Introduction

Turning pre-teen graphic novels into films has certainly been a mixed bag. One of my daughters is in the perfect age range for these, having gone through phases for both Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Both of those theatrical adaptations were hard for me to watch (although I think Captain Underpants has probably aged well). But something is happening at Dreamworks animation.  The caliber of their storytelling has been mostly rising (I’m looking at you Kung Fu Panda 4). I was intrigued by the trailer and hoped for the best, and thankfully it did not disappoint.

Synopsis

Dog Man is the adaptation of the graphic novels by the same name written by beloved children’s author, David Pilkey. Its silly premise is thus: what would happen if you combined the head of a dog and the body of a police officer? A “supa” hero is what. The part man and part dog main character (voiced by the director, Peter Hastings) is the perfect crimefighter because he is the best of both species.

Dog Man is joined by the police chief (Lil Red Howery) in their attempts to keep the world’s worst cat, Petey (Pete Davidson) from wreaking havoc on the people of Cat Kid City. While Petey seems to be solely motivated by his hatred of Dog Man, whom he considers to be a “do-gooder.”

Review

Despite being very silly in parts, the theme of Dog Man is what goes into the making of “do gooders.” I don’t know how such a profound theme ended up in what feels like a throw away series of graphic novels, but here we are. I was so very deeply moved at the end that I actually teared up.

The script is very funny in parts, although not all of the jokes land. It isn’t nearly as juvenile as Captain Underpants. And not even all the “heart” moments land either, but most do. The writers used parallel moments and experiences to provide some really powerful payoffs at the end.

The animation style continues the current trend of mimicking hand-drawn animation in 3D animation. This is entirely appropriate for an adaptation of a graphic novel and really makes it feel like it’s a comic book come to life in a similar way that the Spider-verse films do. I found the style to be charming and fun.

The Bottom Line

Dog Man is silly, but surprisingly heart warming and moving. It has enough laughs to satisfy both parents and kids. It is well worth the price of admission.

 

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