Review by Tim Robins
Dog Man, the animated adaptation of the wildly popular comic book character of the same name created by Dav Pilkey, had a bit of a false start when I went to see it. The film is preceded by a short called The Bad Guys 2 (also “U” certificate), which tells a story about a gang of animated animal criminals trying to convince a probation officer that they have finally gone straight.
The Bad Guys was funny enough, but it really wrong-footed the audience. Even I worried that I was watching the wrong screen. Well, there’s a lot of animation about these days. One mother swept up her daughter and ran to find the nearest usher for reassurance. At the end, another child exclaimed “That was a long ad!”. See what you did there exhibitors? I’m three paragraphs in and haven’t even started writing about the film I went to see.
Dog Man started life as a spin-off from Captain Underpants, also created by writer-artist Dav Pilkey. The character’s origins are somewhat gruesome, but not graphically so. Police officer Knight and his dog Greg are injured in an accident that results in Greg’s head being sown onto Knight’s body. This is presented as a fortuitous (and comedic) turn of events, although I couldn’t help wondering – what happened to Knight’s brain?
The film is based on events of the first few books, although reworked to further foreground Dog Man, the villainous Petey the cat and Petey’s clone, an innocent abroad called, naturally, ‘Li’l Petey’. Although a furball never falls far from the mouth, ‘Li’l Petey’ is torn between his love for his progenitor and Dog Man, who rescues the kitten from the path of a truck. It’s Li’l Petey’s desire to put the world to rights, particularly the sadness in the adults’ hearts that provides a surprisingly deep and affecting emotional core to the otherwise madcap goings on.
Dog Man is a film for children. It certainly had its young audience enraptured. As the comic, so the film is incredibly meta – with jokes and sight gags about the conventions of comics, cartoons and crime stories. The internet has facilitated a self-referential world in which children seem to pride themselves on ‘getting the joke’ from a few words or images. This memeification of cartoon comedy has come a long way since The Simpsons.
The convoluted plot takes us from Dog Man’s creation, his pursuit of Petey the evilest cat in the world, Petey’s creation of a clone, the reanimation of the Police Chief’s dead pet fish and Dog Man’s confrontation with a giant vacuum cleaner, a cannon that fires exploding squirrels. Then there’s monster buildings on the rampage. The universe itself is a dizzying mash up of horror, superheroes, science fiction, soap opera and action adventure.
The story just about holds together but, more importantly, there’s always something funny to see. I smiled at various shops, including an Indifferent Shop that doesn’t care if customers enter or not, while another advertises itself with flashing laser lights, turning the sidewalk outside into a disco. Buildings have a central role in the film when Okhay city’s skyscrapers come to life and start stomping around the streets. “Things get worse!” announces an on-screen caption, they certainly do.
It took me a while to get used to the look of the characters. In the graphic novel, Dog Man and co. are created by two children drawing a comic and the books’ art style reflects this – the comic looks like something might draw – Dog Man the movie doesn’t. The production has adopted a more rounded, 3D animation style. I guess this is seen as giving the film a cinematic quality, but I can’t help thinking sticking to the 2D drawn aesthetic offered more potential for even more manic comedy. At the very least there could have been a transition from the kid’s comic to the film. This aspect of Dog Man’s origin has been written out.
That said, the animation is great fun. What’s not to like about an ebullient, bouncing ball of furred fun? Dogs are a gift to characterisation and, although Dog Man doesn’t speak, his woofs and yelps, voiced by director Peter Hastings, say more than enough – and he’s more than generous with his lolling tongue. It’s dogs longing to be loved that make them such great pets. Cats on the other hand…
The voice cast include Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson (no, not the Fifth Doctor) as Petey, Isla Fisher as news reporter Sarah Hoff, Poppy Liu as Pete’s sardonic, on-again-off-again, assistant and comedian Lil Rel Howery as Dog Man’s ever frustrated Police Chief. Yes, the feature doesn’t escape the on-screen role of a Black Police Chief, a holdover from 70s/80s tokenism. At least the vocal cast is more diverse, and the script gives women characters more of a look-in. The only iffy piece of voice casting is Ricky Gervais, but only because his take on a British accent reminded me of Russell Brand. Gervais plays the telepathic, cybernetic Flippy the Fish, brought to undead life by “Living Spray”.
Yes, Dog Man is bonkers. Film critic Mark Kermode found himself giggling throughout. I didn’t. The all-over the place action and cross references began to wear me out. But that’s fine. What did capture my attention was the way the film included some really poignant moments.
There’s some heavy stuff here, particularly themes of loss and abandonment. I think many adults will recognise Li’l Petey’s desperate attempts to reconcile big Petey with his estranged father. Children are powerless in face of turbulent adult emotions while longing to resolve them. More conflict comes as Li’l Petey’s must balance his love and loyalty to his creator and his love for Dog Man.
The child audience seemed to find this enthralling because rather than laughing throughout the film, they seemed to watch with quiet, rapt attention. Perhaps that’s because children must face similar struggles and insecurities in their own lives. I was left emotionally drained, reminded of so many times I felt the need to ‘make it right’ within my family from a position of absolute powerlessness.
If you are reluctant to acquiesce to your kids’ demands to see this film, don’t be. Dog Man is the hero all kids need on their side if only in their imagination.
Tim Robins
• Dog Man is in cinemas now | Official UK web site
• A Morning with Dav Pilkey and Dog Man
10.30am Saturday 22nd February 2025, Southbank Centre, London | Last few tickets available here
Get ready to howl with laughter as the creator of Dog Man leads an event filled with favourite characters, sneak peeks and tonnes of inspiration, as part of the Imagine Festival at the Southbank Centre in London.
Half dog, half man and all hero, Dog Man is a global phenomenon. With Pilkey’s trademark humour and heart, the series brings kids and families everywhere stories about friendship, love, bravery, empathy and epic adventures.
Big Jim Begins, the newest book in the series, was released in December 2024, ahead of the first Dog Man film’s arrival in UK cinemas
Dav Pilkey has been delighting kids and families with books that ignite their passion for reading. Don’t miss the chance to meet the award-winning author and illustrator in the UK for the first time in 10 years!
• Dav Pilkey’s Official Dog Man Page
• New to Dog Man by Dav Pilkey? Howl with laughter with the first book in the hilarious full-colour illustrated series, Dog Man, from the creator of Captain Underpants! (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
George and Harold (the co-stars of the enormously popular Captain Underpants series) are in big trouble again! George and Harold have created a new breed of justice – one that is part dog, part man, and ALL HERO!
With the head of a dog and the body of a human, this heroic hound digs into deception, claws after crooks, rolls over robbers, and scampers after squirrels.
Will he be able to resist the call of the wild to answer the call of duty?
• More Dog Man books by Dav Pilkey on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• Dog Man 13: Big Jim Begins by Dav Pilkey (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
In Big Jim Begins, the latest Dog Man tale, discover the origin of our beloved characters from the Dog Man series as they join forces to stop the Space Cuties from destroying the city. Will the past predict the future for Dog Man and his friends? Will goodness and bravery prevail? Can anything happen if you truly believe?
Get ready for another unforgettable book in the #1 worldwide bestselling series from master graphic novelist and award-winning illustrator Dav Pilkey.
For more heartfelt and humorous adventures, join Flippy and Li’l Petey in the Cat Kid Comic Club series. Have fun with creativity with the official colouring book, Dog Man With Love. And don’t forget about the series that started it all: Captain Underpants!
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Animation, Books, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Features, Film, Other Worlds, Reviews, US Comics