©Courtesy of Universal Pictures 

The catalyst for this comic book character’s conception was sort of like The Breakfast Club. Technically, he was created by author-illustrator Dav (No “E”) Pilkey, through his fictional school children, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, who dreamed up the crime-fighting canine while serving detention together. (The creative duo also supposedly “invented” Pilkey’s signature character, Captain Underpants, at a later date.)

Technically, he has the body of a man and the head of a dog, but he is as heroic as any animalistic superhero. Naturally, he is the only cop with the necessary persistence (and basic competence) to defeat his nemesis, furry criminal mastermind Petey the Cat, in Peter Hastings’ animated feature Dog Man, based on Pilkey’s graphic novels and produced by DreamWorks Animation, which opens this Friday in theaters.

 

Even though he is human, Officer Knight is the dumb one, but he brings first-class martial arts chops to his partnership with Greg, the police dog. Tragically, while pursuing the wanted Petey, Knight’s head and Greg’s body are injured beyond repair. However, the emergency room doctor successfully grafts Greg’s head onto Knight’s body, because apparently no formal medical consent is required for radical experimental surgery in Ohkay City.

©Courtesy of Universal Pictures 

As soon as the newly christened Dog Man returns to the force, he becomes a media sensation. Time after time, Dog Man captures Petey, but the crafty feline escapes from cat prison just as often. Ill-advisedly, the Chief complains about prison mismanagement, but because the warden is the Mayor’s brother, she scapegoats Dog Man to deflect blame.

Yet, Dogman’s new assignment, safeguarding Flippy the megalomaniacal fish, could be even more dangerous. Granted, Flippy is currently dead, but Petey intends to resurrect him, for his own devious reasons. However, reluctantly caring for his new kitten-clone, Li’l Petey, often distracts the full-sized villain from his nefarious schemes.

You have to laugh at Dog Man, because it has a lot of funny business. What it lacks in profundity, it makes up for with its manic slapstick energy. Animation can be a valuable medium for telling serious stories, but we should still save space for animators to be unapologetically silly. That is definitely the territory this film stakes out.

 

Perhaps you could argue Hastings’ adaptation of Pilkey’s source books serves up feel-good messages regarding fatherhood and accepting personal responsibility, but it requires strenuous rhetorical reaching. Frankly, young viewers are most likely to learn political corruption can potentially undermine public safety (which would be a valid point). Yet, in all honesty, we really do not need any life lessons from a film so “doggedly” determined to entertain its audience.

The vibrant animation nicely fleshes out Pilkey’s deliberately simplistic illustrations and character designs, while maintaining their whimsy. Dog Man himself translates very well to the screen. Visually, he has a Snoopy-ish vibe. However, the depiction of his canine instincts, which sometimes conflicts with his police work (chasing squirrels and such), might be the film’s most endearing aspect.

©Courtesy of Universal Pictures 

Of course, as a dog, Dog Man only barks and growls—audio effects which Hastings verbalized. Consequently, Pete Davidson provides the dominant voice (in a peevishly neurotic kind of way) as Petey the Cat. Lil Rel Howery also earns a lot of laughs with his exasperated bluster as the unceasingly frustrated Chief. Cheri Oteri is even less subtle as the verbally abusive mayor. However, Poppy Liu delivers the drollest voice-over performance as Butler, Petey’s snarky former assistant, who periodically returns to mock him and demand her unpaid back-salary.

When you really think about it, Dog Man starts with a rather macabre, Frankenstein-like premise, but Hastings maintains such a zippy pace, viewers do not have time to stew over it. This is lightweight entertainment that just keeps rolling along.

 

In theaters, Pierre Perifel’s new animated short, The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis, featuring the five “reformed” animal criminals, screens before Dog Man. Set shortly after the events of the first Bad Guys feature film, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Shark, and Mr. Piranha have their final parole hearing scheduled, but the ensuing chaos might prevent their timely arrival, which would jeopardize their legal rehabilitation. Similar in tone and attitude, the short and the feature make a highly compatible pairing.

Indeed, the buoyant spirit of both films will give many viewers a boost, especially young ones, but there is not much more to take away from either. Again, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Together, they offer amusing, low-stress entertainment, which has value. Recommended for Pilkey fans and families in the mood for colorful animated mayhem, Dog Man (preceded by Little Lies and Alibis) opens this Friday (1/31) in theaters.

Grade: B-

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Here’s the trailer of the film.