A doggone good time.
Not to be confused with Luc Besson’s “DogMan.” So you better be specific when you ask someone if they saw “Dog Man” or “DogMan.”
“Dog Man” is based on the comic book series created within the “Captain Underpants” universe by Dav Pilkey, telling the story of a cop and his canine buddy, who both end up in an explosion, resulting in the man’s head and the dog’s body being injured. So why not put the dog’s head on the man’s body and name him Dog Man? The real question is what happens to the man’s head and the dog’s body? Maybe the comics or its Wikipedia page can explain.
This is Dreamworks Animation’s second take on a Pilkey comic after “Captain Underpants,” and its animation is a lot edgier than that film. You can tell by the texture of the characters, their interjections, and their environments. And like the studio’s “The Bad Guys,” it looks and acts like an expensive Saturday morning cartoon.
Like in “Flow,” Dog Man doesn’t talk nor does he succumb to gross-out humor like in “Strays.” Yes, he barks at squirrels and mailmen, but he still has a smart and lovable appeal and he’s able to buy a doghouse that’s smaller on the outside and bigger on the inside. It makes us think that maybe the inside of Snoopy’s doghouse is like that, but we’re not supposed to see (contractional agreements).
His enemy is the evil and cynical Petey the cat (voiced by Pete Davidson), who tries to clone himself, but his copy turns out to be a kitten named Lil Petey (voiced by Lucas Hopkins Calderon). There’s a little “Despicable Me” reminder as that kitten tries to warm his father’s evil heart. And I like the way Dog Man shares a bond with him, even if he doesn’t see the obvious connection between him and Petey.
His biggest fan is the reporter Sarah Hatoff (voiced by Isla Fisher), who is always ready to report on Dog Man’s heroism. And his boss is the chief of police (voiced by Lil Rel Howery), who feels overshadowed by his popularity and annoyed by his canine instincts, and yet, he never takes the Chief Dreyfus approach in “The Pink Panther” movies. Besides, his bully is the angry Mayor (voiced by Cheri Oteri), who gives him the number for the “Life’s Not Fair” company.
The chief also has a dead smart pet fish named Flippy (voiced by Ricky Gervais), who ends up in Petey’s possession and thrown in a factory, where he regenerates and prepares to destroy the city. His movements and expressions remind me of how UniKitty was in rage in “The Lego Movie.”
“Dog Man” lacks the emotional depth of the studio’s last film “The Wild Robot,” but it’s certainly a lot nicer and more flexible than “Despicable Me 4” in terms of the villain and his son. At least that’s what we should refer to Lil Petey as at this point. Its sense of humor knows how to comment against stupidity, and its voice actors are able to have fun with their characters. And I like to believe that “Captain Underpants” and “Dog Man” are better than movies like “Scoob” or “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” because they understand the appeal of the title cartoon character and his fans.
And on a small note: the movie is preceded by “The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis,” a short film preparing us for the upcoming “Bad Guys 2.” It features Mr. Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (voiced by Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (voiced by Craig Robinson), Ms. Tarantula (voiced by Awkwafina), and Mr. Piranha (voiced by Anthony Ramos) trying to explain why they’re late for their parole meeting. A nice little warm up for that sequel. So, we basically get two Saturday morning cartoons at the matinee.
