The adorable puppies in tricked-out rescue vehicles are back -- with dinosaurs! -- as Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie earned over $20 million in its first weekend (and is currently up to almost $74M worldwide), with many families likely to catch it through Labor Day weekend.
Set on a mysterious island where dinosaurs still roam, this flick continues the series’ 13-year dominant run in preschool entertainment, challenged only by Bluey and perhaps Gabby’s Dollhouse. If you’ve seen some of Paw Patrol’s 310 TV episodes (and counting), this entry has few surprises in either tone or content.
Some preschoolers may be scared only for a moment by the dinos –- presented as essentially friendly, rather than predators -– then by third-act scenes of a volcanic eruption (more below). Scatological humor, with a brief sight of piles of dinosaur excrement, is a one-and-done gag.
Overall, kids encounter several positive themes, such as learning to try even when you mess up.
“Making mistakes is how you get better ... that and never giving up,” says one pup to another.
But such truths come packaged by Spin Master in a heavily marketed franchise. The toy company has never given up on producing new tie-ins, with several Dino Movie sets priced at $50 and up.
Families also get a colorful, pre-K-friendly taste of Jurassic Park storytelling, as director Cal Brunker, returning from the first two Paw Patrol films, has said the Steven Spielberg-Michael Crichton blockbuster is what inspired him to pursue filmmaking.
“Obviously, our dinosaurs are nice in this movie -- they're not scary,” said Brunker. “But I wanted to try and capture that sense of wonder that we saw.”
Recall that Paw Patrol is all about the toys, and its unlikely premise starts to make more sense.
In Adventure Bay, 10-year-old Ryder (Henry Bolan, the character’s 12th voice actor) essentially runs first-responder operations, recruiting a team of talking puppies who get new suits and vehicles every year or so. A tech and engineering genius, Ryder has endless resources.
An efficient storytelling formula has allowed the six color-coded pups, plus a dozen-or-so honorary members who pop in occasionally, to undertake rescues in dozens of real-life and fantasy environments. The films tweak the road-tested TV storylines, amping up the action.
Introduced in the 7th season, Rex is a Bernese Mountain Dog, who can also talk to dinos. He also has a special vehicle designed to accommodate his disability. His prominent role in this story, which is all about perseverance, gives parents and kids a natural discussion starter.
In the 2021 movie, flashbacks showed how police pup Chase joined the team, while the sequel revealed flying pup Skye’s origin story. Now it’s fire-rescue Dalmatian pup Marshall’s time to shine.
It’s always been curious why the pup who deals with fire is the one who trips up the others.
“He's known in the show and in the previous movies as the clumsy pup, and we wanted to dig into that a little bit deeper,” said screenwriter Bob Barlen in a recent interview.
Mayor Humdinger (scene-chewing Ron Pardo) is back for another get-rich-quick scheme, this time mining for diamonds on the dino island. Whether kids catch all the ways he cheats and lies along the way, they won’t miss Humdinger’s comeuppance in the end.
Is this Jurassic plot the scariest of Paw Patrol’s film trilogy? It depends on the child. Disasters in earlier films — burning skyscrapers in the first, a plane crash and asteroid strike in the sequel — may feel more immediate because they are grounded in recognizable real-world dangers.
The dino island scenario here is so fantastical and outside kids’ experience, many kids may settle in with their familiar hero characters and enjoy the ride.
With Paw Patrol now a cultural juggernaut for the sippy-cup set, celebrities are game for cameos. Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, and Bill Nye pop up in very brief voice roles, having no bearing on the story but perhaps some extra promotional power.
The film’s earworm single, “Bottle It Up” by Backstreet Boys, seems geared to appeal to Millennial moms. While not explicit, romantic lyrics (“When I watch you dancing, I'm under your command / Just one touch, you got me right in the palm of your hand”) seem wildly mismatched and result in an unintentionally funny, what-is-this music video.
Despite the song’s mismatch with a preschool adventure, its chorus hook unexpectedly fits.
“Take this moment / And bottle up this feeling,” the Backstreet Boys sing repeatedly, punctuated by the bridge line, “Can’t stop time” –- a reminder to make the most of every moment.
Like so many families, a Paw Patrol movie was my kids’ first experience in a theater. Three years later, my 7-year-old has basically aged out of these noble but simple adventures, no longer humming the relentless theme song or running to the Paw Patrol aisle at Walmart.
So take your kids or grandkids to Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie or don’t, if the franchise’s commercialism bothers you. Either way, cherish the memories with those preschoolers, because they grow up a lot faster than these eternally big-eyed, baby-faced pups.
Here's a quick look behind the scenes with the voice cast:
Photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith and culture for several media outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.
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