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‘DC League of Super-Pets’ a family-friendly spin on superhero lore
By Katie Walsh
Tribune News Service
The DC Comics Cinematic Universe
has mostly taken a dark, gritty approach
to blockbuster comic book movies. But
perhaps there’s another way to explore
the world of the Justice League that’s
a bit more warm, cuddly and friendly?
That’s the thesis presented by the ani-
mated movie “DC League of Super-Pets,”
which combines several elements that
have already proven successful to create
a family-friendly access point to the
worlds of Superman, Batman, Wonder
Woman and their gang of superheroes.
“DC League of Super-Pets” is written
by Jared Stern and John Whittington,
who have writing credits on “The Lego
Ninjago Movie” and “The Lego Batman
Movie.” The fi lm is directed by Stern, who
also directed the 2018 rom-com “Happy
Anniversary,” and is co-directed by Sam
Levine, who brings the animation expe-
rience. The voice cast is packed with
favorite comedy actors, including Kate
McKinnon, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Ly-
onne, Jemaine Clement, John Early and
Marc Maron.
But most importantly, it teams Dwayne
Johnson and Kevin Hart in the lead roles
of Krypto the Super-Dog and Ace, a
rescue mutt. Johnson and Hart have had
Dwayne
Johnson as
Krypto and
John Krasinski
as Superman in
“DC League of
Super-Pets.”
Courtesy Warner
Bros. Pictures
quite the success in their odd couple
pairing in fi lms such as “Central Intelli-
gence” and “Jumanji,” and “DC League of
Super-Pets” relies on their lively banter to
sell the enemies-to-friends story at the
center of of the fi lm.
Stern and Whittington’s script imag-
ines a world in which a young Kal-El (who
later becomes Superman and his alter
ego, Clark Kent, voiced by John Krasinski)
has a stowaway puppy in the pod that
blasts off from the planet Krypton. Boy
and pup grow up together into man and
dog, saving the world together in Metrop-
olis. But when Krypto starts to become
jealous of Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde), Clark
wonders about fi nding his best friend his
own best friend.
That quandary resolves itself when a
hairless guinea pig named Lulu (McKin-
non), rescued from an animal testing lab
Back
Country Bash
run by Lex Luthor (Maron), and obsessed
with world domination, uses a shard of
orange kryptonite to grant herself and the
other rescue animals superpowers. Krypto
has to team up with the motley crew of
Ace, pig PB (Bayer), elderly turtle Merton
(Lyonne) and a chipmunk named Chip
(Diego Luna) to save Superman and the
Justice League, who have been captured
by the gang of super-powered guinea pigs.
While the plot following Krypto fi nding
his pack and saving the day is exceed-
ingly formulaic and slightly tiresome to
endure with its predictable turns, Stern
and Whittington fi ll the space around the
structure with a plethora of absurdist hu-
mor and sharply written jokes, as well as
the teasing self-awareness that marked
both “The Lego Batman Movie” (arguably
the best deconstruction of the Batman
myth) and “The Lego Ninjago Movie.”
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McKinnon’s performance of the mega-
lomaniacal Lulu proves to be one of the
funniest in the fi lm, while Lyonne’s Merton
is a sleeper breakout.
“DC League of Super-Pets” isn’t trying
to break down the genre or trouble the
already well-established world, but rather,
fi nd some wiggle room to play with the
familiar characters and insert some child-
like wonder and earnestness. Both cutesy
and comic, this animated fi lm fi nds a way
for kids and families to experience these
well-known characters, but older DC fans
will enjoy the references to their beloved
comic book tales too. It’s a funny and
sweet refresh on the DC lore that should
please fans old and new.
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