Author and illustrator Dav Pilkey has made a name for himself with a series of popular children’s books following the adventures of its titular protagonist Captain Underpants. He’s also the mastermind behind the Dog Man spin-off series, focusing on a comic book hero created by characters within the Captain Underpants universe.
After the successful 2017 cinematic debut of Captain Underpants, Dreamworks Animation greenlit a Dog Man feature film. Officer Knight and his K9 partner Greg are the top cops of the sprawling metropolis of Ohkay City. Both are grievously injured while attempting to diffuse a bomb planted by the villainous Petey (Pete Davidson), a Machiavellian ginger cat bent on chaos. The operating doctors decide to save both lives by fusing them into one being. And so Dog Man was born. Dog Man, half man, half dog, all hero. Peter Hastings, the movie’s writer and director, voices all three characters.
When Petey realizes his archnemesis has survived, he crafts two sinister schemes. The first is to create a clone of himself, Lil’ Petey (Lucas Hopkins Calderon), who is far from the supervillain his progenitor wished him to be. Instead, Lil’ Petey is a precocious kitten that becomes fast friends with Dog Man. Meanwhile, Petey’s other plan to resurrect Flippy (Ricky Gervais), a telekinetic fish, also backfires when he turns against the foul feline. Now, Dog Man and Petey are forced to join forces to save Lil’ Petey and Ohkay City from a super-intelligent zombie fish with mind powers.
The cast of Dog Man is littered with great comedic actors such as Lil’ Rel Howery as the short-tempered Chief of Police, Stephen Root as Petey’s crotchety Grandpa, and SNL alumni Cheri Oteri and Melissa Villasenor. Oteri plays the role of Ohkay City’s antagonistic Mayor, who blames the property damage caused by Petey on Dog Man. The cast also includes Isla Fisher as effervescent reporter Sarah Hatoff and Billy Boyd as her cameraman Seamus.
Dog Man packs a lot of punch for an animated movie that runs just under 90 minutes. Kids will appreciate the simplistic, brightly colored animation while the adults will be amused by the off-the-wall humor. This is the kind of movie that cribs from Robocop, Die Hard, and Apocalypse Now. At one point, Petey stomps through the city in a giant robot designated 80-HD, a reference to the disorder Pilkey was diagnosed with as a child.
Video/Audio: 9
The video is presented in 1080p with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The transfer is gorgeous as it captures the colors and details of the animation. The art style is reminiscent of South Park with the look of a child’s scribbles and doodles brought to life.
The audio is presented in Dolby TrueHD 7.1. The sound feels just as kinetic as the movie with crisp dialogue.
Extras: 4
Meet the Pack (5:15) takes us into the recording booth to watch the cast in action while also breaking down their characters.
The Making of Dog Man: A Sarah Hatoff Exclusive (5:43) is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie and the source material.
Howl to Draw: Flip-O-Rama Style are four kid-friendly tutorials with storyboard artist Anthony Zierhut. He shows you how to draw the main characters and turn them into a flip book.
Howl to Make Doughnuts for Dogs (5:24) is a quick cooking lesson about how to make canine friendly treats for your pup.
Rounding out the disc is an audio commentary track with writer/director Peter Hastings and a collection of deleted/extended scenes also with optional commentary by Mr. Hastings.
Film Value: 7
Don’t expect Dog Man to be on the level of richly layered fare like The Wild Robot or the latest from Studio Ghibli. But, that’s more than okay. Dog Man is highly energetic and fast-paced fun that will keep the kiddos more than entertained.
