Dog Man (2025)
February 2, 2025 8:10 AM - Subscribe
The film adaptation of Dav Pilkey Dog Man, half dog and half man, aka supa cop, and his pursuit of the arch villain, Petey the Cat.
Animated by Dreamworks, Dogman offers an origin story to the popular character (okay, the origin story is in the trailer - when surgeons can only save a dog's head and a cop's body after a failed attempt to diffuse a bomb), and focuses in large part also on Petey the Cat. Also present in the film are a number of very familiar faces to those who have read Dav Patel's fun graphic novel series.
Animated by Dreamworks, Dogman offers an origin story to the popular character (okay, the origin story is in the trailer - when surgeons can only save a dog's head and a cop's body after a failed attempt to diffuse a bomb), and focuses in large part also on Petey the Cat. Also present in the film are a number of very familiar faces to those who have read Dav Patel's fun graphic novel series.
When I heard the Daft Punk in the trailer for this...that's when I knew I was old.
posted by praemunire at 12:32 PM on February 2 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 12:32 PM on February 2 [1 favorite]
Dogman offers an origin story to the popular character
That origin story is in the first book!
The animation in that trailer is beautiful.
posted by trig at 1:45 PM on February 2 [2 favorites]
That origin story is in the first book!
The animation in that trailer is beautiful.
posted by trig at 1:45 PM on February 2 [2 favorites]
The Dog Man books are a lot of things.
Juvenile. Repetitive. Formulaic. And full of heart.
I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent with my youngest making up voices, tearing Flip-o-Rama pages, watching bad guys become… well, not always good, but they’ve become better guys.
The movie nailed it. (Although my son noted the voices in the movie didn’t sound right. They didn’t sound like his dad. Damn, kid. Right in the feels.)
posted by m@f at 1:51 PM on February 2 [5 favorites]
Juvenile. Repetitive. Formulaic. And full of heart.
I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent with my youngest making up voices, tearing Flip-o-Rama pages, watching bad guys become… well, not always good, but they’ve become better guys.
The movie nailed it. (Although my son noted the voices in the movie didn’t sound right. They didn’t sound like his dad. Damn, kid. Right in the feels.)
posted by m@f at 1:51 PM on February 2 [5 favorites]
I will almost certainly never see this, so can somebody just tell me how Dogman's mind works? I get that a cop and his dog got blown up or whatever and doctors decided to put the dog's head on the cop's body, but is the resulting creature just the cop with a new dog head, or was it originally a talking dog and now the dog has a new man body? Or are we dealing with some combination deal where the minds of the man and the dog now share one body somehow, and communicate with each other?
posted by Ursula Hitler at 8:50 PM on February 2
posted by Ursula Hitler at 8:50 PM on February 2
Dogman is a man's body with a non-speaking / non verbal dog's head - which essentially behaves mostly like a dog (if memory serves me correctly - we were more fans of the Ricky Ricotta series [which is basically just Johnny Sokko but with an anthropomorphic mouse instead of a boy]). I think in the books he communicates with hand gestures. He does have the personality of the man which I guess was housed in his body rather than in his head. So when encounters crime he returns to the seriousness of a cop rather than a squirrel mad dog. At some point he adopts the clone of his nemesis as his son. That's all I got.
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:55 PM on February 2 [1 favorite]
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:55 PM on February 2 [1 favorite]
Dav Patel's Dog Man
I like to imagine that his is Dev Patel's sequel to Monkey Man.
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:59 PM on February 2 [6 favorites]
I like to imagine that his is Dev Patel's sequel to Monkey Man.
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:59 PM on February 2 [6 favorites]
At some point he adopts the clone of his nemesis as his son.
I have so many questions.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 10:37 PM on February 2
I have so many questions.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 10:37 PM on February 2
If there is a small child in your life, you have read these books. They're pretty good, and the Cat Kid Comic Club spinoff is even better.
Our kids love Dog Man, so there was zero chance they weren't going to enjoy this. It was better than it needed to be. There's none of the smirking "jokes for the adults" or pop culture references that make so many kids' movies unwatchable. They hit all the story beats. The core messages of the books come through. If you are a grown ass adult with an afternoon to kill at the movies, yeah, go see The Brutalist instead, but if you take a kid to see this you will have no regrets. Get popcorn. We had a blast.
