PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021) Paramount/Comedy-Action-Adventure RT: 88 minutes Rated G (mild rude humor and peril) Director: Cal Brunker Screenplay: Billy Frolick, Cal Brunker and Bob Barlen Music: Heitor Pereira Release date: August 20, 2021 (US) Cast: Iain Armitage, Marsai Martin, Ron Pardo, Yara Shahidi, Will Brisbin, Keegan Hedley, Lilly Bartlam, Kingsley Marshall, Callum Shoniker, Shayle Simons, Randall Park, Dax Shepard, Jimmy Kimmel, Kim Kardashian West, Tyler Perry, Paul Braunstein, Jamillah Ross. Box Office: $40.1M (US)/$111.3M (World)
Rating: ***
If the kindergarten crowd gave out the Oscars, the computer-animated PAW Patrol: The Movie would sweep the awards. The Canadian-made TV show, which premiered on Nickelodeon in 2013, is extremely popular with tykes. There’s no doubt they’ll love the movie too. Why wouldn’t they? It has everything a 5YO could possibly want from a movie starring their brave canine heroes. It’s colorful, vibrant and easy to follow. It has plenty of non-violent action, dumb jokes that will make kids giggle and adults groan and valuable messages about working together and believing in yourself. Little kids will be delighted. Adults might be surprised.
I didn’t expect to like PAW Patrol: The Movie at all. Prior to watching the movie, I had only a passing familiarity with the source meaning I knew it existed. I don’t have children so there’s no reason I’d ever tune in. I was thinking seriously about skipping the movie altogether; however, me and my wife’s love of dogs nudged me in the opposite direction. I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to follow it without a 5YO superfan there to explain it to me, but I think I did okay on my own. In fact, I ended up enjoying PAW Patrol: The Movie more than I thought I would.
For those not in the know, the PAW Patrol is an emergency response team comprised of puppies and led by plucky 10YO Ryder. Each pup has his/her own special set of skills. Chase, a German Shepherd, is a police dog. Marshall the Dalmatian is a fireman/paramedic. Skye, a cockapoo, provides air support in a pink helicopter. Rocky, a mix of Schnauzer and Scottish Terrier, drives a recycling truck. Zuma, a chocolate lab, is their water rescue pup. Rubble, a bulldog, is the construction expert. They live in doghouses that transform into specialized vehicles- e.g. police car, fire engine, hovercraft and bulldozer. Together, they keep the seaside community of Adventure Bay safe.
In PAW Patrol: The Movie, the action moves to Adventure City shortly after their archnemesis Mayor Humdinger (Pardo) wins a fixed election. His first act as leader is enacting several anti-dog laws because he’s more of a cat person. He then proceeds to make one blunder after another starting with a fireworks display that quickly spirals out of control. Luckily, the PAW Patrol arrives in time to save the day. His next big foul-up is trying to improve public transportation by adding a loop-de-loop to the subway line. That too goes horribly wrong and nearly results in loss of life if not for the brave pups. Humdinger’s biggest gaffe is hijacking a weather device (“The Cloud Catcher”) to ensure clear, sunny skies all the time. Yep, this too nearly causes a catastrophe. As you can tell, this “elected” official is a bumbling idiot.
In the midst of the action lies a sweet, semi-serious subplot involving Chase. He doesn’t want to go to Adventure City because it brings back bad memories of being abandoned there as a baby puppy. He joins his teammates after a few words of encouragement from Ryder, but finds that he’s lost his nerve. He freezes up during a mission and has to be rescued himself. He has to learn to believe in himself again. Also, a new pup is introduced. Liberty (Martin, Black-ish), a dachshund without a home, is the one who alerts the PAW Patrol to the fireworks situation. She’s the one who shows them how to circumvent city traffic. Appointing herself an “honorary member”, she helps her heroes time and time again, even aiding in rescuing one of their own from a doggie jail set up by Humdinger. She’s a welcome addition to the team.
The voice talents for PAW Patrol: The Movie are pretty impressive. The makers lined up some pretty big names starting with Iain Armitage (Young Sheldon) as Chase. We also have Martin’s Black-ish co-star Yara Shahidi as a scientist trying in vain to warn Humdinger of the danger of fooling around with the weather. In addition, we get late night host Jimmy Kimmel as a reporter, Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat) and Dax Shepard (Bless This Mess) as Humdinger’s incompetent henchmen and Tyler Perry as a trucker in need of the pups’ assistance. PLUS, Kim Kardashian West cameos as a pampered poodle. Now that’s typecasting!
Honestly, I don’t have anything bad to say about PAW Patrol: The Movie. Sure, it’s silly and clearly intended for little kids. To its credit, it’s NOT annoying. It’s cute without ODing on it. The animation is bright, colorful and lively. The pups are spirited and adorable. It doesn’t rely entirely on bathroom humor to make the kiddies laugh. I recall only one slightly rude comment. It teaches kids good values while entertaining them. I found myself smiling (a lot!) and caring about the pups. As for the inept politician, I’m not inclined to make any real world comparisons. Humdinger looks too much like the old Monopoly guy to be taken seriously anyway. I’m not about to call PAW Patrol: The Movie a hallmark of cinema, but it’s better than it should be. It’s fun for the little ones and not excruciating for the big ones.
