Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie is the sequel to the original Paw Patrol Movie, released in 2021. Although I wouldn’t call that movie great, it was a decent film that was harmless fun despite some so-so storytelling and lackluster character development. This time, the pups have acquired superpowers from a mysterious asteroid and go on an adventure more significant than they ever thought possible. Much like before, I wasn’t expecting anything outstanding from this film, seeing as this movie is based on a show for pre-K audiences. However, I kept my expectations balanced cause it's only fair to give this movie a chance. While watching this film, I found an adventure that, although safe and cliched, also had a few surprising elements that made the film arguably even better than the first.
The Paw Patrol Pups, Including Skye (Mckenna Grace), Chase (Christian Convery), Marshall (Christian Corrao), Rubble (Luxton Handspiker), Zuma (Nylan Parthipan), Rocky (Callum Shoniker), and the newest member, Liberty (Marsai Martin), have all gotten used to their new living situation in Adventure City. However, things go haywire when a mysterious meteorite crashes into the city. Skye, the smallest pup, discovers crystals in the meteorite that give her superpowers; soon, the other pups get their superpowers along with Skye and decide to help the city with their newfound abilities under the leadership of a 10-year-old boy named Ryder (Finn Lee-Epp). Little do they know that an evil villain named Victoria Vance (Taraji P. Henson) is after the super crystals to fulfill her evil plan of bringing down more meteoroids to crash into the earth. She reluctantly gets the alliance of Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo) to help her retrieve what Vance believes belongs to her.
The Story, once again, is bland, safe, and predictable. At the same time, it's also irresistibly cute. It also carries a few surprises that outdo what was done in the previous movie. The jokes are sweet and harmless like before, and the movie makes way for many cutesy moments that I admit did manage to bring out the little kid in me. It is a lot of fun to see the pups in action with their powers despite being short-lived throughout the movie (Except for Skye in this case). There are also side stories, including Liberty training the junior pups, which is cute and pays off later in the story. This time, instead of Chase, Skye is in the spotlight as the main character as she goes through her own character arc of being the smallest of the Paw Patrol pups and learns to accept herself for who she is. It is a rather cliched character arc, but it’s admirably well executed enough that it makes her journey earn some tugs at the heartstrings. Even though some parts of the movie may seem cliché and overused, I was surprised at how much Clichés this movie manages to dodge for a movie mainly aimed at very little kids. For one, the villain is not a sympathetic villain who changes for good at the movie's end, which has now become common in many children’s media. Also, the ending did catch me a little off guard. I won’t give too much away, but I can say it does involve the pup’s superpowers, and it didn’t end the way I felt a story like this would end. Overall, this Paw Patrol story is cute, harmless, and fun. Still, somehow, against all odds, it was an even more enjoyable ride that surprised me in many ways.
The Characters are more of the same, with a few newcomers to the cast. Mckenna Grace replaces Lilly Bartlam as Skye. Her character arc is the heart of the entire movie. While her journey is paint by numbers, her emotion, and voice acting really make a difference. It feels genuine, simple, and raw to the point that it earns many moments of sympathy. The rest of the pups, like Chase, Rubble, and Marshel, are sidelined to make room for Skyes' emotional storyline. This is similar to how Chase was the star in the last movie, and the other pups were sadly sidelined. It's a shame cause even though I admittedly like Skye and her character journey, it would also be nice if the other pups got more screen time to make the world of Paw Patrol feel more dynamic with their cute personalities. Ryder is played this time by Finn Lee-Epp. Like before, he is mainly there to play a supporting role but can pull off an emotional moment when the film calls for it. Victoria Vance played by Taraji P. Henson, honestly does a fair job as a decent, threatening villain who also has to reluctantly team up with Mayor Humdinger, played once again by Ron Pardo, which can lead to some well-timed comedic moments. The only disappointing thing about the cast is that they have some excellent voice talent like Kristen Bell and Chris Rock, and they are barely in the movie. Chris Rock only gets one speaking line as one of Hummdinger’s cats, and then he does not speak for the rest of the film, which is very wasteful of Rock’s talents. Despite that, the characters do a good enough job of playing their characters. They may lack complexity, but they make up in charm and adorableness.
The Animation is a step up from the last movie. The pups are more adorable than ever before. Their fur glistens with detail, and their wide-eyed expressions are downright precious. The human designs look much better this time than in the previous movie, most likely thanks to a bigger budget than last time. While some designs are cheaply made, most look much more appealing this time. Speaking of a bigger budget, the money is present on the screen as the backgrounds are more detailed than ever, and the action scenes, while far from revolutionary, are pretty spectacular for the most part. The animation showing off the pup’s superpowers is very cool, from Skye's ability to fly, Chase’s Ability for super speed, and Marshall's ability to control fire. Unfortunately, the superpowers are not on screen for very long, as most of the action is about the pups using their machines to do the work rather than their own superpowers. However, the few times seeing the pup’s superpowers are still quite exhilarating. Add that with a few impressive explosion effects, and you have a movie that visually outdoes its predecessor in almost every way.
The Music is composed by Pinar Toprak, the same composer who did the music for Captain Marvel. His score is good, with plenty of high-octane tracks that help match the wild action set pieces and bring enough mellow moments for the slower scenes. There is even a song called “Learning to Fly” performed by Bryson Tiller, Mckenna Grace, and Christina Aguilera. It’s an okay song and works well enough for Skye’s backstory. This score isn’t great, but its still plenty of fun despite its lack of memorability.
Like the previous film, it’s mainly targeted at a young audience. Still, it had many cute and endearing elements that even a grown man like myself found totally irresistible, from Skye’s sweet story of being the smallest pup to the strongest pup to the surprisingly well-executed villain Victoria Vance. Even seeing the pups being their cute selves while using their new-found super abilities for the time they are on screen is so much fun. True, the storytelling is far from unique as it is cliched and predictable. Also, some celebrity voice actors seemed wasted in their minor roles. Despite all of that, this is quite a fun and cute film that I have no problem admitting I kinda liked, even if I’m not necessarily a Paw Patrol fan.
(Final Grade: B)