DC League of Super-Pets – Film Review

Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime side by side in Metropolis. However, when the Man of Steel and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a ragtag group of animals to master their own newfound powers for a rescue mission.

As the theatre lights start to go dim, I look around and see that I am absolutely surrounded by a theatre full of about sixty people, all of which are either adults with young children or twelve-year-olds. I realize, right then and there, that I may be in for a highly annoying moviegoing experience.

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened to me (I’m looking at you, Incredibles 2), so I was praying that I would still have a great time. The first ten minutes or so? Eh. I was certain that the film playing before my eyes would just be a dumb, forgettable kids’ movie but boy was I ever wrong.

Every single person in the theatre was glued to the screen and none of the several dozen kids in the theatre were being loud. All of the adults were actually watching the film instead of checking the time on their watch or phone. Long story short, Jared Stern‘s DC League of Super-Pets is an exceptionally heartwarming and entertaining family film that is absolutely fun for all ages.

The amount of humor in this film that legitimately works is seriously impressive. I actually noticed that the adults in the theatre were laughing harder than the kids. It’s a film that’s chalked full of adult humor which I never would’ve expected in a million years, but I’m glad it was in there because it made the experience even better.

There’s a joke every other minute in this film, and for some, that may be a bit overkill. Thankfully though, all of these jokes land extremely well. Several of the jokes in this film actually made me laugh out loud, including one in the third act that had me tearing up I was laughing so hard.

But what really surprised me about Super-Pets was the story. It’s kind of… great? Sure, the whole idea of a pet being upset its owner isn’t paying as much attention to it anymore is certainly nothing new, but it’s what they do with the second and third acts in particular that make this movie soar.

There’s some shockingly emotional stuff injected into this movie as well, and it also includes a powerful message for all the youngsters out there, so not only are they getting a humongous action film with lovable pets and their favorite DC superheroes, but they’re also going to walk out of the theatre with a different outlook on life. It’s been a while since an animated film has been able to pull off an important message this strongly.

All of the vocal performances here are great as well. Dwayne Johnson was an amazing choice for the role of Krypto, a Kryptonian Labrador Retriever, whose owner is Superman, voiced incredibly well by John Krasinski. Kevin Hart is easily the scene-stealer as Ace, a Boxer with the powers of super strength and invulnerability.

Sadly, Keanu Reeves as Batman – while amazing – doesn’t get too much to do here. Why would you even bother casting somebody as legendary as Reeves only to not use him all that much? Even still, I’m just happy that I got to hear Reeves voice Batman because it was something I never knew I needed.

DC League of Super-Pets is a refreshing, emotional, outrageously hilarious, and delightfully entertaining animated film for the whole family.