Dog Man: All Bark, All Bite

The story of the world’s favorite part dog part man shines in this action-packed adventure

Carson Coulon, Staff Writer

February 10, 2025

The official poster for “Dog Man.”

It’s a dog! It’s a man! No, it’s both! This previous weekend, the international best-seller Dog Man leaped from its colored comic pages to cinema screens.

The graphic novels, written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey (author of The Adventures of Captain Underpants) share the missions of Dog Man, a part dog part man super cop fighting his arch nemesis, Petey the Cat, and other foes. The first novel made its debut in 2016, paving the path for the following 12 stories.

Directed by Peter Hastings, the story of Dog Man is told in an exciting, entertaining and eye-catching way. The film follows the usual story of Dog Man as he fights Petey the Cat (voiced by Pete Davidson.) However, another cat, Lil’ Petey, enters both of their lives and changes the fighting-friends’ dynamic.

The film is more than just a cat and dog chase. Themes of good versus evil, family and love with a balance of action, suspense and emotion craft a thrilling 90-minute feature. The film emphasizes the impact of relationships on one’s character.

The film stayed true to Pilkey’s graphic novels with its fun and quirkiness. The animation was stunning with scenes that look like 3D comic book pages. Beautiful visuals popped from the screen and onto a path of light to the audiences’ eyes. This sensation evoked childhood nostalgia from days of make-believe fun.

Quirky dialogue and comedy enhanced the playful mood of the film. Ridiculously funny elements–including bathroom jokes galore–made the film perfect for young children (and in my case, teenagers as well).

“Dog Man” was an entertaining movie, but at some points the storyline was all over the place and it was hard to keep track of the different plots. However, in the end, it was simply an enjoyable family film for those who are familiar with Pilkey’s work, and those who aren’t. I for one, as a young fan of Pilkey’s, was excited to view the screen adaptation of one of my favorite books from elementary days and the film did not disappoint.

From the beginning until the end, “Dog Man” was absolutely amusing. Being able to enjoy an animated film like a child again–with glassy eyes and an imaginative mind–definitely made “Dog Man” worth a watch.

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About the Contributor

Carson Coulon, Staff Writer

Carson Coulon is a sophomore at Robinson and a Staff Writer for the Knight Writers. This is his first year on staff. Coulon's drive to join newspaper was fuled by his urge to create content that people actually want to read and be entertained by. "I wanted to create something interesting and unique," Coulon said. With a passion for preforming and entertaining, Coulon can be found preforming on his Trumpet during halftime shows and in the stands as a member of the Robinson band. While learning his instrument, he feels he has taken a lot more from the experience than just a knowledge of scales and valves. "I have gotten to learn discipline, hard-work and I've had a lot of fun," Coulon said. "I've got have a lot of experiences and meet lots of people through the band program I would have not been able to meet otherwise." As a military child, he has involved himself as a Student Ambassador in Robinson's chapter of Student 2 Student, a club dedicated to supporting military children and ease their transition to a new school as they arrive at Robinson. "It's a great club to unit different people and different backgrounds and just make new friends," Coulon said. In the coming school years, Coulon hopes to continue with the Knight Writers. He hopes to go to college for Writing and English, with several career paths in mind. His main dream is to be a screen writer or an author, with his second option be a literature professor on the college level. "I'd love to have the opportunity to share my own stories, espcially in cool more creative ways like in film or novels," Coulon said. As far as schooling goes, he sees himself attending the University of South Florida, the University of Florida or the University of Michigan. While studying, he hopes to further his musical career by marching on the collegiate level. A very family oriented person, the consideration of staying close to home and his parent's alma maters is important to Coulon. "USF is close to home. They have a great band and it's a great school. My dad went there, so that would be pretty cool," Coulon said. "Outside of the state, maybe the University of Michigan, because my mom went there. I've been there a couple of times and I really like it."