Director Peter Hastings and screenwriter Dav Pilkey have a talented cast and crew for the film that is for the children and family. This comedy/ adventure story is told through colorful and appealing animation that is very entertaining. Although I am not familiar with the Dog Man series of books, I have viewed Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) and remember it fondly. When I learned Dog Man was from the same author and Illustrator (Dav Pilkey), and viewed the trailer, it was a film I was anxious to see and one that did not disappoint.
The story is that the character is part man/part dog, but as we watch the film with the dog’s head, there is no doubt the dog’s brain is in charge, not the man part. If the man part did any “thinking,” the dog seemed to be taking the action. It is best to see the film to see who this turns out to be entertaining.
The voice cast is exceptionally good, starting with comedian Pete Davidson (Saturday Night Live, The King of Staten Island) as the voice of Petey the Cat (a feline supervillain), along with Lil Rel Howery (Get Out, Free Guy), as the voice of the Police Chief. Isla Fisher voices Sarah Hatoff, Melissa Villasenor voices the realtor, Stephen Root is the voice of Grampa, Cheri Oteri voices the Mayor, among many others, including Peter Hastings as the voice of Dog Man.
Synopsis
When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve–and fetch, sit and roll over. As Dog Man embraces his new identity and strives to impress his Chief (Lil Rel Howery, Get Out, Free Guy), he must stop the pretty evil plots of feline supervillain Petey the Cat (Pete Davidson; Saturday Night Live, The King of Staten Island). Petey’s latest plan is to clone himself, creating the kitten Lil Petey, to double his ability to do crime stuff. Things get complicated, though, when Lil Petey forges an unexpected bond with Dog Man. When Lil Petey falls into the clutches of a common enemy, Dog Man and Petey reluctantly join forces in an action-packed race against time to rescue the young kitten. In the process, they discover the power of family (and kittens!) to bring even the most hostile foes together.
Rating PG (some action and rude humor), Runtime 1h 29m, Release Date (Theaters) Jan 31, 2025, Wide
Source: Distributor: Universal Pictures, production co: DreamWorks Animation
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