As a child, 'Captain Underpants' reigned supreme for me. Dav Pilkey's graphic novel was a staple at any library, and finally in 2017, DreamWorks took the character to the big screen. In 2015 the last book was published, but that is because Pilkey was shifting his focus to a new franchise, 'Dog Man'. Set within the same world as 'Captain Underpants', in the universe created by George and Harold from those books, it follows a half-dog, half-human cop. The series has sold over 3.8 million copies worldwide and is this generation's hottest book series.
SWITCH: 'DOG MAN' TRAILER
The film 'Dog Man' follows Office Knight, a police officer who patrols with his dog (Peter Hastings voices both and also writes and directs). One day after a serious accident, the two are sewn together. Now with the head of a dog and the body of man, Dog Man is keeping Ohkay City safe. Petey (Pete Davidson, 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts', 'Bodies Bodies Bodies'), an orange supa villain cat out to destroy the city, but is always foiled by Dog Man. This time, however, with a cloning machine and Flippy the Fish (Ricky Gervais, 'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb', 'Muppets Most Wanted'), Petey might finally come out on top.
'Dog Man' is a fast-paced, beautifully animated and quick-witted film. The film throws so much at you and it all works superbly
Like 'Captain Underpants', 'Dog Man' is another fast-paced, beautifully animated and quick-witted film. The film throws so much at you and it all works superbly; if you have a young one who is a fan of this series of books, get ready to watch this over and over. Because this film is so focused on the humour, it does suffer a little from a lack of narrative focus. The film feels like a series of vignettes - which is all well and fine, but it would have elevated this to be stronger family film.
Pete Davidson as Petey was truly perfectly cast. His voice really fits animation and while his first time in the genre, this felt like the perfect match. I hope we see him utilised in this genre more.
'Dog Man' is bursting at the seams with humour and creativity. It's more proof that DreamWorks is currently at the top of their game - even if the story isn't supa strong, it's still an extremely fun watch.
