Paw Patrol is a highly successful TV show that many children around the world love. So why wouldn’t Paramount and Nickelodeon capitalise on this and expand it into a successful film franchise too? The first of these movies was released in 2021, to great success. So naturally they made a follow up, this time following the trend and adding an element of superheroes to the story.
Victoria Vance is an evil genius who has developed a machine able to capture asteroids from outer space to harvest them for the rare materials. However, the machine malfunctions and the rock hurtles into Adventure City, destroying the Paw Patrol’s home base.
All is is not lost, though, as Skye quickly discovers the rock’s material can give people superpowers. So, one suit-up scene later, they all become superheroes, except for Liberty who has to stay behind as the new found superpower elements don’t seem to work on her.
This film does an interesting job at showing different narratives throughout. It swaps mostly between Skye and Liberty’s troubles. Skye getting superpowers means she no longer feels small and has more significance within the team. However, contrasting to this, Liberty has been demoted to a babysitting the Junior Paw Patrol Pups and no longer gets to go on missions with the other heroes.
I actually found the deeper side of this film played very well. Many ‘kids films’ today are either far too wacky or really one-dimensional for the characters to have any level of depth. But there are actually some touching moment within the origin scenes for Skye, which will keep the parents interested, and won’t bore the children – which is hard thing to do successfully with such a young fanbase.
The entire cast do a great job. Especially as most of the cast are all young voice actors. I thought the scene Kim Kardashian was was at least enjoyable. It had no bearing over the general plot and will fly over most children’s heads, but the parent’s will probably get a chuckle out of it.
Another thing this film does really well, is the overall storytelling. It’s very fast-paced, with a lots of action all the time. However, unlike many other films I’ve seen in the cinemas, at no point did any of the hundreds of children in the room get overly restless or uninterested. As well as this, it isn’t ‘too fast-paced’, as to miss key plot points or detract from the overall viewing experience. And as far as children’s films go (and films in general), this movie surprisingly great soundtrack that has quite a few great singers on it.
There are few things that you can knock within the latest instalment in the Paw Patrol movie franchise, as i feel it serves its purpose. The thing that I felt needed a comment, was how the film itself spends too much time talking about Liberty and Skye’s troubles to the point where it loses some of the novelty and excitement with the superpowers. I’d have liked to have seen more of the team as superheroes, as we’ve seen with movies such as Justice League, introducing a team of heroes and making them all feel individually interesting and different. Especially when most of the film after they get the superpowers, focuses on the ‘power-less’ characters.
As always with children’s films directed at early school age, all that really matters is that it plays towards what the children who would want to see this film and parents having 90 minutes quiet time. And, much like the last movie (and Cal Brunker’s other films), this Paw Patrol sequel delivers. It may not win animated film of the year, but it will definitely take the kids’ film of the year for me.
★★★½
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie is now playing in theaters
