Welcome, World Travelers! PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie is…a PAW Patrol Movie.
by James Coulter
Sigh. Listen. I’m an adult who still watches cartoons. I think animation is a respectable medium that can be appreciated by all ages, not just children. I sincerely believe animation is a serious art form with the potential to tell serious stories that can be taken seriously.
On the other hand, I am reviewing PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, the sequel to a film based on a preschool show designed to sell toys to little children. I am a parentless adult. I am evidently too old for this, nor am I the target demographic.
If you’ve never heard of PAW Patrol before—you know what PAW Patrol is! Even if you’ve never seen the cartoon, chances are you’ve seen its toys and ads everywhere. PAW Patrol is just that culturally ubiquitous. So, not only is it unsurprising that the most popular preschool show ever not only received a theatrical movie two years ago but a sequel.
The movie follows the same premise of the show: a young boy named Ryder and his team of puppers use their toyetic vehicles and devices to solve problems in Adventure City. This time around, a meteor crashes into the city, destroying their headquarters, but also giving the dogs superpowers. Now they’re super-powered doggos! Unfortunately, the bad guys want to steal their powers. Will the puppers save the day, as usual? (Well, what do you think?!)
Let’s be perfectly honest, though: the only reason you’d watch this movie is because you’re either a little kid who watches the show on repeat or you’re a parent of a child who watches this show on repeat. So, if you’re an adult, not only were you already forced to watch this film, but you’ve already pre-ordered the DVD because you know you’re kid will be begging for it and the merchandise for it for Christmas.
To be fair, this movie isn’t “bad”, per se. For a movie based on a preschool show, the big-budget animation was clearly made for a big-budget movie. And, for a movie based on a preschool show with seldom any violent conflict, there are plenty of exciting action sequences and even Michael Bay-style explosions.
The movie also has a touching subplot involving the girl pupper, Skye, who struggles with self-doubt about being the smallest of the pupper doggo crew. There’s even a touching backstory about how she became a member of the PAW Patrol, despite being the runt of her litter.
There’s also a surprising number of jokes that only adults will get. For example, during a news report about the PAW Patrol’s new superpowers, the reporter reports about how these new powers will spawn new merchandise. To whit, he tells the audience: “To all the parents watching out there, I’m sorry.”
Another “adult” joke involves the two bad guys, Mayor Humdinger and the new villain, the mad scientist, Victoria Vance. While in prison, Humdinger tells Victoria to look in the toilet. Victoria, unsurprisingly, is hesitant to do so. But Humdinger insists there’s a “surprise” in there. Reluctantly, she looks inside. Humdinger says he “worked hard” to pull it off. Turns out it’s an escape tunnel. (Get it? It’s a poop joke!)
Anyway, if you’re a kid who loves this show and loved the first movie, you’re going to be loving this movie and begging your parents for the DVD and merchandise. For everyone else, it’s a relatively “mid” children’s film, something to show the kids to keep them preoccupied.
