Production
Development
In February 2025, a series of four shorts surrounding the character Krypto was announced. [5] The release of the DC Universe (DCU) film Superman led to an increase in dog adoptions as Krypto quickly became a popular character. [6]
Following the release of the first special, James Gunn confirmed that they are not canon to the DCU. [1]
Writing
The first episode was written by Ryan Kramer, who also directed it. [7] Each episode is themed around a specific season, with the second episode themed around Halloween, the third around winter and the fourth around summer. [8]
Superman appears in the series, marking his second animated appearance in the DCU after his appearance in the Creature Commandos episode "Chasing Squirrels" (2024). [9]
Design and animation
Krypto, like in the film Superman was modeled on Gunn's dog Ozu. His mannerisms were made to be the same as in Superman, such as having a single ear stick up. [7] His design is less smooth and more textured than previous iterations of the character, particularly in connection to the Cartoon Network series Krypto the Superdog (2005–2006). [9] Superman's design as Clark Kent is based on David Corenswet, his actor in the live-action film. [2]
The logo used the colors of Superman's suit, as well as his "S"-shaped emblem. Surrounding the emblem are shapes that represent Superman's trunks, as well as Krypto's collar. This design was praised by The Direct as it looked like the comics. [9]
Release
The first episode, "School Bus Scuffle", was released as a bonus feature alongside the digital release of Superman to promote the rest of the series, as well as on Fandango's website [7] and YouTube two days earlier, August 13, 2025. [10] [11] The second episode, "Halloween Havoc", released October 1, 2025. [12] At this point, it was assumed by sources such as The Direct that the remaining episodes would not reveal until 2026, but the third episode, "Package Pandemonium", released that November 28 for a holiday-themed episode. [3]
The remaining episode is set to release in 2026 [1] on YouTube. [13]
Reception
The shorts had received millions of views by December 2025. [4]
Sabina Graves of Gizmodo praised the continuity between the film and series versions of Krypto, expressing excitement that Krypto's mannerisms were the same as in Superman (2025). [7] Gillian Blum with The Direct said that the first episode felt like a one-shot comic. [9] Superman's appearance in the shorts gave hope to The Direct writer Klein Felt at the interconnected nature of the new DC Universe (DCU) franchise and for the canon to be maintained. [2] Nerdist praised the cartoon as a "cute cartoon adventure". [14]
Talking about the first special, SlashFilm called it "cute" and "funny". They likened the series to the Marvel One-Shots, self-contained stories which either answered questions or spent time with beloved characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Writer Rafael Motamayor was happy that the shorts expanded on the DCU without the feeling that they are necessary to understand the next installment of the franchise. [6] Similarly, IGN said that, "It doesn't come close to providing any earth-shattering DCU revelations, but it's a cute story that gives fans a few more minutes with one of the standout characters in Superman". [15]
The Direct praised the Christmas setting of the third special, saying it was "sure to make DC fans' Yuletide gay." [3] Writer Nathan Johnson particularly found it funny that Krypto chases Santa Claus at the end of the short. [4]
The Direct defended the existence of the specials at all, particularly due to their non-canon status to the DC Universe, from perceived fan questioning. They described the series as simply "fun little releases for children and hardcore fans" without having to stay within a strict canon. They also noted the possibility of expanding to other non-canon material, which they viewed as positive. The Direct also suggested that the series could be used as a tax write-off since the shorts were released on YouTube without a means of profiting off of them. [4]
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