My impression of Dog Man is that he's as smart as an average dog, but he's got hands and feet and everyone else in his world is completely incompetent. Also, he has visible stitches holding his head on!
If like me, you were wondering if the number on the card the Mayor shows the Chief is real: yes, yes it is. (818) 695-3644, if you need it.
posted by phooky at 5:07 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
Our kids love Dog Man, so there was zero chance they weren't going to enjoy this. It was better than it needed to be. There's none of the smirking "jokes for the adults" or pop culture references that make so many kids' movies unwatchable. They hit all the story beats. The core messages of the books come through. If you are a grown ass adult with an afternoon to kill at the movies, yeah, go see The Brutalist instead, but if you take a kid to see this you will have no regrets. Get popcorn. We had a blast.
My impression of Dog Man is that he's as smart as an average dog, but he's got hands and feet and everyone else in his world is completely incompetent. Also, he has visible stitches holding his head on!
If like me, you were wondering if the number on the card the Mayor shows the Chief is real: yes, yes it is. (818) 695-3644, if you need it.
posted by phooky at 5:07 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
He does have the personality of the man which I guess was housed in his body rather than in his head. So when encounters crime he returns to the seriousness of a cop rather than a squirrel mad dog.
We don't know much about the man's personality because he dies* right away at the beginning of Book 1, but the dog was his police "partner" so fighting crime was in the dog's personality to begin with.
* I mean, he dies! His head is gone! It's pretty grim if you think about it but the point is not to think about it.
At some point he adopts the clone of his nemesis as his son.
> I have so many questions.
No fear, I don't think it was a formal adoption. (Also a baby clone needs time to grow up too!)
There's none of the smirking "jokes for the adults"
Are there songs about diarrhea to the tune of beloved classics?
posted by trig at 6:54 AM on February 3
We don't know much about the man's personality because he dies* right away at the beginning of Book 1, but the dog was his police "partner" so fighting crime was in the dog's personality to begin with.
* I mean, he dies! His head is gone! It's pretty grim if you think about it but the point is not to think about it.
At some point he adopts the clone of his nemesis as his son.
> I have so many questions.
No fear, I don't think it was a formal adoption. (Also a baby clone needs time to grow up too!)
There's none of the smirking "jokes for the adults"
Are there songs about diarrhea to the tune of beloved classics?
posted by trig at 6:54 AM on February 3
Can’t wait to take the kid to see this!!! We saw the play a few months ago which was also good if a little more fragmented than the books.
posted by Vatnesine at 7:35 AM on February 3
posted by Vatnesine at 7:35 AM on February 3
It's Dav Pilkey, not Patel.
This is a hang up of mine and I don't know why. I repeatedly think of Patel, not Pilkey, despite seeing the book covers virtually every day of my life. Thank you for catching this, I'll ask the Mods for a corrective edit. (sent!)
If there is a small child in your life, you have read these books. They're pretty good, and the Cat Kid Comic Club spinoff is even better.
The Cat Kid Comic Club spin off is definitely better.
Our kids love Dog Man, so there was zero chance they weren't going to enjoy this. It was better than it needed to be. There's none of the smirking "jokes for the adults" or pop culture references that make so many kids' movies unwatchable. They hit all the story beats. The core messages of the books come through. If you are a grown ass adult with an afternoon to kill at the movies, yeah, go see The Brutalist instead, but if you take a kid to see this you will have no regrets. Get popcorn. We had a blast.
Co-signed.
Pilkey Pilkey (I gotta keep reminding myself) started off fine with Captain Underpants, but those books, while silly and entertaining, have always remained a bit limiting to the idea of two kids constantly finding themselves in trouble and their accidentally created superhero slash awful principal saving the day (mostly). With Dogman, Pilkey actually starts exploring arcs and perspectives on society in a bigger sense. The movie explores some of the arc involving Petey the Cat, which is actually kind of heart breaking in his childhood, but it also addresses what happens to individuals once they get out of prison, how they're ostracized by society and feel railroaded into turning back to behavior that may lead them back to prison.
Incredibly, public corruption, the evils of AI, and other topics all grace the pages of Dogman books. What appears to be a ridiculous premise ends up becoming a vehicle to convey real lessons and concerns to kids (and parents). Pilkey likes to slap a page or two of writer notes at the end of every book where he discusses some of the things he incorporates into his stories so there's a fuller understanding. Pretty cool.
