(Updated 01/13/2025)
Dog Man is coming to clean up the streets and end the criminal career of Petey the Cat! Dav Pilkey became a superstar of graphic novels for kids thanks to the "Captain Underpants" books, aimed at elementary school readers. Pilkey's current series, which followed the conclusion of "Captain Underpants" in 2015, is "Dog Man."
The concept is pure elegance (from the perspective of a fourth grader). Injured on the job, a human police officer undergoes an experimental surgery that fuses the head of his dog onto his human body. Kind of like Robocop, or Frankenstein, but with a good-hearted cop and his dog. And so Dog Man is born!
Now the DOG MAN movie adapts the character to the big screen with vibrant animation directed by a filmmaker who is deeply connected to Pilkey's works. Check out the DOG MAN trailer and learn more about the movie here.
What's the Dog Man Release Date?
Universal Pictures will release DOG MAN in movie theaters on January 31, 2025.
Watch the Dog Man Movie Trailer
First, this trailer seems like a great adaptation of the "Dog Man" graphic novels, which should please young fans of the books. Second, the animation here is so much fun to look at. Since the release of INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE in 2018 we've seen more than a few animated films take inspiration from its inventive chaos. Dreamworks Animation made both PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH and THE WILD ROBOT, both of which approached CG animation in not-exactly-typical ways.
While DOG MAN looks very much like an adaptation of Pilkey's books — it hasn't veered way off-book from his original designs — the movie looks like it has a wild energy that is very modern in terms of big animated movies.
Dog Man Is Directed by the Creator of the Captain Underpants TV Series
Peter Hastings, who co-created, scored, and narrated the series "The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants," directs DOG MAN. He also voices the main characters!
Hastings has been in animation for decades. He was a producer on two essential '90s shows, "Animaniacs" and "Pinky and the Brain," worked on the Lilo & Stitch series as well as the 2021 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, and was a producer on two different Kung-Fu Panda series.
Who's in the Cast of Dog Man?
Director Peter Hastings voices Dog Man and, before the surgery that creates the strange character, also voices Officer Knight's dog Greg. While Dog Man does not speak, Hastings does all the barks, grunts, and other noises that allow the character to communicate. Opposite Hastings is Pete Davidson as the villain Petey, an arrogant orange cat who proclaims himself to be the "world's most evilest cat."
Additionally, Lucas Hopkins voices Li'l Petey, a kitten clone of Petey, while Lil Rel Howery voices Dog Man's boss, the short-tempered Chief. And Isla Fisher voices reporter Sarah Hatoff, Billy Boyd is her cameraman, Seamus, and Ricky Gervais voices the telekinetic Flippy the Fish. Yeah, that's a fish that can move objects with its mind. Can't wait to see what that's all about!
Finally, the venerable Stephen Root voices Grampa, Petey's father, Poppy Liu voices Petey's assistant, appropriately named Butler, and Cheri Oteri voices the city's Mayor.
DOG MAN opens on January 31.
All images courtesy of Dreamworks Animation and Universal Pictures.