About the film (courtesy of Warner Bros.):
Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel—to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.
This review is being done by the father/son dynamic duo of Sam “Bam” and Robert Fuller, ages 11 and 41, respectively. We had the privilege to screen this film as avid fans of all the DC animated films and shows. In order to give you a bit of our perspective- our top three for DC animated are Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), Justice League: War (2014), and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010) (along with the greatest animated TV show, Batman: The Animated Series). So, without further ado, let us dig our paws into DC League of Super-Pets.
Whether an alternative universe or not, this movie blasts off with a slight twist as baby Kal-El and fur baby Krypto evacuate the planet Krypton bound for Earth. The foundation of the first act of this tail…er…tale, quickly endears you to the noble pooch that is Krypto. Krypto’s super sniffer fails to pick up a troubling scent that aims to take Superman away- leaving Krypto with sad eyes (que violin). When you think it can’t get any worse, the real villains begin to show up!
I have built up the dire nature because it was actually a rather endearing movie for anyone, not just an animal lover. The character of Krypto and his loyalty are the strength that drives this movie and its resolve is tested throughout. The Super-Pet’s team origin is where comedy ensues, and from that point on the whole movie has non-stop laughter including making fun of possible plot holes. The voice cast is brilliant as Dwayne Johnson’s stoic, dry humor and Kevin Hart’s struggling buffoon sarcasm drives this film. There are some other great choices for voice cast-including a few famous voices (try to guess).
When I first heard about this movie I wondered how well a team of pets could carry a movie. I need to give first credit to screenwriter John Whittington (The Lego Batman Movie (2017), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)) and writer/director/producer Jared Stern. They made a truly hilarious animal action movie, with substance, that even a Christopher Reeves Superman fan can take pride in. Even though the story is juvenile, the content and dialogue between the pets is worth the price of admission. The movie never drags as the story has strong pacing and delivers constant chuckles, guffaws, or crack ups. All this in a PG movie?!?! Shut the front door! There are two spots of salty language with a TV edit *bleep out* which adds to the humor. Finally, I assure you no animals were harmed while filming this movie, but R.I.P FedEx guy.
DC League of Super-Pets raises the bar of funny for children’s movies and never presumes to be some Studio Ghibli Miyazaki masterpiece. The film nurtures a new generation of DC animation fans while catering to the old ones. A general movie goer could walk in knowing nothing of comic book characters and get nearly the same level of enjoyment as an ardent DC fan.
Another sneaky surprise is a well-placed great soundtrack to accompany scenes which you can see. Follow this link for the full list.
If this hasn’t sold you to get out to the theaters today to see DC League of Super-Pets ASAP, then watch my favorite trailer I just discovered right here.
