Carl Roberts 
“PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie is the perfect family film for the summer holidays. Funny, moving, and exciting, it is PAW-Some entertainment.”
Grab your leashes and get ready to go for a monster ride. This is their biggest adventure ever. Adventure reaches new heights as those lovable pooches return for a third time on the big screen in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie. This sequel follows both PAW Patrol: The Movie and PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie. The film hits screens on August 5th. The film is once again directed by Cal Brunker. He co-wrote the screenplay with Bob Barlen. In addition, the movie is based on the television series created by Keith Chapman. But can the film be a roaring success? Or have the pups earned their way to the cinematic pound?
THE PREMISE
After their ship gets caught in a mysterious storm, the PAW Patrol pups crash-land on an uncharted tropical island teeming with dinosaurs. They encounter Rex, a pup who has survived on the island for years. He has become an expert in all things dino-related. When the PAW Patrol’s archrival, Mayor Humdinger, begins recklessly mining in hopes of exploiting the island for its natural resources, he inadvertently causes a huge, dormant volcano to erupt. As a result, the PAW Patrol pups dive into a series of high-stakes, dino-sized rescues. These are bigger and more challenging than anything they’ve tackled before. The pups must stop Humdinger before everything on the island goes extinct.
THOUGHTS
Of course, they haven’t earned a trip to the dog pound yet! Just like the last film, this new adventure is a highly enjoyable, rip-roaring, highly comedic, and heartfelt family film. It will keep everyone entertained. Focusing mainly on Marshall this time, giving him the spotlight, the film manages to hit the heights it aims for. With its splendid blend of fun, good storytelling, and incredible animation, kids will lap it up happily. Meanwhile, the adults will get a kick out of the jokes that flow throughout.
Taking some of the main creatures featured in the whole Jurassic Park and Jurassic World sagas, and turning them into animated creatures to push the plot forward, actually works wonders. The Spinosaur/ T-Rex fight in Jurassic Park III comes back into play here, but in an animated, funny, and enjoyable way. It isn’t a spoiler to say that no animated dinosaurs get hurt or killed here; it’s all good, clean fun all the way. There are some moments where the PAW Patrol team, their human friends and colleagues, and the dinosaurs are in peril, but we know that they won’t get hurt. And the Compy’s, so often nasty, evil, and cunning critters in the live-action movies, are cute and hilariously funny. And yes, I want one for myself!
THE DIRECTION
Cal Brunker’s direction is again superb, fitting the film perfectly. The color palette he again utilizes fits every scene, whether it be a stormy sailing on the sea, a volcanic explosion, or Humdinger being mean and nasty with a dinosaur; it all fits together like a completed jigsaw. After directing the previous two movies, Brunker is on safe and familiar ground here, bringing his expertise and knowledge of the PAW Patrol universe to make a fun family movie that doesn’t offend, scare, or hurt anyone. With a runtime that eases past effortlessly, he has again hit gold with the film. And we can see his name being on a fourth cinematic outing for the pups, if the demand for it is there, as I’m convinced it will be.
VERDICT
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie is the perfect family film for the summer holidays. Funny, moving, and exciting, it is PAW-Some entertainment. It will certainly be a family film that the little ones will love and want to see over and over again. They will fall in love with the animated dinosaurs, laugh at the silliness of it all, and leave the cinema in high spirits. However, I will warn parents beforehand; just be prepared for the children to start asking for a toy version of many of the characters and creatures they see here. They are completely lovable, cute, and funny. And believe me, I should know; I’ve been looking for them for MYSELF! Especially the Compy’s and the cute baby dinosaur, Rhubarb, whom the kids will adore.
If you ask me how the vocal performances are, we have a problem. You see, with the exception of Terry Crews, Jennifer Hudson, Fortune Feimster, Jameela Jamil, Bill Nye, Paris Hilton, and Snoop Dogg, who voice new characters here, this version I saw in the UK overdubs the voices of the pups and Ryder with British actors. To those in the UK, this won’t matter too much, but when you have the names of the original vocal cast featuring in the main credits, I can’t say how they compare. To me, this seems a bit silly. But then again, who am I to criticize?
ROAR-SOME!
All in all, the film does exactly what it needs to do to make it a superb and hugely enjoyable family film. It isn’t schmaltzy, it’s simply a fun time at the movies with a strong message and moral lesson for the audience. Is it RUFF? No, it certainly isn’t. Could it be a dog’s dinner? Not a chance. Is it PAW-Some entertainment? You bet it is. To put it quite simply, it’s really ROAR-Some!
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie is out in UK cinemas on August 5th, Courtesy of Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies, and Spin Master Entertainment.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
