Chase, Marshall, Rubble, Skye, Rocky, Zuma and Ryder. That’s right, the PAW Patrol. They’re back, and this time their adventures have led them to an island where dinosaurs roam.
Directed by Cal Brunker, who co-wrote the film with Bob Barlen, the latest big-screen adventure quickly introduces the pups to Rex (Hayden Chamberlen), a pup who’s been living on the island, befriending the dinosaurs and basically making the place his home. He knows the dinosaurs, knows the island and is more than happy to help the PAW Patrol navigate their new surroundings.
Of course, once word gets out about what the pups have stumbled upon, Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo), along with his evil brood of cats, comes up with a plan to exploit the island and steal its resources so he can make himself rich.
But come on, we all know Humdinger’s plans never go the way he expects. And whenever he’s around causing trouble, the PAW Patrol isn’t too far behind.
I really like these movies, and my girls love them. Each one has had a message that pertains to one of the pups. The first movie was all about Chase (Rain Janjua), the second centered on Skye (Mckenna Grace), and this one puts the spotlight on Marshall (Carter Young), the firefighter pup.
Marshall has always been the clumsy one. He trips, falls and usually causes some sort of chaos whenever the pups are getting ready for a mission. Here, that starts to weigh on him a little more. He wants to prove that he can be counted on when things get tough, especially when his friends are in danger.
It’s a simple message about determination, believing in yourself and never giving up, but that’s exactly the kind of thing these movies do well. And it always resonates, whether you’re a kid or a big, dumb adult like me.
I don’t know how they manage to crank these movies out every couple of years while still making them look this good, but the animation continues to be top quality. The island gives them a lot more to play with visually, with lush scenery, tons of scenes around the water and a whole bunch of dinosaurs.
There’s even an incredibly cute baby dinosaur named Rhubarb, who will probably sell approximately eight billion stuffed animals.
One thing my girls and I couldn’t figure out, though: Where the heck did Liberty go? She was a major part of the team in the last movie, and now she’s just… gone. Nobody mentions her. Nobody asks where she is. It’s like Liberty never existed. Maybe the dinosaurs ate her?
Liberty’s unexplained disappearance aside, this is another really fun PAW Patrol movie. It knows exactly who its audience is, gives the kids plenty of action and laughs, throws in a nice message without beating you over the head with it and gives the parents enough to enjoy while they’re sitting there with them.
But why listen to me? Take it from my girls:
Ella (9): It was so good. It was a dino movie, which I liked. My favorite character in this movie was probably either Marshall or Skye and Rhubarb, the baby dinosaur that stays with Marshall.
Sadie (7): I really liked it. It was really fun and the like dinosaurs were really cute, especially Rhubarb.
