256. PAW Patrol; The Movie; movie review

 

 

PAW PATROL - THE MOVIE

Cert U

86 mins

BBFC advice: Contains very mild threat, rude humour, upsetting scene

Most parents with young children will already know of the Paw Patrol but for those who may not, I recommend this new film.

This is up-to-date animation combined with old-fashioned messages surrounding friendships and doing what is right.

Of course, its storylines are far from the real world but The Paw Patrol is simply intended to be stimulus for young imaginations.

So, as tempted as I might be to ask why a major city has no police force, ambulance crew or fire service and relies on a multi-tasking team of puppies led by a teenager, I shall refrain.

This is the first full-length Paw Patrol movie since the inception of the band of emergency responders in 2013 (anyone else spotted how the pups haven't aged in eight years?).

Cal Brunker's film follows them and their leader Ryder (voiced by Will Brisbin) after they are called to Adventure City to save it from the evil Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo).

Actually, by evil I mean an egomaniac whose trousers regularly fall down, revealing pink spotted bloomers.

People certainly don't die on the Paw Patrol's watch but they come mighty close. Indeed, there are potential disasters almost every minute but Chase (Iain Armitage) and co. are always on hand to save the day.

I haven't previously rated Paw Patrol very highly but I think the movie works and it might be a great platform for young children to begin a life of cinema adventures.

Reasons to watch: Vibrant cinema for young children

Reasons to avoid: Its bizarre storylines

Laughs: A couple of chuckles

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? There was a crew of 250 on the film with a team of about 60 devoted to the animation. Most of the work was done remotely since it took place during the Covid pandemic lockdown.

The final word. Cal Brunker: "One of the tools that we found early that worked well is that you can be intense for a little while, but then you’ve gotta let the pressure off with a joke or something. Just don’t stay too intense for too long. That seemed to be the trick." Cal Brunker

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