Dog Days Not Over
There may be a few new voices, but it’s the same old PAW Patrol, and that’s just fine for the kids.
Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
Director: Cal Brunker • Writers: Cal Brunker, Bob Barlen, based on the animated series by Keith Chapman
Starring [English]: Carter Young, Hayden Chamberlain, Henry Bolan, Mckenna Grace, Ron Pardo, Dee Bradley Baker
Canada • 1hr 28mins
Opens Hong Kong August 20 • I
Grade: B
What the hell is going on? How are dinosaurs having another moment outside the Jurassic Park franchise. Last week we had The End of Oak Street and now the perpetually popular, pro-cop puppy rescue crew from Adventure Bay is doing the Cretaceous in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie, the third theatrical feature based on the Canadian television series created by Keith Chapman way back in 2013 (366 episodes and counting).
After battling a climate disaster and getting superpowered in PAW Patrol: The Movie and PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie in 2021 and 2023, ageless child do-gooder Ryder (Henry Bolan) and his crew of first responder puppies find themselves on an uncharted island that’s basically the land before time. Following the rescue of an entitled rich family that carelessly sets their boat on fire (there’s a good cat gag in here) then expects public resources to bail them out though PP is a private company (?), Ryder and his dogs get thrown off course in storm and land on Dino Island, inhabited by all our favourite dinosaurs as well as Rex (Hayden Chamberlain) a paraplegic Bernese Mountain Dog that’s also been shipwrecked but has made a life with the dinosaurs. Rex, the klutzy but never-say-die Dalmatian (of course) firefighter dog Marshall (newcomer Carter Young) and a baby T-rex they name Rhubarb become pals and everyone has adventures. Of course this being PAW Patrol the dastardly Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo) is on the loose, just sprung from prison for his part in the superhero debacle, and when he finds out there are giant, prehistoric diamond-type gems on the island, he’s off to do crime.
Having another moment
That may sound snarkier than it should but it’s hard to describe what goes on in The Dino Movie without a little snark; failure to acknowledge that puts more heft on the story than it can bear, and it’s unfair to suggest it somehow fails in its goals because of its simplicity. This isn’t a movie for adults and returning director Cal Brunker and co-writer Bob Barlen aren’t interested in ultra-witty in-jokes for mom and dad. This is aimed straight at kids and the kids in my theatre loved it. The colours are bright and sunny, like in Skye the pilot’s (Mckenna Grace) pink helicopter thing (naturally it’s pink because she’s a girl and dudes its 2026) and baby Rex’s juvenile hide and big green eyes. The jungle the dinosaurs live in is lushly animated in not-too hyperkinetic 3D and the treasure Humdinger wants is a glittery purple-silver that pops against the dark backdrop. Voice performance master Dee Bradley Baker (Ben 10, Teen Titans, Star Wars Rebels, The Nun, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender and 732 others) as… all the dinosaurs proves why he’d be a huge star if he were working in Japan where specialised voice actors are respected, and Terry Crews as Humdinger’s blasting expert and cameos by Jameela Jamil, Bill Nye, Snoop Dogg (with zero weed jokes) and Paris Hilton (!) are unobtrusively amusing. The danger was tangible enough, and the message about over-development and resource-raiding was ever so light.
It should be noted that Marshall (heh, fire Marshall, corny) has been promoted to front-and-centre because who has an issue with firefighters? His best pal the cop dog, Chase (another rookie, Rain Janjua) has been relegated to supporting player and whether or not that’s Brunker course-correcting is open to speculation; it’s a Canadian series but a major market is Nickelodeon and Americans are having an, ahem, moment with law enforcement and late-state capitalism. There’s also less need for actual ambulances baked into the narrative and so the seeming approval of the corporatisation of essential services is toned down. Maybe that’s for mom and dad to chew on if Junior asks what happened to “999” one day.
On the other hand there’s Rex, the paraplegic pup whose disability (a carry-over from a series special) isn’t even really acknowledged – in a good way. It’s part of who he is and certainly doesn’t have an impact on the fulfilment of his life or his ability to be a welcomed, included contributor to Dino Island and to protecting it from Humdinger and erupting volcano (long story). Strange as it may be to say, Rex is one of the best representations of disability as just a part of some people’s lives in any media in recent memory. It’s not pandering. Rex is not magical. He just is, and that’s the kind of message kids absorb by osmosis from their media. Kudos for making it a wholesome while avoiding facile Disney sanctimony.