The most famous dogs of today have just got stronger. Yes, the Paw Patrol comes out mightier in the new flick, running in cinemas. They got super-sized in the movie, their second outing as a feature film since Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie.

The heroic canines from Nickelodeon’s popular kids’ TV series are very close to the hearts of kids of today. Led by Ryder, a ten-year-old boy, the problem-solving puppies are seen rescuing humans, as they usually do on TV. Chase, a police dog, is the team leader; Marshall drives a fire engine while Skye flies with a jet pack, making these three the most prominent. This time around, Paw Patrol have a new adversary, Victoria Vance, voiced by Taraji P. Henson. A mad scientist, Vance accidentally brings a meteor to Adventure City, which not only turns members of Paw Patrol into something Super but also alerts former Mayor Humdinger in prison, to come up with a sinister plan.

Much of the film’s running time of 93 minutes is taken up with heart-warming stories. Ryder helps Skye out as a kid, Liberty baby-sitting new puppies, while all forgetting and forgiving their friend, who has just brought trouble to them.

There are scenes that remind us of ‘super-hero’ movies; Skye crash-landing a plane on a city street, cleared by fellow pups, the Paw Patrol fighting a huge Humdinger and even the climax, when they take on Victoria Vance as if she was Thanos.

The new movie focuses on Skye and her traumatic back story. Like most of the kids watching, Skye is mostly depressed for its physical short-ness, yet the writer handles the situation cleverly. Liberty, another member of Paw Patrol, has to cope with her own lack of powers by training a trio of smaller prospective members of the Patrol, one of whom is voiced by North West, whose mum Kim Kardashian reprises her cameo role from the first film. Famous comedian/host Chris Rock makes a guest appearance as a talking kitten, comedian Lil Rel Howery appears as a television news anchor while tennis star Serena Williams is there for a few moments as a yoga instructor.

With the mighty pups enjoying their powers, Victoria along with Humdinger and his kitten Catastrophe clan, escape the prison to upstage the good guys. However, good prevails in the end. The family movie is educational, inspirational and entertaining. The way the pups handle pressure, tackle problems and work together to make the best use of each other’s talents, are lessons for everyone.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 4TH, 2023