DOG MAN (2025) review

written by: Peter Hastings
produced by: Karen Foster
directed by: Peter Hastings
rated: PG (for some action and rude humor)
runtime: 89 min.
U.S. release date: January 31, 2025

“Dog Man” isn’t just another animated feature seemingly released monthly in theaters. This is a fun movie that anyone who likes mischievous silliness and vibrant imagination will find easily enjoyable. The titular, “Part Dog. Part Man. All Hero, ” as the movie’s tagline reads, is a spin-off from writer/artist Dav Pilkey’s successful Captain Underpants series of children’s books. After that character’s big-screen debut in 2017, it’s natural to see another Pilkey creation, Dog Man, a beloved character with thirteen graphic novels by the creator, follow with its own adaptation. Writer/director Peter Hastings (whose last feature was 2002’s “Country Bears”) knows what makes the character work on the page and does an excellent job at carrying all that over into a playful and genuinely funny movie.

For a change, we’re not subjected to the grade school potty humor found in most “kid movies,” but rather some clever wordplay, hilarious in-jokes, and a wry sense of humor. It’s a sweet movie with some great life lessons to share. You don’t have to know about the books the movie is based on to enjoy it, either. Hastings has written a screenplay that’s easy to follow and impressively economical, considering the fast-paced story includes several characters.

In the metropolis known as Ohkay City resides an orange feline named Petey (Pete Davidson), who has menaced citizens and frustrated the police for some time now. Officer Knight and his canine pal, Greg, constantly pursue the cat, and on one particular day, the top cop and his dog pal are caught in a bomb explosion and rushed to the city’s hospital. The cop’s head and the dog’s body are damaged beyond repair, so the surgeons decide to attach the dog’s head to the cop’s body, and that’s how we get…Dog Man!

Don’t worry; the movie’s body horror ends there. Its funny bone is intact, and if you can’t get on board with its silly tone, I don’t know what to tell you. After all, it’s in the title.

Dog Man becomes a hybrid super cop, getting on the nerves of his boss, Chief (Lil Rey Howery), and making news headlines thanks to local crime reporter Sarah (Isla Fisher) and her cameraman, Seamus (Billy Boyd). Despite being easily distracted by sudden games of fetch, Dog Man successfully arrests Petey each time the villain tries a new evil scheme. Yet, it becomes a rinse-and-repeat cycle of prison escape and arrest. Fed up with his inability to kill Dog Man, Petey turns to cloning himself, thinking two of him will have a better chance. He winds up producing a Mini-Me of himself called Li’l Petey (Lucas Hopkins), which backfires considering the little guy is kind and sweet instead of angry and mean, inadvertently finding Petey lost in the role of guardian. While Li’l Petey finds a kinship with Dog Man, Petey discovers a way to reanimate Flippy (Ricky Gervais), a once-evil dead fish with telekinesis abilities, with a special gas. Petey hopes such an act will prove to be an even more significant threat to Ohkay City and, in turn, Dog Man. Still, it all gets complicated when he realizes his feelings for Li’l Petey and has to deal with the return of his estranged father, Grampa (Stephen Root), back into his life.

First and foremost, “Dog Man” is a delight of sound and vision. The movie does a great job of bringing Pilkey’s infectious art style to life, filling each frame with blink-and-you-miss-them details that provoke viewers to lean in a little closer. If this were a silent film, it’d be just as fun and captivating; that’s how good the visuals are.

The catchy score from British composer Tom Howe (“Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking”) has an old-school Henry Mancini/Lalo Shifrin vibe. It incorporates a big band and piano throughout. The score fittingly aligns with the movie’s energy, keeping pace and hitting the right emotional notes during downtime, like when Dog Man returns to his home post-surgery and realizes what’s become of him (as much as possible for a canine).

Hastings deftly balances these tender moments with the overall action and hilarity of the material. The writer/director also “voices” the titular character, which requires him to whimper, sniff, growl, and bark. This leaves the animators to do most of the “acting” for Dog Man, and the hybrid body language of canine and human is on point. It’s a hoot to see how the enthusiastic character’s eagerness to accept assignments and penchant for licking annoys Chief, making the pair a comical duo. The movie’s creative art designs are pretty funny, such as Dog Man’s home, which looks like a typical dog house from the outside, but once inside, it’s vast, consisting of multiple levels and rooms. Pilkey’s love of wordplay (a robot named 8DHD had me in stitches) and significant action are front and center. Hastings maintains a playful sense of tomfoolery in the feature, showcased during the story’s climax, where animals battle sentient buildings.

“DogMan” reveals some surprising layers for Petey, an irritable antagonist whose short temper stems from having a neglectful father. He realizes this once he becomes a father figure to his creation, Li’l Petey, whose good nature has him questioning his life choices and attitude. Li’l Petey isn’t just there for G-rated cuteness but rather to challenge Petey and Dog Man to come together and, in turn, become the movie’s heart. In a furiously paced narrative, it’s a welcome pleasure to see “Dog Man” bring the complexities of cynicism and optimism in Pilkey’s writing to the big screen while engaging in big wacky fun.

RATING: ***1/2