But the film is a pretty fantastical adaptation of the book(s) and in a craft sense, pretty well put together film.
Are there songs about diarrhea to the tune of beloved classics?
No, that's probably waiting for the sequel.
posted by Atreides at 7:39 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
This is a hang up of mine and I don't know why. I repeatedly think of Patel, not Pilkey, despite seeing the book covers virtually every day of my life. Thank you for catching this, I'll ask the Mods for a corrective edit. (sent!)
If there is a small child in your life, you have read these books. They're pretty good, and the Cat Kid Comic Club spinoff is even better.
The Cat Kid Comic Club spin off is definitely better.
Our kids love Dog Man, so there was zero chance they weren't going to enjoy this. It was better than it needed to be. There's none of the smirking "jokes for the adults" or pop culture references that make so many kids' movies unwatchable. They hit all the story beats. The core messages of the books come through. If you are a grown ass adult with an afternoon to kill at the movies, yeah, go see The Brutalist instead, but if you take a kid to see this you will have no regrets. Get popcorn. We had a blast.
Co-signed.
Pilkey Pilkey (I gotta keep reminding myself) started off fine with Captain Underpants, but those books, while silly and entertaining, have always remained a bit limiting to the idea of two kids constantly finding themselves in trouble and their accidentally created superhero slash awful principal saving the day (mostly). With Dogman, Pilkey actually starts exploring arcs and perspectives on society in a bigger sense. The movie explores some of the arc involving Petey the Cat, which is actually kind of heart breaking in his childhood, but it also addresses what happens to individuals once they get out of prison, how they're ostracized by society and feel railroaded into turning back to behavior that may lead them back to prison.
Incredibly, public corruption, the evils of AI, and other topics all grace the pages of Dogman books. What appears to be a ridiculous premise ends up becoming a vehicle to convey real lessons and concerns to kids (and parents). Pilkey likes to slap a page or two of writer notes at the end of every book where he discusses some of the things he incorporates into his stories so there's a fuller understanding. Pretty cool.
But the film is a pretty fantastical adaptation of the book(s) and in a craft sense, pretty well put together film.
Are there songs about diarrhea to the tune of beloved classics?
No, that's probably waiting for the sequel.
posted by Atreides at 7:39 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
There is also a stage show, Dog Man The Musical, which is great.
posted by ManInSuit at 10:08 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
posted by ManInSuit at 10:08 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
(Also: A thing that is not obvious to people without kids in their lives is how *insanely popular* these books are. In 2021, Dav Pilkey had the #1 best selling book of the year, and ALSO two OTHER books on the top 25. This is not the list of kids books, is it the list of *books*.)
posted by ManInSuit at 10:15 AM on February 3 [4 favorites]
posted by ManInSuit at 10:15 AM on February 3 [4 favorites]
And they are infinitely more interesting than Paw Patrol.
posted by Ashwagandha at 1:01 PM on February 3 [4 favorites]
posted by Ashwagandha at 1:01 PM on February 3 [4 favorites]
Dav Pilkey (fun fact, it's pronounced "Dave") came to the next town over to do a reading. Then he stayed and signed autographs with actual good sketches for two hours until all the kids had gotten theirs. I know it's risky to hold up a person one doesn't actually know well, but he seems like a good egg.
posted by wnissen at 2:00 PM on February 7 [1 favorite]
posted by wnissen at 2:00 PM on February 7 [1 favorite]
My kid has unbelievably outgrown Dog Man and isn't excited about the movie, so I probably won't see this as much as I know about the George and Harold universe. I still remember when another kid in preschool got him into it by showing him a page where Dog Man bites some guy's butt.
Does the movie ever refer to the Dog Man movie with all-celebrity casting that was being made in the pages of Dog Man and Cat Kid?
posted by ignignokt at 8:18 AM on February 9
Does the movie ever refer to the Dog Man movie with all-celebrity casting that was being made in the pages of Dog Man and Cat Kid?
posted by ignignokt at 8:18 AM on February 9
No, but there's definitely room for that if we get more Dogman movies.
posted by Atreides at 10:52 AM on February 10
posted by Atreides at 10:52 AM on February 10
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My 8 year old nephew loves these books, his parents less so. Might have to go be the Cool Uncle..........
posted by Frayed Knot at 10:24 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]