Starring: Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, Billy Boyd, Ricky Gervais
Written By: Dav Pilkey, Peter Hastings
Directed By: Peter Hastings
Studio: Universal

Just barely a month after its theatrical release, Dog Man is already available on-demand and will soon hit Blu-ray and 4K. Based on Dav Pilkey’s super popular graphic novels – the same genius behind Captain Underpants and Cat Kid Comic Club – this animated adventure brings one of kids’ favorite book characters to life.

The story kicks off with Officer Knight and his loyal dog, Greg, trying to defuse a bomb planted by the mischievous Petey the Cat (Pete Davidson). Unfortunately, things go sideways, and after a hospital mishap, Greg’s head is fused onto Officer Knight’s body…creating Dog Man! Now, he’s on a mission to protect Ohkay City from Petey and other villains causing mayhem.

I’m now going to hand over the review to Kid Kritic (my son) who will explain his opinion of the movie:

When I watched the movie, I thought that I was in one of Dav Pilkey’s famous Dog Man books. I think that the Dog Man movie is a very good thing to show to kids because kids like graphic novels. Although some things were a little bit mixed up with the books in the movies, it was still a fun film. The animation was very good and it reminds me a lot of the Captain Underpants movie that was also a film from Dav Pilkey’s material.

The acting in the movie was very good. The voices of the characters were very good in my opinion because they just fit with a lot of the book characters. The music really fit with the fun story and it was just a really good movie.

Ok I’m back…

As a parent, I found Dog Man to be a quick, very colorful, and entertaining flick, perfect for kids with short attention spans (or parent’s as well). The animation style is a standout, carrying over Pilkey’s signature look into 3D just as Captain Underpants did. Peter Hastings has done a fantastic job keeping the energy and humor of the books intact.

Pete Davidson nails it as Petey, bringing the right mix of his comedy and charm to the role. While it’s very much a kids’ film, parents who’ve read Pilkey’s books with their children will likely appreciate the adaptation.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dav Pilkey at a BookCon in NYC, and I’ll always be grateful for how he made my kid want to read. The only downside? Now that’s all he wants to read! If only Dav would write a chapter book next…

Dog Man is a fun, quirky animated movie that both kids and parents can enjoy. If you missed it in theaters (like me—either due to time or ticket prices), it’s definitely worth checking out at home.

Bottom Line: A fun quirky animated movie that both kids and Parents will enjoy.
Running Time: 89 mins
Rating: PG
Overall Rating: