PAW Patrol: The Movie review

PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE: 

FILM BASED ON POPULAR NICKELODEON SHOW IS CUTE FUN FOR ALL-AGES! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND NICKELODEON MOVIES

The PAW Patrol hits the big screen in PAW Patrol: The Movie

 

            The popular children’s Nickelodeon series hits the big screen in PAW Patrol: The Movie, based on the Spin Master toy line and TV show of the same name on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. block. Let me make this clear, I did not grow up with this show as I was starting college the time it first aired so I was way past the demographic for this film. 

            Because of this, I did not have any expectations with the PAW Patrol’s jump to the big screen when it was first announced back in 2017. If Teen Titans Go! To the Movies and Dora and the Lost City of Gold taught me anything, it’s don’t judge a book by its cover and this…is also one of those films. 

            Yes, for a movie I had absolutely no interest in seeing, I was pleasantly surprised at how funny, charming, and even heartfelt PAW Patrol: The Movie really is. It probably won’t be a movie I’d purchase on Blu-Ray or see again in theaters, but for a one-time watch, I was quite impressed at how much I enjoyed it. 

            The film is set in Adventure City, where the scheming, dog-hating, Humdinger (voiced by Ron Pardo-Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (TV series), Ned’s Newt, Totally Spies), who is a cat person…very important information, becomes the new mayor of the city and plans to lock up all the city’s dogs at the pound and use a weather machine to keep Adventure City sunny for all eternity…it doesn’t go well! This news is brought to the attention of the crime-fighting, city-saving team known as the PAW Patrol led by a young boy named Ryder (voiced by Will Brisbin) and consists of police puppy, Chase (voiced by Iain Armitage-The Big Bang Theory, Big Little Lies, Scoob!), construction pup, Rubble (voiced by Keegan Headley), aviator pup, Skye (voiced by Lilly Bartlam-Total DramaRama, Detention Adventure), firefighting Dalmatian pup, Marshall (voiced by Kingsley Marshall), recycling pup, Rocky (voiced by Callum Shoniker), and aquatic rescue pup, Zuma (voiced by Shayle Simons), along with their new friend, a dachshund named Liberty (voiced by Marsai Martin-Black-ish, Little, Spirit Untamed), and these canine heroes suit up to save the day before Mayor Humdinger destroys Adventure City. 

            The film also features the voices of Pardo also providing the voice of Cap’n Turbot, Yara Shahidi (Black-ish,Smallfoot, Peter Pan & Wendy) as Kendra Wilson), Kim Kardashian (Keeping Up with the Kardashians) as Delores, Randall Park (The Interview, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Aquaman) as Butch, Dax Shepard (Zathura, Employee of the Month, This is Where I Leave You) as Ruben, Tyler Perry (Madea franchise, Gone Girl, Don’t Look Up) as Gus, and Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Boss Baby 1 and 2, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) as Marty Muckraker. 

            Overall, PAW Patrol: The Movie has lots of colorful animation, cute doggies, and imagination for kids with just enough heartfelt moments and some surprisingly bold storytelling for adults. For someone who has never seen the show before, I found it to be quite enjoyable and offered probably more than it needed to. 

            The film is very well-animated with a lot of vibrant colors and flashy visuals, especially during the action sequences. Not quite Disney or Pixar level, but the animation and colors really pop in this movie…to the point where it could have used some 3D conversion. 

            Most of the humor sticks the landing, though there are a couple of modern tech-talk scenes that don’t exactly make me cringe, but they are the least funny jokes in the entire film. Most of them I found quite funny, some even made me laugh hard, there’s a running joke where the evil mayor always orders one of his henchmen to get his a new top-hat whenever it gets destroyed or ruined and they always have a hat on standby, even during perilous situations which I laughed hard at, it sounds dumb on paper, but just go watch the movie or find a video of the scenes involving the hats, you’ll laugh your tail off. 

            The film also has a surprising amount of heart and even a dash of drama, mostly involving the police puppy, Chase. I don’t know if the show ever explores this, but the film shows him as an abandoned puppy lost in a big city before joining the PAW Patrol, and that Ryder found him in the city streets and adopted him, it’s a legitimately beautiful and heartfelt moment, I actually almost shed a tear…Yeah, PAW Patrol: The Movie almost made me cry, that’s quite an accomplishment! 

            PAW Patrol: The Movie is a very enjoyable film for parents to take the kids to without feeling like they’re being dragged to it like a lot of other crowd-pandering kids’ movies. This is one canine adventure I’m glad I went on.