Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…it’s a man? No, wait, it’s a dog. Or is it some sort of…Dog Man? Wait, hold on, he’s a cop too?
After hitting a home run withThe Wild Robot, which is all-but-assured to sweep the animated categories of the upcoming awards season,DreamWorksalready has their next project lined up withDog Man. DreamWorks first film of 2025 will be the second time the animation giant has collaborated withDav Pilkey- a legend in children’s books and the creator of the massively popularCaptain Underpants. Being the story of a crime-fighting cop who is half-man and half-dog,Dog Manis about as far opposite as you can get fromDreamWorks' other 2025 film,The Bad Guys 2.
After a tragic accident puts a rookie cop and his dedicated canine companion in critical condition, some of the mad scientists at the nearby hospital decide to take a page out ofRoboCop. Their experiments lead to the ultimate creation of crime-fighting - Dog Man, who’s half dog, half man, all hero. Wondering when you can see DreamWorks' latest anthropomorphic hero embark on a new adventure? Read below to find out everything you need to know aboutDog Man.
6When Is ‘Dog Man’ Coming Out?
Dog Manwill be barking his way into theaters when DreamWorks' newest film debuts on August 16, 2025, capping off an unusually packed January for theatrically released feature films. That’s particularly true for the horror genre, as not only willDog Manbe opening the exact same day asJack Quaid’s mysterious thrillerCompanion, January will also includethe Poohniverse’s next chapterPeter Pan’s Neverland Nightmareand Blumhouse’s modern reinvention ofWolf Man. Other notable January entries areRobbie Williams' unique biopicBetter Man, the buzzy awards season thrillerSeptember 5, andMel Gibson’s tense psychological thrillerFlight Risk.
5Where Can You Watch ‘Dog Man’?
Dog Manwill indeed be playing in theaters, which makes perfect sense considering that DreamWorks has finally found its box office groove again. While things stumbled for the animation giant a bit withthe poor box office performance ofRuby Gillman: Teenage Kraken, their other installments likeThe Bad Guys,Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, andThe Wild Robotwere huge critical and financial successes. The animation studio is also reportedly hard at work on more installments intheir wildly popularShrekandKung Fu Pandafranchises.
As for a potential streaming release at a later date, the most likely contender would be Peacock, since DreamWorks is also affiliated with NBCUniversal. However, DreamWorks has also partnered with other streaming outlets like Netflix and Prime Video to release some of their films. For example,Dog Man’sspiritual predecessor,Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, is currently streaming on Netflix.
4Does ‘Dog Man’ Have a Trailer?
The official trailer forDog Manshows how an average police officer became a dog, man. Things go awry when an officer and his canine companion, Greg the Dog, fail to stop a bomb from exploding in the city. One trip to a hospital run by mad scientists later, and Greg and his human companion are fuzed into the mighty Dog Man, who soon becomes a new heroic symbol for this fair city. This is much to the chagrin of the criminal mastermind, Petey the Cat (Pete Davidson), who vows to destroy Dog Man, so the canine humanoid can’t dash his dastardly plan any longer. After being tasked by his angry police chief (Lil Rel Howery) to put a stop to Petey’s reign of terror, Dog Man chases the bone of crime to save the day.
3Who Stars in ‘Dog Man’?
Dog Man plays himself in his big-screen debut, and he has a pretty stellar ensemble cast backing him up. The Joker to Dog Man’s Batman is none other than Pete Davidson as the fittingly named Petey the Cat. TheSaturday Night Livealum is no stranger to voice-over work, having previously starred inTransformers: Rise of the BeastsandTales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Also in the lead cast is Lil Rel Howery as Dog Man’s grumpy police chief, which is pretty perfect since theFree Guystar recently appeared inPAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.
The cast ofDog Manalso includes:
2What Is ‘Dog Man’ About?
The official(and surprisingly spoiler-heavy)plot synopsis ofDog Manreads as follows:
When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve—and fetch, sit and roll over.
As Dog Man embraces his new identity and strives to impress his Chief, he must stop the pretty evil plots of feline supervillain Petey the Cat. Petey’s latest plan is to clone himself, creating the kitten Lil Petey, to double his ability to do crime stuff. Things get complicated, though, when Lil Petey forges an unexpected bond with Dog Man.
When Lil Petey falls into the clutches of a common enemy, Dog Man and Petey reluctantly join forces in an action-packed race against time to rescue the young kitten. In the process, they discover the power of family (and kittens!) to bring even the most hostile foes together.
1Who Is Making ‘Dog Man’?
The crew behindDog Manis somewhat fascinating. Leading the chargeas director and writer isPeter Hastings, who hasn’t directed a feature film since 2002’sThe Country Bears. Still, he is well-versed in the worlds of animated comedy, having previously written over seventy episodes of one of the best animated shows ever made,Animaniacs. Hastings is also reportedly writing the film’s screenplay, based on the works of prolific children’s book author Dav Pilkey.Dog Manwill also feature the talents ofHow to Train Your DragonproducerKaren FosterandPuss in Boots: The Last Wishproduction designerNate Wragg.
Dog Manpremieres exclusively in theaters on Friday, June 20, 2025.
Dog Man, a fusion of a police dog and his human partner, battles Petey the Cat and his clone, Lil Petey. When Lil Petey befriends Dog Man and is captured by a common enemy, Dog Man and Petey join forces, discovering that family can turn enemies into friends.
