If you have a little one in your life or at the very least know someone with a kid under 10, there’s a good chance they know who Dog Man is. The popular series of graphic novels by Dav Pilkey is a spin-off of his also popular Captain Underpants series and follows a supercop who is half-dog and half-man. The aforementioned tighty whities-clad hero got his chance on the big screen eight years ago, to surprisingly amusing results. Now, it’s the canine hero’s turn in the practically titled animated comedy, Dog Man. The latest from DreamWorks Animation promises a high-energy comedy that is sure to keep children entertained for 90 minutes while giving the adults in the audience a handful of chuckles. That isn’t an insult to the movie. While Dog Man doesn’t reach the heights of some of the animation studio’s recent releases such as The Wild Robot and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, it still has far more charm than what you might expect from an animated kids’ movie releasing in the early weeks of the year.
What Is ‘Dog Man’ About?

In OK City, no duo is more cool than Officer Knight and his trusted sidekick, Greg the Dog (Peter Hastings). After getting critically injured while defusing a bomb, Officer Knight’s face and Greg’s body are deemed unsalvageable. So, the very fine surgeons decide to stitch Greg’s head onto Knight’s body; thus, Dog Man is born. If that sounds particularly morbid, it may be good to know that the whole gimmick of this franchise is that the character is supposed to be the creation of the two fourth-graders from Captain Underpants.
Dog Man is an instant celebrity upon his arrival and quickly becomes the Police Chief’s (Lil Rel Howery) go-to cop for catching “the world’s evilest cat,” Petey (Pete Davidson). However, Dog Man’s tactics prove not to be as efficient, especially since Petey keeps finding ways to get out of jail. The Mayor (Cheri Oteri) forces the Chief to take Dog Man off cases involving Petey, leaving our favorite furry hero without a purpose. That is until he saves Petey’s innocent and sweet young clone, Lil’ Petey (Lucas Hopkins). Dog Man and Lil’ Petey instantly bond with one another, but Petey grows jealous and wants to take his clone, who he initially was happy to cast aside, back. However, when one of Petey’s latest schemes involves reanimating the dead fish, Flippy (Ricky Gervais), into an evil telepath, which puts Lil’ Petey in danger, he and Dog Man must put aside their differences to save the world.
Your Kids Are Going to Love ‘Dog Man’

It goes without saying that Dog Man is a movie that is made strictly for kids, or kids at heart. While animated movies such as The Wild Robot and Inside Out 2 dove into deeper themes that would likely go over the heads of the 10-and-under-crowd, Dog Man is pretty straightforward — once you get past the bizarre set-up. That doesn’t mean that adults can’t enjoy the film. For the dog people in the audience or those with a specific sense of humor and a love for the random, there’s a lot to appreciate in Dog Man. There definitely won’t be any other movie this year with a third act revolving around evil sentient buildings that repeatedly say “gooba gabba.”
A movie like Dog Man could easily fall victim to feeling obnoxious, yet Hastings injects so much sincerity, not only into the humor but the characters as well. The movie flirts with giving us the sadder aspects of the titular character’s origins, including the girlfriend of his deceased partner casting him aside for a new man with a new dog. Despite the title, a good portion of the movie is also built around Davidson’s Petey and his relationship with his young clone. The dynamic that Lil’ Petey shares with both Dog Man and Petey is genuinely sweet and affectionate. There’s a warmth to the movie, buried within the endless array of gags.

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It’s important to note that Dog Man doesn’t actually talk; instead, he communicates entirely through barks, woofs, and arfs. Davidson is actually the one who toplines the talented voice cast as Petey, and considering his prior voice performances, which include the much-maligned animated Marmaduke movie, he is clearly having a lot more fun with his role here. He’s able to still have that sarcastic wit that we know from him, but he also makes Petey feel empathetic in his darker moments. Despite both franchises dealing with doggy police officers, taking your children on a trip to the theater to see Dog Man won’t be as exhausting as it would be to see a PAW Patrol movie. You can be any age and still find much to enjoy in Dog Man. It embraces its goofiness to the point where it’s hard to resist it.
‘Dog Man’ Has Colorful and Lively Animation

Image via DreamWorks Animation

Dog Man’s animation style immediately jumps out. We know that DreamWorks’ has been experimenting with the way their movies look. Gone are the days of the raised eyebrow DreamWorks face that has cemented itself into internet culture. Despite being a CGI film, Dog Man feels like it’s a stop-motion one. There’s an intentionally choppy way that the characters move around. Certain characters, such as the evil Flippy the Fish, have textures that make them look as if they were made out of rubber. The colors are vibrant and eye-popping and perfectly complement the zany tone.
Despite kicking off with high-speed energy, Dog Man does start to slow down as it goes along, especially as the movie unfortunately turns its focus away from the title character. Petey and Lil’ Petey are fun additions to the cast, but characters such as Stephen Root as Petey’s father and Poppy Liu as Petey’s assistant, Butler, really don’t add much — if at all — to the movie. As mentioned, the movie isn’t afraid of being a little dark, but often these moments feel drowned out by the madcap energy surrounding it.
If you weren’t really looking forward to taking your kid to see Dog Man, fear not. Not only will your young ones eat the movie right up as Dog Man slurps up his Ruff Mix, but you’d be surprised at the sheer amount of creativity on display. It’s a silly movie, make no mistake, but it’s an endearingly one nonetheless.
Dog Man is now playing in theaters.

Dog Man

Dog Man delivers enough silly and zany fun to keep both you and your kids entertained for 90 minutes.

Release Date

January 31, 2025

Director

Peter Hastings

Pros & Cons

The stop-motion-inspired animation style feels unique and lively.
Buried within all the goofiness, Dog Man has a big heart.
Pete Davidson leads a talented voice-cast who all deliver amusing performances.

Certain characters feel wasted and don’t add much to the story.
The movie slows down whenever it veers its attention away from Dog Man.