Elementary schoolers and elementary schoolers at heart have earned themselves a major win.
Dav Pilkey, a man best known for his “Captain Underpants” books, which began all the way back in 1997, has come back to theaters with the playful “Dog Man.” The animated film stars Peter Hastings, the director and writer, as the vocals for the titular character, Pete Davidson voicing the villainous Petey and Lucas Hopkins Calderon as the sweet-hearted Li’l Petey.
Overall, my personal favorite part of this movie is the art of the visuals. The animation remains completely loyal to the original comic style while also being translated to 3D in a way that appears effortlessly pleasant. The colors are bright but not overwhelming, the intense stylization is expressive and lively, and the attention to detail rounds out the charm.
Meanwhile, the characters hold a nearly equal amount of charm. Dog Man himself is silly and sweet, and doesn’t need to be anything more than that. His appeal is simple and offers a clean slate for viewers to follow the plot through. On the other hand, Petey’s ridiculous evil and gradual softening to Li’l Petey brings the engaging sort of character development that catches the viewer’s attention. Between them, the two main characters are entertaining and plainly appealing.
The voice acting is yet another highlight, which truly helps to bring together the style and the depictions of the characters. Davidson handles Petey flawlessly, ever working the balance between cartoonish villainy and earnest emotion. The stars of the vocal cast, however, have to be Ricky Gervais, voicing the evil Flippy the Fish and Lil Rel Howery as the devoted Chief. The comedians bring a special brand of over dramatic ridiculousness to the story, without letting it feel stupid or immature.
Truly, that is the greatest win of this film. “Dog Man,” is, at its core, ridiculous. It’s absurd and imaginative, appealing to that childlike mind that knows anything can come true. As far as the more mature audience is concerned, the humor is innocent. No toilet humor, none of the slightly disgusting jokes about human waste that one might be wary of in a movie with such a target demographic.
At the core of all of these lovely things, the plot is a baseline. It’s fundamentally simple and easy to understand: a classic cartoony hero and villain clash. Although pacing becomes rough around the middle, with a clash of overlapping events, it smooths out by the end for a sweet, endearing resolution.
Ultimately, “Dog Man” delivers exactly what would be expected. It’s silly, sweet and simple, without being too overly immature. Regardless of whether the viewer belongs to the target audience or not, it brings a little bit of warmth to the cold winter season.
