The League of Super-Pets
Summary: Krypto, Superman’s super-powered dog, has lost his powers just as Superman needs his help the most! In comes a band of misfit pets who have suddenly gained superpowers and together they will rescue the man of steel and learn about friendship along the way.
Warnings: Beyond the expected cartoon violence, there were two issues that stand out. The first is that the Turtle is bleeped out several times. A child might overlook this the first time watching it, but it will definitely become a question later, forcing parents to discuss that the turtle’s language was so bad that you can’t even know what it’s saying. Which is frustrating considering the creators of the film could have simply skipped this poor joke altogether. The second warning is that the movie very blatantly lets the viewer know that Lois Lane spends the night with Superman already (and is expected to do more once she and Superman are finally engaged). As a parent who does not think it is okay to teach my young children that ‘hooking up’ before marriage is okay, this was another big red flag of revulsion. Finally, there is a bit more potty humor than I appreciated.
Opinion: As a fan of superheroes in general, I wanted to like this film more than I actually did. The plot was very predictable, with the big climactic fight ‘sacrifice’ being very strongly foreshadowed. The animation was average, the music un-noticable, and the voice acting just alright. Finally, Batman fans will not appreciate how the Dark Knight is portrayed. He’s more of a parody of the character than anything.
Is there anything good? Several parts made me or my children laugh, and (except for the above warnings), it wasn’t a terrible film. Perhaps that’s damning with faith praise, but a family can do much worse. The themes are about not becoming jealous that your friend has room in his/her life for other friends, which is actually a theme that good (and fairly rare to see on the big screen). This same theme could also be extended to include children of broken families, when a parent gains a new spouse. Krypto gets jealous, but doesn’t lash out in anger, which is a positive role model as well.
Overall, I ended up deciding to recommend this, just not strongly. It’s mostly cute and forgettable, but it was still fun.
Sequels/Remakes: There are no sequels or tie-in media. There is a series called “Krypto the Superdog”, which also involves Superman’s dog, but it is not directly related to this version of the characters.
Educational Value: 1 out of 3 stars. Nothing educational in this film.
Cultural value: 1 out of 5 stars. Very skippable.
Age rating: This show is appropriate for ages 6 and older.
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