graphic novels and comic books runs deep in my veins, and I wanted to share that enjoyment, hoping they would experience much the same feeling as I do. This love for colorful heroes and their need to save that world brings DreamWork Animations’ newest film, Dog Man, to life!
Based on the graphic novel series of the same name by Dav Pilkey (also the author of the Captain Underpants series), Dog Man is the perfect entry into a vibrant comic book world, with a story aimed at a young audience. Written and directed by Peter Hastings (The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, Animaniacs, and The Country Bears), Dog Man features an impressive voice cast, such as Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, and Isla Fisher.
Being part dog and part man might have its challenges, but Dog Man makes it look easy, making seeing his film in theaters a no-brainer for families looking for something fun to watch during the winter season!
[Warning spoilers from DreamWorks’ Dog Man are below!]
An unfortunate accident leads to man’s greatest hero: Dog Man!
Petey (Pete Davidson) is about as villainous as they come. He’s a wise-cracking orange cat with an ego larger than his intellect, which is truly saying something. Petey could easily save the world if he were to put his mind to good use, but he’s evil to his core and determined to cause chaos in OK City. As the film opens up, Petey has planted a bomb on top of a building, ready to explode at any moment. What is the city of OK going to do!?!
Thankfully, they have the inept Officer Knight and his more competent dog, Greg, on the case! Separately, they’re useless, as Greg can’t speak English and lacks opposable thumbs, and Officer Knight is much like the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, but together they can stop almost anything. Emphasis on the almost…
When cutting the wrong wire on the bomb leads to disaster, there’s only one way to save both Greg and Officer Knight, which is to take the head of the dog and attach it to the body of the human. Together, they will forever be known as Dog Man, the most extraordinary officer in all of OK City! If only everyone believed that. There is a lot of distrust in this medical miracle, such as from the Chief (Lil Rel Howery), who has a fuse shorter than a toddler.
With Petey’s escape from prison and assembling a team of his own, specifically one superpowered telekinetic fish named Flippy (Ricky Gervais), only Dog Man can stop him! He won’t be alone in his adventure, thanks to his side-kick Li’l Petey (Lucas Hopkins Calderon). Together, can they stop Petey and Flippy the Fish, or is OK City doomed?! You’ll have to go see Dog Man in theaters to find that out!
Pacing issues slow down the fun adventures this animated film
I should go into this section by saying that I knew very little about the Dog Man novels or anything about the character before seeing the trailer. I wish I did. I grew up in the age of Captain Underpants, whereas with Dog Man, I was an adult and saw my nephew reading them. Perhaps I should have picked one of them up and read it for pure nostalgia to be within the pages of another Dav Pilkey novel.
That being said, all three of my nephews devoured the latest Dog Man as each one came out. You should have seen the smile that lit up across the 16-year-old’s face when the trailer began to play in the cinema. We knew we had to go see it. I didn’t have extremely high expectations for the film beforehand, so I didn’t have any stake in Dog Man itself.
Personally, Dog Man was just alright. It wasn’t my favorite animated film ever, and I don’t know if I would ever watch it again unless others around me wanted to switch it on. The biggest problem was that the pacing felt odd, with small bursts of action followed by long stretches of a snail’s pace progression. There were a few moments when I was worried that I would doze off, like the old man I refuse to admit I’m becoming. I wasn’t alone in this sentiment either, as my nephew echoed it as we got into the car and drove home.
This is also where I can admit that we aren’t the target audience. I’m nearing my mid-30s, and my nephew is a teenager in every sense of the word. We love animated films just as much as the next individual, but this was targeted at an audience much younger than both of us. The younger children in attendance and their parents were roaring in laughter, sharing a joint experience that both will cherish for many years.
It’s similar to watching a Disney Junior show with your child, sure, you can enjoy it as a parent, but you enjoy it more because of the joy you get from seeing it with your young ones. You’re experiencing it through their eyes, which adds a level of excitement to the entire film. It’s this that made Dog Man great: getting to witness the pure elation from the younger crowd and those who brought them to see it. However, this isn’t a film that you’d see as an adult by yourself unless a low-level humor film is right up your alley.
DreamWorks Dog Man is worth a family trip to theaters
Is Dog Man worth your time? The short answer is that if you have young children or a family, then this is absolutely the current film to go see in theaters. It has action, lots of jokes, and enough heart that may even wrestle up a tear or two from the parents in the audience.
I do wonder how well it will keep some children’s attention. I couldn’t picture my five-year-old nephew sitting through it in one go, but perhaps it’s worth a shot to spend a bit of time with those youngsters in our lives that we love so much.
Dog Man is currently playing in theaters. Have you seen this film? What did you think? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus!
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