Review of 'Dog Man': Animation hides parental anxiety under the fur

Do not be afraid, “Dog Man” is here, to save your families from the Doldrums of January. Dav Pilkey's popular books (a spin-off of the series “Captain Underpants”) are adapted with a silly and self-referential charm of the writer and director Peter Hastings, resulting in a animated animated feature but narratively narratively full.

Hastings and the team maintain the style of children's illustration of the books, with crayon and shading lines in the simply designed characters, as well as colloquial writing and jargon (the law agents are “Cops Supa”; several important buildings They are “ova there”).

“Dog Man” feels like a story to go to bed invented by a father, then rendered in a sweet aesthetic for children. The character's history of origin is told in a quick introduction: Ohkay City, Knight and his reliable dog, Greg, make a great team (Greg's The Brains of the Operation). But when they are injured in a terrible explosion, doctors have to join Greg's head to the body of the Knight officer, resulting in a dog man, Supa Cop. Dog Man succeeds, to disgust his boss, the boss (Li'l Rel Howlay), and delights the local television reporter Sarah Hatoff (Fisher Island).

The dog's nemesis is an evil orange warp called Petey (Pete Davidson) who loves nothing more than dreaming of Wilder and Wilder robots to break down his rival. Dog Man, meanwhile, is continually launching Petey in the cat prison, which he continues to escape. But everything changes when Petey, fed up with her butler assistant (Poppy Liu), cry out, makes an adorable orange kitten, Li'l Petey (Lucas Hopkins Calderon).

It is the entrance of Li'l Petey that motivates and focuses on the “dog man” affably chaotic, which often staggers to the edge of completely out of control. The film is so visually dense, so fast, so referential to its own form, that details fly in a blur. But emotional rhythms are solid, especially when it comes to the issues of the family found and the fears and challenges of raising a small version of yourself.

“Dog Man” is a very obvious and emotionally naked story about the anxiety of the raising of children, specifically from the perspective of a young father (references to films like “Die Hard” and “Robocop” also underline the millennial/gen x x x Dad pov). Petey regrets: “What have I done with my life?” While Li'l Petey cries, and then wonders: “If I did, why are you not like me?” while realizing that his mini-me is as interested in evil as him. When Petey leaves his son, in a repetition of his own children's traum Feeling, it is also something you do. “

These moving themes support the story in another silly and youthful way on a resuscitated evil fish, Flippy, programmed by Petey to destroy all the goods that do it, which somehow manages to convert all buildings in the city of Ohkay into style -style monsters Kaiju. That story is blurred in a messy cacophony, only that it serves as a springboard for the redemption of Petey.

Davidson lends his attractive to Petey in an excellent vocal shift. The writing and performances of the characters of Petey and Li'l Petey emerge as the bright points of the film, his surprisingly satisfactory character arches that eclipse the heroic without words of the dog of the dog.

Even so, the entire film is barely extended to its execution time of 89 minutes and there is not enough for the concept of accumulating more of history and tradition. However, the compassion and empathy lessons are deep and remind us that the stories of good triumph about evil are evergreen, even when it does not seem to be reflected in the world that surrounds us.