The Reel Review
When an explosion mortally wounds a police officer and his police dog, doctors decide to save them by fusing the dog’s head onto the man’s body, creating a super cop in the process. The voices of Pete Davidson, Lel Rel Howery, Isla Fisher and Ricky Gervais star in this Dreamworks family animated adventure based on Dav Pilkey’s book series and the subsequent comic books.
Loaded with silly dog jokes and a sweet message about the cumulative effects of being kind, Dog Man is a cleverly constructed, self-aware comedy with a cute story centered around the villainous Petey the Cat, who clones a miniature version of himself to thwart Dog Man, only to have this Lil’ Petey unexpectedly bond with Dog Man. Solid voice work from its cast and manically energetic animation remains true to the frenetic pace of the source material.
As sweet as it is, Dog Man’s pacing is a bit sluggish in the midsection and it could have gone a bit deeper, but it’s still a sweet, crowd-pleaser for fans of the book series.
REEL FACTS
• Isla Fisher was already familiar with the Dog Man series. Her children are all huge fans.
• Dog Man is the second animated film featuring Maggie Wheeler (Janice from the series Friends) after 2019’s The Addams Family.
• Dog Man writer/director Peter Hastings also provides the voice of Dog Man.
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