Based on Dave Pilkey’s book series, Dog Man (2025) is written and directed by Peter Hastings. It stars Pete Davidson, Peter Hastings, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Lucas Hopkins Calderon, Ricky Gervais, Billy Boyd, Stephen Root, Luenell, Yung Gravy, Kate Micucci, Max Koch, Jana Schmieding, Rahnuma Panthaky, and Maggie Wheeler. The film follows Officer Knight (Hastings) and his beloved canine pal after the two are caught in a deadly explosion that leaves their doctors with only one life-saving option: create a human-dog hybrid with a propensity for solving crime (and chasing squirrels). Reborn as Dog Man (Hastings), the now singular duo sets out to protect their city against various threats. With the arrival of Petey the Cat (Davidson), a feline supervillain with major daddy issues, Dog Man teams up with his former boss, Chief (Howery); Sarah Hatoff (Fisher), a fearless reporter; and Li’l Petey (Calderon), Big Petey’s adolescent clone; in order to save their city from sure destruction. 

One of the things that elevates this movie above typical animated fare is its strong cast of voice actors. Unlike so many films in the genre, nobody feels like they were cast simply to sell tickets. At worst, actors such as Lil Rel Howery and Ricky Gervais don’t deliver anything particularly new, but they’re undeniably well-cast and provide a good amount of zany energy. Other than that, cast members such as Isla Fisher and Pete Davidson deliver great voice performances that truly feel committed. Most stars just treat these kinds of jobs as easy paychecks, but Dog Man proves that casting actors who take the material seriously will almost always result in a better product. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Davidson grew up reading the source material. 

Our protagonist, Dog Man, doesn’t actually speak throughout the film – something that allows for strong visual storytelling. This is fun, but it keeps Dog Man from fully connecting with the audience emotionally. Thankfully, the script makes a wise choice to portray Petey as a more sympathetic villain who succeeds in delivering an emotional core that Dog Man cannot. I’m a tad sick of children’s films that are terrified of committing to villains who stay evil from beginning to end, but Dog Man feels like an uncommonly effective take on the trope. 

The film features a crisp, unique, and eye-catching style of animation that effectively emulates its comic-book source material. Visual creativity is apparent in nearly every frame, keeping the film moving even when the dialogue becomes a tad forgettable. The premise clearly takes heavy inspiration from Robocop (1987), but it feels creatively justified because of its kid-friendly approach to the material. The script also succeeds in providing the proper mix of silliness and canine-centered cuteness its premise implies. There’s a lot of fun to be had in Dog Man’s unpredictability. In any given situation, it’s unclear whether Dog Man will react as a normal human (who can’t speak, of course) or give in to his more animalistic tendencies. Despite the fact that the film’s humor is kind of a mixed bag, the dog-related jokes, although kind of obvious, mostly hit the mark.

The comedy is effectively silly throughout, but I suspect that most adults will roll their eyes more often than they laugh. More than once, humorous scenes just devolve into the characters yelling louder and louder at one another. It’s basically a lot of humorous energy without anything too funny actually going on. This might work for kids, but everyone else will find it distractingly immature—like being locked in a room with 30 elementary school students after they each drank a Red Bull. 

Overall, this is a good-looking, action-packed, and fast-paced animated film that succeeds on pretty much every level. The only issue here is that the humor ultimately fails to connect with adults in any meaningful way. That being said, if you’re an adult who loves dogs, Robocop, or the original source material, you’re sure to have a fun time. Adolescent boys will absolutely adore the film’s sci-fi and action elements, but girls are sure to enjoy the canine cuteness and dynamite reporter character voiced by Isla Fisher. If you have kids or it just sounds like your kind of thing, check it out. B