Movie · 2025 · Family, Comedy, Adventure, Animation, Action · 1h 29m · PG · English
Curator score: 3.5/10 (103.5K ratings)
Part dog. Part man. All hero.
Overview
When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve—and fetch, sit and roll over. As Dog Man embraces his new identity and strives to impress his Chief, he must stop the pretty evil plots of feline supervillain Petey the Cat.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.5/10
IMDb: 6.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.25/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Metacritic: 66
TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Peter Hastings
Production
DreamWorks Animation
Cast
Peter Hastings, Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Lucas Hopkins Calderon, Ricky Gervais, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, Billy Boyd, Luenell, Laraine Newman, Melissa Villaseñor, Cheri Oteri, Kate Micucci, Maggie Wheeler, Pearce Bunting, Max Koch, Rahnuma Panthaky, Brian Hopkins, Yung Gravy
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A fast, kid-friendly superhero spoof with surprisingly strong visual energy and a sweet streak under the slapstick. It’s especially appealing if you like animated comedies that play both as chaos for kids and sly parody for adults.
Best for
families looking for a lively theatrical animated comedy
fans of goofy superhero parodies
viewers who like bright, expressive animation and rapid-fire gags
kids who enjoy action-adventure stories with animal leads
Skip if
you want a more emotionally layered family film
you dislike hyperactive, joke-dense storytelling
you prefer animation that stays grounded or understated
you’re not interested in broad comic-book parody
Overview
Dog Man is exactly the kind of big, silly, high-velocity family movie that knows its audience and leans into the absurdity. The premise is ridiculous in the best way, and the film uses that setup for a stream of visual jokes, comic-book energy, and surprisingly polished animation that keeps everything moving briskly.
Worth noting
What helps it stand out is that the movie isn’t only chasing noise. Beneath the chaos, there’s a real emotional thread about loneliness, identity, and a villain who feels less like a stock bad guy than a damaged rival. That gives the comedy a little more shape than a standard kids’ romp.
Bottom line
It can feel like it’s sprinting to the next gag, and some viewers may find the humor too manic or too knowingly juvenile. But if you’re in the mood for a theatrical animated adventure that’s clever, colorful, and unapologetically goofy, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
JoshuaPictures (3.5★) · 6778 likes
I would've given this movie a 10/10 if Dog Man and Petey had kissed
lena 💿🩻 (5★) · 3592 likes
Divorced gay dads but are they really divorced?
Framesofnick (3★) · 2714 likes
This was cute. Animation is stunning. Can’t wait to show my kid one day…
…But please make a captain underpants 2
davidehrlich (3★) · 2499 likes
because 5-year-olds need a Robocop too.
Cris Parker (3★) · 1876 likes
What started as a sweet innocent story about a half dog half man fighting crime soon became a touching tale about a cat dealing with abandonment issues.
I still think that origin Is horrifying