Review: Dog Man (2025)

Dog Man

Rating

Director

Peter Hastings

Screenplay

Peter Hastings

Length

1h 29m

Starring

Peter Hastings, Pete Davidson, Lucas Hopkins Calderon, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Billy Boyd, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Root, Poppy Liu, Luenell, Cheri Oteri

MPAA Rating

Original Preview

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Review

Before the animation renaissance, animated features were largely designed to entertain children. With the preponderance of animated films these days appealing to adults as well as kids, a film like Dog Man stands in stark contrast.

A freak accident leaves a promising young cop and his faithful police dog maimed with the only procedure viable to save both lives to implant the dog’s head on the man’s body. The end result is the titular cano-human hybrid Dog Man (voiced by writer/director Peter Hastings). He can only communicate as a dog and is distracted by typical dog things such as balls and squirrels. His arch nemesis is a talking cat (Pete Davidson) who wants to destroy the protagonist but is plagued by ineptitude and luck on Dog Man’s part.

The narrative isn’t terribly deep, built on predictable jokes and corny one-liners. Yet, the plot is solid, shifting from one twist to another in interesting, if not compelling, ways. The idea Hastings and DreamWorks came up with is childish in many ways and while there are occasional jokes that only adults are likely to catch, most of the humor is juvenile and not always in the most creative ways. There are moments that play amusingly on tropes but those moments are trapped between situations that children will find hilarious but adults will feel are immature.

One thing we forget about animated pictures is their origins in children’s entertainment. Until the 1970s, most of what was produced in the genre were cute, kid-friendly features that were a gateway into cinema and taught valuable moral lessons. While those lessons continued after the shift towards adult animation, they aren’t nearly as obvious these days, though this one makes up for lost time. Even villains can change when presented with the opportunity to be loved and love in return. This is introduced fairly early into the story and is well woven into the narrative.

The vocal work leans into the cheesiness of the premise with Lil Rel Howley as the police chief representing the more extreme while also being surprisingly endearing. Playing the gruff but squishy top cop like Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin (The Naked Gun) but with the intelligence Drebin never possessed. Isla Fisher plays it almost straight as the ace reporter covering the events of the film while Billy Boyd’s cameraman is unnecessarily over-the-top. Davidson can’t quite get the villain vibes down for his felonious feline but Petey (seriously) doesn’t entirely come off as unbelievable. He’s a softy like Gru from Despicable Me but with less the maniacal egomania.

For fans of serious animation, this isn’t a film for them. It’s an amusing diversion that will keep kids entertained but won’t spark a spirited debate over its premise or aims. Dog Man is a pleasing trifle that is too immature for its own good but nevertheless provides a fun and entertaining break for families.