Evidently, there is a super-pet—or there really should be every great superhero. The main lesson from the animated family film DC League Of Super-Pets is buried behind all the explosions, humor, booming music, superhero daring-do, and mega-star voices like a Kryptonite bone. Jared Stern, who co-wrote the screenplay with John Whittington, accomplishes a near-impossible task by making a movie that is fun for adults taking children to the movies, fantastic for children, and almost ideal for parents who are also huge DC fans.
Stern consumes a lot of convincing explosions along with amazing, vibrant, and detailed graphics as well as subtle visual inside jokes and Easter eggs. Additionally, DC League Of Super-Pets deserves to be shown on the greatest screen possible in a movie theater rather than just being a random direct-to-DVD release.
The story begins on Krypton just before it is destroyed, partly based on the Legion of Super-Pets, who made their debut as a team in Adventure Comics #293 back in 1962. However, most of the individual characters had already been hinted at in earlier comic-book tales. Krypto, the baby Kal-dog, El’s jumps into the birthing matrix to join him just as the infant is going to be launched to safety and toward his future.
Clark Kent/Superman (John Krasinski) and Krypto the Super-Dog (now voiced by Dwayne Johnson) are best friends on Earth. Together, they achieve everything—from playing catch to rescuing the Metropolis residents. The more serious Clark’s relationship with Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde) becomes, the less time he spends with Krypto.
The Justice League members, including Batman (Keanu Reeves), Aquaman (Jemaine Clement), Green Lantern (Dascha Polanco), Cyborg (Daveed Diggs), Wonder Woman (Jameela Jamil), and The Flash (Marc Maron), are successfully captured and imprisoned at the same time (John Early). The neighborhood pet shop outcasts Ace (Kevin Hart), potbellied pig PB (Vanessa Bayer), vision-impaired turtle Merton (Natasha Lyonne), and squirrel Chip (Diego Luna) receive extraordinary powers as a result of the conditions despite Krypto’s efforts to rise to the occasion.
Then there’s Lulu (Kate McKinnon), the always-scheming hairless guinea pig, who seizes the opportunity to find Lex Luthor so they may remain bad guys for all time. Can the animals come to the rescue? Will Krypto and Superman ever get along? Is the mid-credits scene entertaining? We won’t reveal everything, so let’s go with probable.
Children should have no issue following the adventure that Stern condenses from what appears to be a confusing narrative, thanks to both the excellent animation and the excellent acting Stern coaxes from his performers. Due to COVID restrictions, Johnson and Hart were unable to record any dialogue together; nonetheless, their on-screen chemistry from their previous live-action roles still exists.
As Wonder Woman and Batman, Jamil and Reeves stand out, while Bayer is delightful as PB. However, Kate McKinnon is the star of the show. McKinnon does a fantastic job of capturing Lulu’s frantic energy and sheer desperation, ramping it up gradually as she gains her powers. Lulu is a basket case from start to finish.
Even though DC League Of Super-Pets is fantastic, it has a lot of violent, loud explosions that show the destruction of houses that unengaged bystanders probably live and work in. And at one point, a villain nearly kills a cherished Super-Pet by circling it with a metal pipe. DC League Of Super-Pets gives a barking good time at the movies for anyone who understands that it’s only make-believe, but these concerns are more significant for audience members with young companions.