DC’s League of Super Pets
The spotlight is on the four legged friends of the most famous DC superheros in this animated adventure.
Krypto (Dwayne Johnson) the Super Dog loves his life as Superman’s (John Krasinski) pet. But when Superman and Lois (Olivia Wilde) start getting serious, Krypto fears his relationship with his owner and only friend will be tainted. When evil Guinea Pig Lulu (Kate McKinnon) takes out Superman and the rest of the Justice League, however, and also removes Krypto’s powers, he must make new friends with a team of superpowered pets. Together, Krypto, Ace (Kevin Hart), Chip (Diego Luna), Merton (Natasha Lyonne) and PB (Vanessa Byer) must find the Justice League and rescue them, stopping Lulu in the process.
DC’s League of Super Pets isn’t breaking any new ground in the superhero genre by any stretch of the imagination. You could plot this one out blindfolded with two hands tied behind your back. But that’s not to say it isn’t a good bit of fun throughout.
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart are, of course, the heart of this piece. Their real life and live action banter translates perfectly to their respective animated super pets. Hart in particular brings a lot of warmth, humor and engagement to his role, and it helps bind the film together. The other standout is Natasha Lyonne’s Merton; a slow turtle who gets super speed. She has a series of hilarious one-liners, and across the board all of the laugh out loud moments are hers.
Two roles, however, are quite standout, and for the wrong reasons. Keith and Mark are two guinea pigs working for the villain; one ice, and one fire. In the Australian version, the characters (voiced by Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz in the US version) are voiced by Julia Morris and the Bondi Vet. Their performances are truly terrible, and their voices completely incongruent with the rest of the cast. It’s a baffling decision that verges on single handedly destroying the entire film.
Ultimately, there’s plenty of animated action, a range of jokes, and a plot that is heavy on the friendship vibes. For the kids in the audience, it will satisfy, and there’s enough for the adults to latch onto for the slightly overlong runtime.
