(Updated 07/25/2022)
DC superhero movies often conjure up images of heavy and hard-hitting movies. This is the realm of THE BATMAN and JOKER, after all. While Marvel films stay firmly within the PG-13 range, DC films are capable of hitting viewers with big R ratings like we saw with James Gunn’s THE SUICIDE SQUAD. Even DC’s most recent Superman can hew towards the grim side.
But it’s a whole different story for animated DC films. While THE BATMAN features The Riddler as a demented serial killer and JOKER takes a serious look at the mental illness of Batman’s most famous villain, animated DC films are much brighter affairs, silly and filled with jokes for both kids and grown-ups. Just look at TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES or THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE for proof.
Now DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS joins this roster, and it's a movie that might have the most kid-friendly premise possible. Instead of focusing on Superman and Batman and their various villains, this one is all about their cute pets.
Where Can You See DC League of Super Pets?
Warner Bros. is releasing DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS exclusively to movie theatres on July 29, 2022. While you’re waiting, you can get a look at what to expect by watching the trailer above. As you can see, this is several galaxies away from the gritty realism of THE BATMAN.
Who Is in the League of Super Pets?
As everyone knows, Superman has a dog named Krypto. (This is comics canon, folks). When Lex Luthor kidnaps the entire Justice League, Krypto takes it upon himself to build a super-team of his own. This includes himself, a super-strong dog named Ace, a pig named PB that can turn giant, a speedy turtle named Merton, and an electric-powered squirrel named Chip. Together they fight to bring back the Justice League and maybe get some new owners in the process.
Keanu Reeves as Batman?!
Obviously, Batman is not the main character in this movie but we must pay proper tribute to one favorite actor getting to play a dream character. Keanu Reeves voices Batman here — when ranking Batmans, one must consider voice actors like Will Arnett and, more importantly, Kevin Conroy. Now we can add Keanu Reeves to that list. It’s about time, honestly.
Who Voices the League of Super-Pets?
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson provides the voice of Krypto, while his buddy Kevin Hart plays Batman’s dog, Ace. Former SNL cast member Vanessa Bayer plays PB the pig, Natasha Lyonne plays Merton the turtle, and ROGUE ONE’s Diego Luna voices Chip the squirrel.
When it comes to Superman, that task falls to the great John Krasinski, who came very close to playing Captain America at one point. (He also, appeared as Reed Richards, or one version of him at least, in DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS.) Many other key DC Comics characters are in the movie, too, voiced by some notable names: Olivia Wilde as Lois Lane, Jameela Jamil as Wonder Woman, Jemaine Clement as Aquaman (we love this), John Early as The Flash, Daveed Diggs as Cyborg, and Dascha Polanco as a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Topping it all off, podcast superstar Marc Maron provides the voice for Lex Luthor, making this his second foray into the world of DC comics.
If you enjoyed THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE, you are in luck because DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS is written by the same people – Jared Stern and John Whittington – with Stern himself sitting in the director’s chair. So expect a lot of high-quality jokes and self-aware ribbing at comic book movies themselves. It’s going to be a great time for the whole family. Especially if members of that family love superhero films.
DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS opens on July 29.
All images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.