Introduction
Hey hey, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is back for another adventure, and now that we had returned back to earth, I was going to have another break, but one animated movie that I am excited for had its release pushed earlier, so we finally get a chance to see Dog Man!
Based on the hit global children’s novel series, Dog Man centres on a half-man, half-dog hybrid on his duty to protect his city as he tracks down and pursuit after a feline supervillain, while trying not to be distracted by his quirks of being a half-dog hybrid.
After The Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation had decided not to produce their animated movies in-house any more, which is a shame, but they are teaming up with Jellyfish Pictures, who had worked on many live-action and animated classics, including Kung Fu Panda 4 which was the last time these two studios collaborated. Will Dog Man be yet another great DreamWorks animated movie, or will it be ruff?
Well, let’s hope there’s no balls and squirrels around, because we got another exciting adventure to venture to! Let’s go!
Key Information
- Director: Peter Hastings
- Animation Studio: DreamWorks Animation (with Jellyfish Pictures)
- Country of Origin: United States
- Rating: PG
- Release date: 13 March 2025 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
Story and Characters
Even knowing how amazing DreamWorks had been doing with their animation projects last year, with Orion and the Dark, Kung Fu Panda 4 and especially The Wild Robot, Dog Man is doing something different from those three movies in terms of both story and animation style (more on the animation later), and I got to say, I like what I saw with Dog Man!
In a similar way to The Day the Earth Blew Up, Dog Man is hilarious without feeling too try hard or serious at all, as the jokes and gags mostly land on their own. If you had read the original Dog Man books, chances are, you are already into the hilarious world of Dog Man, but as a first-timer who had not read the series, it’s a great story with great writing and well-thought character development. Having Dog Man (voiced by director Peter Hastings) as a “silent” protagonist who only barks and growls is a genius move as it moves the jokes towards a “show, don’t tell” approach, which is mostly a superior joke technique.
As for Dog Man himself, he has a fun and exciting personality that is easy to relate with, but of course, Dog Man cannot be Dog Man with the other characters, such as the evil villain Petey (Pete Davidson), his child clone Lil’ Petey (Lucas Hopkins Caldreon) and other characters in the movie, thus making an insanely fun Animated movie with a heartfelt story.
If there is one major weakness in the writing, however, it is the pacing. This movie moves at a breakneck pace, with joke after joke without slowing down, and not having enough breathers in the movie would put off most viewers who are not used to this fast pacing. That said, this is based on the moviegoer’s preference, and given I covered so, so many family-friendly foreign CG animated movies with crazier concepts than what Dog Man is possessing, I am very used to this type of pacing, but I just wish it slows down just a tiny bit.
Still, the writing in Dog Man is a lot of fun, and it is undeniable that the writers took inspiration from the Dog Man books to create something so bonkers, yet so endearing. I appreciate it when the writers took the time to craft a story that manages to be a good balance of both.
Animation
While it is a shame that DreamWorks no longer produces their animated movies in their own studio after The Wild Robot, and instead outsourcing it to other studios such as the now-defunct Jellyfish Studios (who had worked with DreamWorks in the past), but I do not mind if they do not compromise on the animation quality, and that is what Dog Man provides.
The animation takes inspiration from the Dog Man books themselves, and combine the 2D aesthetics of Dog Man into its 3D CG environment, and both elements harmonise well to create this stop motion style of CG animation, with such hand-drawn elements, to create yet another unique animation style full of creativity and excitement, which was what the books are known for. The character and background designs work together to create an energetic aesthetic that is as frantic but hilarious as the writing in the movie.
The action animation is also noteworthy as it keeps up the chaotic plot with an equally chaotic style filled with fun and fast-paced action sequences that, while too over-stimulating at times, creates this dynamic animation style that never stops moving, and that is why I enjoyed the animation in Dog Man. I am just happy DreamWorks and Jellyfish Studios ditch the tired photorealistic CG style of animation and just let loose with a fun stylised animation style that takes advantage of the Dog Man book in the best way possible.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
The music score is great and helps to create the well-needed atmosphere in the scenes, but given this is a movie based on a popular book series, I just wish the marketing is bolder to promote this movie in a more fun manner, but that is also a nitpick of mine.
As for my level of enjoyment, while I enjoyed some animated movies in 2025 more than this, such as The Day the Earth Blew Up in my previous adventure, I still had a lot of fun with this fun adventure that does its job well. This movie sells its concept very well, and this is the fun I need to break away from the serious and thought-provoking animated movies. Sometimes, you need the fun movies to take a break when you are watching too many serious animated movies, and Dog Man fulfills that purpose well.
Conclusion
Well, I should not be too surprised, but I had a lot of fun with Dog Man!
While the pacing is way too fast for most moviegoers and the animation style might be too much for some, these are small nitpicks, and does not take away the fact that the writing is full of funny and smart jokes and gags, fun characters with great character development, an animation style that is full of personality and great minor elements.
If you are a fan of the original Dog Man books, this is a very easy recommend as the movie adapts those books so well in the movie, and is yet another fantastic DreamWorks animated movie on top of the many amazing DreamWorks movies of the past.
Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure. Well, given there is not much animated movies coming our way, I will be taking a short break to prepare for more adventures coming our way. Until next time, see you on the next adventure!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
