Dog Man (film)

Last updated

Dog Man
Dog Man film poster.jpg
Teaser poster
Directed byPeter Hastings
Based on Dog Man
by Dav Pilkey
Produced byKaren Foster
Starring
Music by Tom Howe
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
  • January 31, 2025 (2025-01-31)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Dog Man is an upcoming American animated superhero comedy film based on Dav Pilkey's children's graphic novel series Dog Man , produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. A spin-off and story within a story of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) and the second film in the Captain Underpants franchise, it is being directed by Peter Hastings. The film stars the voices of Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, Billy Boyd and Ricky Gervais with Hastings providing vocal effects for the titular character.

Contents

DreamWorks Animation announced a film adaptation of Dog Man in December 2020, with Hastings set to direct after his experience with Pilkey's works from The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (2018–2020). Karen Foster joined as a producer in January 2024, and the cast was announced that September.

Dog Man is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on January 31, 2025.

Premise

When a human police officer named Knight and his dog Greg are injured together on the job, a life-saving surgery changes the course of history when Dog Man is born. Dog Man must protect and serve as he doggedly pursues the feline Petey the Cat, but the unexpected arrival of Li'l Petey changes their dynamic. [1] [2]

Voice cast

Additionally, Laraine Newman, Melissa Villaseñor, Cheri Oteri, Kate Micucci, Maggie Wheeler, Pearce Bunting, Max Koch, and Rahnuma Panthaky have been cast in undisclosed roles. [6]

Production

Development

On December 9, 2020, DreamWorks Animation announced that a film based on the Captain Underpants spin-off graphic novel series Dog Man was in development, with Peter Hastings attached to direct after his experience with Dav Pilkey's works from The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (2018–20). [7] On January 29, 2024, following the release date announcement, DreamWorks announced that Karen Foster would serve as producer. [2]

On September 17, 2024, with the release of the first trailer, Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, Billy Boyd, and Ricky Gervais were revealed to be part of the film's voice cast. [4] [5]

Animation

On October 6, 2023, the film was confirmed to be released in 2025, while it was also confirmed that Dog Man and Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie would be animated entirely at partner studios (excluding Sony Pictures Imageworks who was named as the animation partner for The Bad Guys 2 ). [8]

Unlike Captain Underpants, which was animated by Mikros Image and Technicolor Animation Productions, the film's animation is handled by Jellyfish Pictures, who previously did the animation for DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019) and Spirit Untamed (2021), along with marketing custom animation for Trolls World Tour (2020) and providing additional production assets for The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021), The Bad Guys (2022), and Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024). Nate Wragg serves as production designer. [9]

Music

The film's score was composed by Tom Howe. [10]

Marketing

In May 2024, it was announced that Jakks Pacific and its costume division Disguise entered into a partnership with Dav Pilkey to make merchandise based on the Dog Man film along with the comic book series. A book featuring the art of the film was released on December 10, 2024, published by Abrams Books. [11] On September 17, 2024, the film's first trailer was released. [4] [5]

Release

Dog Man is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on January 31, 2025. [2]

As part of Universal's long-term deal with Netflix, the film will stream on Peacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, before moving to Netflix for the next ten, and returning to Peacock for the remaining four. [12] [13]

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References

  1. "DreamWorks' Dog Man Animated Movie Fetches 2025 Release Date". Animation Magazine. January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Grobar, Matt (January 29, 2024). "'Dog Man' Movie Based On Books From 'Captain Underpants' Creator Set For 2025 Release From Universal And DWA". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  3. 1 2 @Dreamworks (December 4, 2024). "RINGGG! 📞 This SUPA SQUAD answered the call! Watch this paw-some 🐾 cast ROOOMBA into theaters January 31! 🎟️🔥" (Tweet). Retrieved December 5, 2024 via Twitter.[ non-primary source needed ]
  4. 1 2 3 4 Maison, Jordan (September 17, 2024). "Meet Dog Man in First Trailer for Animated Film". Cinelinx. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Weiss, Josh (September 17, 2024). "Dog Man: Captain Underpants Spinoff Starring Pete Davidson Fetches First Tail-Wagging Trailer". SYFY Official Site. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  6. "Instagram".[ non-primary source needed ]
  7. Milligan, Mercedes (December 9, 2020). "DreamWorks Developing Dav Pilkey's 'Dog Man' as Animated Feature". Animation Magazine.
  8. Amidi, Amid (October 6, 2023). "Dreamworks Shifting Away From In-House Production In Los Angeles; Sony Imageworks Is A New Production Partner". Cartoon Brew . Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  9. Taylor, Drew (September 17, 2024). "'Dog Man' Director Explains the 'High-End Handmade' Visual Style of the 'Captain Underpants' Spinoff - Exclusive". TheWrap. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  10. Reporter, Film Music (October 1, 2024). "Tom Howe Scoring DreamWorks Animation's 'Dog Man'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  11. Foster, Elizabeth (May 14, 2024). "JAKKS Pacific Bites Into Upcoming Dog Man Movie From DreamWorks/Universal and Dav Pilkey's Global Bestselling Book Franchise for Toys and Costumes". Markets Insider . Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  12. Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  13. Moon, Mariella (July 14, 2021). "Netflix extends exclusive rights to Universal's animated films in the US". Engadget . Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2021.