PAW Patrol: The Movie

Out of lockdown and looking for a feel-good movie? If so, you will not be let down by the animated adventure PAW Patrol...

PAW Patrol: The Movie is the MPAA working definition of "mild peril," with what should be high-stakes disasters either handled with a puppy smile or so absurd that they just seem pleasantly silly.

Parents will appreciate the way the pups tackle problem solving, working together to make the best use of each character's talents.

While it's doubtful the humorless dirge of a movie will make enough of an impression to mold young minds in any lasting way, the critique of PAW Patrol is useful as an amalgamation of certain favorite Hollywood themes that ought to be retired.

This old-fashioned, G-rated animated children's film (young children, that is, not teens or tweens) does everything it intends to do. And does it well.

The film version feels most energized when it's amping up to sell toys: fetishizing the clicking of plastic into plastic, and supersizing the characters' armor and vehicles with a deranged zeal matched only by real police departments around the country.

It's a charming upgrade to one of the better TV shows for kids with crisp animation and an empowering message for our little ones while providing just enough for adults to enjoy and partake in the experience with their children as well.

The manner in which the pups are shown solving problems and working together is consistently to the fore, and the movie as a whole keeps holding steady and sweet throughout.

Yes, I am a grown man, I currently have no kids of my own and Im not ashamed to say that I enjoyed the PAW Patrol movie.

While PAW Patrol: The Movie is still a film focused first and foremost on entertaining children, even adults dragged to watch will end up having a worthwhile viewing experience.