“Dog Man”: Good, Childish Fun

Dog Man came out shortly after last Christmas (Jan. 31), so it was fitting when I received the book as a present. The book was a fun read, and the movie was equally engaging for me. It’s by no means something I’d put on par with “Beauty and the Beast,” “Anastasia,” or recent other Dreamworks greats like “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” or “The Wild Robot,” but it was a fun time that overall, I’m glad I saw.

Spoilers Ahead!

Like Jimmy Neutron, the animation gave it sort of a cheap feel, but that is part of its charm. The story follows famous police officer Knight, who, after being severely injured in a bomb explosion with his dog, Greg, gets saved by fusing his body with Greg’s head.

Now he becomes more famous than ever, repeatedly saving the town from world domination, seeking Petey the cat, who escapes prison one too many times for him. Petey creates a clone of himself since no one likes to work with him, but he’s in for a surprise when it turns out the clone is actually a kid that will mature in 18 years. From here, it’s more Petey’s story than Dog Man’s, but Dog Man, of course, still has a large part to play.

Dog Man and Petey naturally have a heated rivalry, and Petey’s “kid” begins bonding with Dog Man when he is abandoned by Petey, making Dog Man grow an attachment to him. Dog Man, of course, also naturally misses his old life, so bonding with Petey’s “kid” brings him a certain sense of joy like the good old days. Petey is a complex villain, which I thought was interesting.

Having a “kid” really changes him, which is pretty predictable, and you see how his evil ways are actually from a scarred past, which I won’t get into. As much as I love black-and-white, straight-up evil villains like Frollo, sometimes we need a little variety from that.

Though voiced by Pete Davidson, you would swear it’s Chris Pratt before finding that out, and it’s a PERFECT voice. Ricky Gervais also plays a secondary villain and is great in that role. There’s not much else to say without spoiling anything, but what really stood out was the ending.

Let’s just say we don’t exactly get a Dimitri arc here with a certain other character. It was very interesting to see a happy ending despite this. The film seemed to say that sometimes things don’t always totally work out the way you would want them to, but you can still find happiness in the good things.

There’s a cop who’s in love with a news reporter, which leads to a pretty hilarious running gag, too. Overall, while it’s not something I’d personally rank with the great animated films, I still had a fun time. Like Jimmy Neutron, it’s just good, childish fun, and if that’s all you’re expecting, you won’t be disappointed.