For close to 30 years, Dav Pilkey has been one of the most radical voices of children’s literature. Ever since he first introduced Captain Underpants in 1997, he’s been met with controversy with the series being banned due to its rude humor. While it’s true that a story of a principal-turned superhero who wears nothing but tighty-whities is far from the levels of Dostoevsky, the enduring legacy is a testament to what he does better than most. In a bookstore full of more polite alternatives, Pilkey stood out as the voice for the id run rampant. In a world full of talking toilets and evil teachers named, ahem, Professor Poopypants, he did something that most children’s authors would be envious of… he got them to care about reading.
Almost 20 years into the franchise’s run, Pilkey did the unthinkable. He not only created a spin-off that found an entirely new cast of characters warming the hearts of readers, but in many ways surpassed expectations. The premise was more juvenile (“part dog, part man, all hero!”), but it was also the point where his fiction embraced the complex balance of lowbrow slapstick and wordplay with a grander sense of pathos. Somewhere in between the heroes battling evil fish and sentient buildings was an ongoing story about a cast of characters learning valuable lessons on what it meant to be a decent person.
Much like the books, Dog Man (2025) surpasses Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) in terms of minute-by-minute fun. For general audiences, the dizzying speed with which Pilkey’s world comes to life may be too much. Along with the central action there are endless callbacks to the comic art style, including sight gags that faithfully recreate pages attentive readers may recognize. In terms of capturing the tone and atmosphere of “Dog Man,” DreamWorks Animation has knocked it out the park. This is a world that already exists with a high sense of artifice, so it’s a relief to see them jump in headfirst into a world where anything can happen. Mileage may vary on how much one is willing to give over to the wackiness, but the sincere efforts to recapture the energy are downright admirable.
At the center of the story is protagonist Dog Man. Following a disastrous police chase, a dog’s body and a man’s head are surgically attached. Even for a premise that is quasi-morbid, Pilkey’s ability to skirt the darkness with pure absurdity keeps the younger audience from ever becoming disturbed. In fact, the quick transition from the prelude into the main plot is effortlessly done, especially as Dog Man comes to embrace the spirit of his canine brain while annoying Chief as assignments are either incomplete or total disasters.
Like everyone else in the story, Dog Man is a flawed character that means well. He’ll end a police chase early at the very sight of a squirrel. Buildings will blow up and pedestrians are put in jeopardy. What should be noted is that in spite of the towering madness, the film avoids easy cynicism. For all of the comical anger that Chief bestows on his employee, there’s still this hope to do better next time. Everyone works together to try and make Okay City someplace more hospitable. For all of his faults, people love Dog Man and it’s encouraging to see him make small improvements with each passing scene. It’s fun to see Pilkey’s ADHD-addled technique go off the rails and find an alternative path to success. It’s thrilling to see a film that manages to be lowbrow but also have one of the kindest, purest hearts that mainstream American animation has produced in recent months. Dog Man is a good boy. He may have a funny way of showing it, but that’s what makes this weird world lovable.
Despite being the marquee name, Dog Man is overshadowed by his foe. In three decades, Pilkey has never made a character as rich as Petey. He’s an orange cat who will proudly boast about being evil as he rolls out his latest mastermind invention to destroy the city. On the surface, he is your run of the mill mustache-twirling villains who fits within the dog/cat rivalry that has long existed in fiction. With that said, Pilkey has a knack for tipping his unlikability into a grander conversation about why people would act out in the first place. Despite the many scenes of him escaping prison and refusing to pay former employees (his business is going through a rough time), there is a reason to sympathize with him. His logic is easy to poke holes in, especially as it ties into the moral compass, and it makes for some brilliant comedy as his inability to ever have the upper hand becomes more and more apparent.
It should be noted that Dog Man as a film doesn’t faithfully adapt one story. Fans of the series will be quick to notice that DreamWorks cherry-picks highlights from throughout the books, especially when it comes to Petey. Many of his later reveals are condensed in this 90 minute rollercoaster including some of his most emotionally prescient dialogue. However, this truncation is for the best as it allows for a greater understanding of why Petey works. He is a victim of circumstance from a dysfunctional family that in itself shines through in the quieter decisions. Petey isn’t base-level evil. He is a character who is often seen getting existential over his failures, looking for reason to believe things about himself that may not be true. Is he evil? More importantly, can he be redeemed?
Somewhere in the lack of seriousness is some of Pilkey’s strengths as a covert expert on pathos. While the film occasionally veers away from comedy to explore this, it’s not for long and eventually comes back around to having a solid punchline. What Pilkey is suggesting with Dog Man is that both the hero and villain are flawed, but it’s their willingness to learn and grow that makes the difference. Whereas Dog Man carries the scars of a lost loved one, Petey deals with the negative messaging he was taught. There is a search for community that gives the story hope more than the flamboyant violence. They are all fighting, but what is the outcome? For Pilkey, the answer is something as simple as protecting those worth fighting for.
The messaging may be way too simple and lack the complexity of recent DreamWorks hits like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) or The Wild Robot (2024), but it’s in the directness that the film succeeds in capturing something greater. In an age where family animation feels like it needs to feature sometimes too mature “moral of the story” subplots, Dog Man achieves a search for empathy without overreaching. Yes, the screenplay has some deep, philosophical propositions scattered throughout. There are character breakthroughs more likely to appeal to adults. However, it's all presented with the familiar accessibility that Pilkey has always brought to his work. He is first and foremost an entertainer. The fact he’s gotten better about weaving in subtext around escaping black and white thinking is a plus.
On some level, the greatest gift that Dog Man gives at this very moment is the real world it’s dropped into. Ever since the first book’s release in 2016, there has been a need to escape from the scariness of reality. Even when 2025 was less than a month old, the world felt like it was even darker. Socially, many groups have rarely felt more divided. In a time when it’s hard to find any reason to come together and fight for a greater cause, Dog Man exists as this reminder that we can. Yes, it’s an oversimplified explanation, but it’s an aspirational point to make.
The characters start the film flawed. They are arguably just as clumsy by the final minute. However, there has been growth in how they see the world. They reach out to each other for help. They listen and see the good in others. While none match the fantastic arc of Petey and his little clone Lil Petey, there’s still this endearing message about people’s ability to change for the better. Bad people can learn to be good and overcome their flaws. It’s all about how much we let them express it that ultimately matters. The fact it’s buried in a film where the physics are irrelevant and features a robot named 80-HD only sweetens the deal.
Sure, there are other authors who are even more important on the banned book list. With that said, Dog Man is a reminder of what Pilkey does better than most. In an age where it’s difficult to hook young readers and make them care, he’s actively finding ways to engage on their level without the least hint of condescension. The movie is fun not because it’s lowbrow, but because it lacks the insulting nature most “yuk-yuk” comedies of this kind would lean into. Instead it gives you the slapstick that has the consistency of a Rube Golberg Machine. It also gives you characters who are more than what’s on the surface. This may not win Oscars or reinvent any screenwriting book, but Dog Man is the hero cinema needs right now for those wanting escapism from the real world. In a dark time, Pilkey exists to remind everyone that it’s okay to be flawed so long as we work together for a brighter future.
Comments
Post a Comment