Batman is back, on the big screen, in pooch form. Actually, I’m talking about Ace the Bat-Hound (voiced by Kevin Hart), and he’s got the superpowers to partner up with Superman’s canine companion, Krypto (voiced by Dwayne Johnson). Now, I’ve heard about these characters before, I know they have a show on Cartoon Network, but they haven’t been doggy offshoots of the original DC duo that I’ve ever invested in. Yet, I like pets, and I like animation, so let’s give it a go.
So the story goes, just as Superman’s parents were set to ship him off to Earth, puppy Krypto jumped in the pod too because he couldn’t say goodbye. As adults, Superman (voiced by John Krasinski), and Krypto do a fair share of crime fighting alongside each other. But as Superman is getting closer to Lois Lane (voiced by Olivia Wilde), Krypto is starting to cramp their style – Lois suggests that Krypto might benefit from having some other friends of his own, outside the pair’s alien companionship, which might allow Krypto is give Superman and Lois their alone-time 💓 But Krypto and Superman have always been bros, and Krypto is reluctant to work with others, until a threat for world domination takes Superman off the board, and Krypto discovers Ace, and his ragtag group from an animal shelter, who’ve accidently gained superpowers of their own.
This movie is so funny! I don’t think I’ve laughed so much in a movie since Booksmart (which is timing, since Olivia Wilde is Lois Lane in this movie, and her new movie is in cinemas now). I had a smile plastered on my face throughout, especially enjoying the opening act and the very end. I love Warner Bros. Animations because they’re not afraid to go to dark places with their humour, involving biting satire and dry observation – I felt the same with Storks when I say the levity of this movie really makes you recall that Warner Bros. is the studio responsible for the Looney Tunes, and it’s soothing to know that after all these years, they still maintain the same comedic signature. The superhero genre is rife with material to poke fun at, and this movie finds a lot of it – is ‘squeezy Bruce’ a funnier call than the ‘Peter Tingle’? You tell me. But DC League of Super-Pets also made me long for more Superman in my life – the beautiful earnest shots of Metropolis are missing on the big screen, especially when Batman’s dark and grimy Gotham gets a reboot every few years. This seriously could be Warner Bros. answer to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, just purely on the lively balance its able to manage with many characters, but also due to the high quality of the end result.
Complimenting a great script is the fact that there isn’t a voice in this caper that isn’t on point. Marc Maron – who knew he’d be such a fit for animation. I recently caught up with The Bad Guys from earlier this year, where Maron was my standout, and now he’s putting his gravelly tones to Lex Luther, being an absolute champ about it; approve. Kate McKinnon is always someone I think of as charismatically talented, but her turn in movies have usually been a disappointment (don’t make me remember that God-awful goat character in Ferdinand), but she crushes it here, as the hairless guinea pig, Lulu, out for world domination. And she’s not the only one getting an animation-redemption, as I never gravitated towards Kevin Hart’s bunny character in The Secret Life of Pets either, but Ace is fantastic – and for some reason, I love his itty-bitty tooth sticking out the side of his mouth which only makes him more vulnerable and cuter. Vanessa Bayer is such a sweetheart, voicing the loveable size-shifting pig, PB, and I’m so glad for Natasha Lyonne getting to be a major part of this film, the funniest part arguably, as the super-speedy turtle, Merton.
If anything, DC League of Super-Pets is a little long; its pacing could be sharper getting to the climax. And that’s it. That’s about as far as my criticism of this movie flies. Look, at one point, I thought, ‘sure, rip off Toy Story 2 with a touching song and flashback to being abandoned by your once-loving owner’ 😠 But you know what, DC League of Super-Pets actually matches the power of Jessie’s iconic montage with one of its own, and this incredibly joyful movie actually had me feeling sad for a little while – even into the next scene, where the movie had to remind me that, oh yeah, we are supposed to be having fun right now 😇 But the fact that this movie lingers in a solemn moment of heartache, further bonding Krypto and Ace’s budding friendship, is something I’ve been pining for more action comedies to have the guts to do, as it’s often they undercut any emotional gravitas with cheap comedy that goes down like a lead balloon. DC League of Super-Pets, on the other hand, goes for it, lands it, and considering it crushes some incredibly comedic moments too, this movie truly has everything. I’ve already written down a few quotes and imagery to celebrate in upcoming years on my Today Junior Facebook page, so look out for that, but I’ll tell you my favourite gag now – it’s when Krypto uses his x-ray vision to look through Superman and see he hasn’t really thrown the ball 😄 How niche, how titillating!
Sadly, I wasn’t overly impressed by the busy ‘Lego Batman Movie like many were, but I’m glad to have been able to get on board with DC League of Super-Pets and have a wonderful time. (I’m also so glad this review isn’t so long after my last couple; phew). If we’d have bet there’d be two movies in 2022 with cartoon guinea pigs threatening decency, you could’ve written your own ticket; what a world we live in.
4.5
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