DC League of Super-Pets review: A lively, ludicrous look at DC’s furrier side

The purpose of animal sidekicks in superhero stories is to offer comic relief and a way to make more toys. At best, they might get a plot line where they’re ignored and underestimated by a villain, right up until they save the human heroes from their latest predicament. Warner Bros.’ new animated theatrical feature DC League of Super-Pets embraces those tropes while putting an entirely new spin on them: a plot driven by an evil animal sidekick who wants to salvage a supervillain’s thwarted plan. That clever twist on a silly concept drives a surprisingly sweet and funny movie that’s absolutely packed with rapid-fire jokes designed to appeal equally to pet-lovers and DC Comics diehards.

Kate McKinnon disappears into the role of Lulu, a literal guinea pig for Lex Luthor’s fiendish experiments at his company Lexcorp, which caused her to lose all her fur and seemingly imbued her with super-intelligence. Lulu is taken from her captivity by Krypto (Dwayne John), an Kryptonian dog who has the same powers as Superman (John Krasinski), and she seeks to carry on the Luthor’s (Marc Maron), plot to acquire superpowers. The shockingly successful plan also gives powers to four shelter animals, who are trying to rescue Metropolis from the clutches of fate.

Image by Warner Bros. Entertainment

Lulu can be described as a mix between feminism and sex. Animaniacs’ megalomaniacal mouse The Brain and Luthor, who she views as her mentor and colleague. The two of them share the same disease: baldness as a result of an error in an experiment. Her misplaced affection makes her the perfect enemy for Krypto, who’s questioning his own devotion to Superman as the hero starts spending more time with Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde). Krypto was a part of Superman’s canon from the 1950s. DC League of Super-Pets provides a particularly sweet new version of his origin story, depicting him as a family puppy so desperate to protect baby Kal-El that he leaps into the infant’s escape rocket and licks away his tears as they fly to Earth together.

Dwayne John brings that same charm and sincerity to his role, which has been a standard in family movies. As Superman, Krasinski matches that attitude; this take on the Big Blue Boy Scout only wants what’s best for everyone. When he discovers that Krypto has assembled an animal team to rescue him, Superman’s reaction isn’t relief for himself, but joy that his dog finally made some friends. With such adorable enthusiasm, he explains it to the Justice League. He then reveals the distant, brooding versions of himself in Superman is Back and the DCEU films, it’s refreshing to see such a lighthearted version of the character on the big screen.

His optimism comes from the fact that while he may be the Last Son of Krypton, in this version of his story, he’s never alone. As Kal-El’s parents note when Krypto squirms his way into the rocket, “Our boy will need a friend.” But while Superman has found love with Lois and companionship in the Justice League (who Krypto dismissively calls “work friends at best”), Krypto has a dog’s-eye view obsession with his owner as the only meaningful person in the world. Krypto may try to fit in with other dogs — which he hilariously does by putting on a pair of glasses and assuming his secret identity, “Bark Kent” — but he doesn’t find a lot to talk about when most of their adventures consist of eating their own vomit and biting the FedEx guy. He is jealous of Superman and feels resentful when his super-owner takes care of anyone else.

Accepting change and embracing the power of friendship are hardly novel themes for a children’s movie, but director and co-writer Jared Stern presents them with the genuine sweetness of a Toy Story film, complete with charming musical montages like Krypto and Superman repeatedly saving the day set to Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend.” The theme of having faith in yourself is executed more clumsily, as the newly minted Super-Pets each get their own half-baked arc.

Image by Warner Bros. Entertainment

Their de facto leader, Ace (Kevin Hart), who has a tragic backstory perfectly matched to Batman (Keanu Reeves), takes on the Dark Knight’s standard role as foil to Superman; he’s a more jaded, more worldly wise counterpart to Krypto’s boundless enthusiasm. Ace the Bat-Hound’s comic debut happened at the same time of Krypto’s, but Stern and co-writer John Whittington are largely charting their own course for the rest of the animal crew, which may be why they’re so much less resonant.

Chip (Diego Luna), a neurotic squirrel, is at most innocuous. It is loosely inspired by the Golden Age DC character, The Terrific Howzit. Merton, a nearly blind tortoise, is distractedly voiced. Russian Doll’s Natasha Lyonne playing the same character she always does, but with her expletives bleeped out. PB (Vanessa Bayer), a savage, pot-bellied pig that has a grating voice as well as a Wonder Woman obsession is worse. (In one of the film’s deeper DC cuts, the character was inspired by Wonder Pig, from a one-off episode of Justice League Unlimited.)

It is difficult to find empowering moments for these characters that the writers can fit in. The other side, however, is a great read. Super-Pets’ creators successfully save time by breaking down the rest of the Justice League into comic archetypes, like Aquaman (Jemaine Clement), who enthusiastically gobbles up fish food when held captive in a tank, and Cyborg (Daveed Diggs), who’s a walking joke about the shortcomings of technology. Stern and Whittington were previously writers together. The Lego Batman Movie, so unsurprisingly, they bring the same level of tough love to Reeves’ beautifully melodramatic Batman.

Like with The Lego Batman MovieThe best part about DC League of Super-Pets is the writers’ intimate knowledge of and love for the source material, which they use to keep the movie moving with clever gags and even more brilliant callbacks. A highlight is an inexplicable holographic recording of Krypto’s father, Dog-El, dispensing important counsel like “Don’t eat chocolate.” There are a lot more gags for in-the-know comics fans, like a Justice League hotline asking callers to press buttons based on whether they’re trying to contact Earth-1 or Earth-2, and a Big Belly Burger in downtown Metropolis that gets wrecked in the fighting.

Image by Warner Bros. Entertainment

Also, it’s possible to tap into the superhero world. DC League of Super-Pets to avoid the gross-out humor that too often drives children’s movies. Stern plays with those expectations via Lulu’s kitten lieutenant Whiskers, who’s been transformed into a living arsenal capable of generating weapons from her body. She starts to hack up hairballs during her fight against the Super-Pets but ends up throwing out a bomb, which she then laughs at her enemies. This is definitely a kids’ movie made for adults, with dark jokes like TV coverage of Luthor’s arrest featuring the astonished caption “Wealthy person actually goes to jail.”

DC League of Super-Pets The film is stunning visually, with breathtaking scenes that range from Krypton’s dramatic destruction to the towering skyscrapers in Metropolis. The fight scenes are dynamic and well choreographed, particularly the Justice League’s initial takedown of a version of power-armor-wearing Luthor where the stakes of the conflict keep changing.

Popularity of superhero movies among teens and adults has led to the genre taking on more mature themes. It’s refreshing to see the joy that can be brought back to comic book stories when they’re just dealing with simpler stuff and can lean into earnest heroes and maniacal villains. DC League of Super-Pets isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s a perfect way for DC Comics fans to introduce their kids to their favorite characters and their adorable and surprisingly competent sidekicks.

DC League of Super-PetsOpening in Theaters: July 29, 2009.