Silly to the extreme and all the more endearing because of it, Dog Man illustrates that imagination is still present in the movie machine. This animated adventure has a unique look and a novel approach and stays true to that character for the duration.
The story is completely bonkers as it involves stitching a dog’s head to a human cop’s body to create a super cop. The only problem is they forgot to inform the budding Doctor Frankenstein of the particulars and the title character can only communicate via barking.
If the dog is the good guy, you have to know the baddie will be a cat and in this case, it’s Petey voiced by Pete Davidson. This malevolent feline is a perfect fit for the slacker ethic that Davidson does so well. It makes for an arch enemy that resides more in the comic vein than the outright evil category.
With its individual look and irreverence towards the stock standard ethos of “If it’s got animated animals it must be super cute and cuddly”, Dog Man impresses with an identity that is far from typical for films of this genre. There is much to enjoy for kids of all ages.
Rob Hudson
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