4.0 out of 5.0 stars
“Dog Man” — released by Universal Pictures on Jan. 31 — is a delightful, lightning-paced romp into a wacky childish world of wonder. The film is directed by Peter Hastings, known for his previous work producing “Animaniacs”, executive producing the TV show “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness” and many Captain Underpants shorts. Taking these works into account, it makes sense how delightful the film turned out.
One thing to note about “Dog Man” is how fast the movie is. It feels like a film made for kids attuned to today’s fast-paced TikTok-oriented content. On paper, this sounds like a miserable film for an adult to watch, yet it surprisingly works. This is a story which, in-universe, is a comic book written by kids. The movie feels like a refined, hilarious version of a story a child would actually tell. In a way, it is refreshing, charmingly simple and fast-paced with a huge heart.
Despite constantly jumping around to new beats, the film never loses its simple premise and linear direction. “Dog Man’s” ability to keep jumping around from beat to beat at a rapid pace felt exciting. It certainly didn’t hurt that nearly all of the jokes landed. Every new plot point or joke hits you in the face without feeling overstimulating enough to become annoying. There are many times this movie slows down to emphasize something meaningful, and these moments hit twice as hard. This helps it feel earned and intentional.
“Dog Man’s” pacing is exponentially helped by the charismatic cast of voice actors. The film stars Pete Davidson as Petey the Cat, Lucas Hopkins Calderon as Li’l Petey, Lil Rel Howery as The Chief and Isla Fisher as Sarah Hatoff. Davidson’s expressive line delivery clearly shows he had a great time reading this script. The same can be said for the rest of the cast. Their enthusiasm for this movie was palpable, whether through the intentionally ridiculous monologues cast members would randomly burst into, or just through simple little bits.
The cast brought these characters to life in the way a child making up a bombastic story would, with their imagination, which was definitely the intention. Interestingly, Dog Man doesn’t have a voice actor. He doesn’t speak. This never felt jarring and instead lent itself to one of the movie’s greatest strengths: its simplicity.
We get Dog Man’s origin story and then jump into him trying to stop the dastardly Petey the Cat. Where most children’s films feel the need to take a preexisting concept and continuously spice it up with twists and turns, “Dog Man” stays true to what it is: a super cop chasing an evil cat. The status quo changes as the characters grow and develop throughout the movie, but it doesn’t feel unnatural or overcomplicated. Because this film’s premise and setting are so simple, the writers are able to really emphasize the characters and jokes without having to worry too much about world–building.
Dog Man feels incredibly well-realized in this film. It would have been so easy for the movie to allow Dog Man to speak at any point throughout the movie, yet they chose to let Dog Man express himself purely through actions, sounds and interactions with others. The real heart of this film, however, would have to be Petey the Cat. Throughout the first half of this movie, Petey is presented as irredeemably evil, much like in the way a child thinks of a supervillain. Petey changes, however, through self–reflection. Literally. Petey’s younger clone of himself, Li’l Petey, brings out his humanity and adds depth and heart to the seemingly heartless character, ultimately giving his arc and the film itself something to say.
“Dog Man” explores abandonment: how you can choose to sink in misery and become cynical, or you can rise above the pain and become someone better. This premise is explored through Dog Man himself as he navigates his sadness over losing his friend Greg, as well as through Petey, who was abandoned by his father. Li’l Petey helps give both characters some common ground and serves as a great, very adorable change in the status quo. This film doesn’t need to do anything revolutionary. This simple premise can go a long way, and paired with some extremely fast-paced jokes, it leads to a hilariously heartwarming story.
“Dog Man’s” animation style lends to the movie’s simple charm incredibly well. It isn’t anything crazy to look at. The characters are incredibly simple in silhouette and design. They feel like cartoon characters drawn by kids come to life with a big budget. While the designs are simple, there are times when the scenery can look downright fantastic. Through some excellent use of color and bombastic camera angles, this comic-come-to-life shines in a way reminiscent of childlike imagination.
Overall, this movie evokes the giddy feeling of being a kid again. Wonderfully simple, exceedingly fast-paced and surprisingly heartwarming, “Dog Man” stands as a fantastic tale that does what every good movie should do: provide a great escape from the complications of life and bring audiences into a new world of wonder and intrigue.
