The idea of making these shelter pets become the superheroes – it feels very fresh and fun
DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS IS A STAR-STUDDED SUPERHERO FILM WHERE FURRY FRIENDS SAVE THE DAY. STAR VANESSA BAYER AND DIRECTOR JARED STERN AND TELL RACHAEL DAVIS
ACTION-PACKED animated superhero film DC League of Super-Pets tells the story of Krypto the Superdog and Superman, who are the very best of friends.
They have the same powers – flight, X-ray and heat vision, freeze breath and super hearing – and fight crime in Metropolis side by side as team-mates.
However, when Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped by Lex Luthor and an evil hairless guinea pig called Lulu, it’s down to Krypto to rescue his owner and restore order in the city.
There’s only one minor snag: he’s lost all his powers.
Krypto knows nothing about being a ‘normal’ dog, including how to befriend other four-legged critters – but now they’re the only hope he has. He turns to a rag-tag bunch of shelter animals – Ace the hound, PB the pot-bellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel – who have suddenly found themselves to be the most powerful animals on the planet after they were struck by orange kryptonite.
With their new powers (or lack thereof), the newly formed League of Super-Pets sets out to defeat Lulu and get Krypto’s best friend back.
Written and directed by The Internship and The Lego Batman Movie writer Jared Stern, in his theatrical directorial debut, DC League of Super-Pets is side-splittingly funny and fun for the whole family.
Boasting a cast that includes Dwayne Johnson [Krypto], John Krasinski [Superman], Kevin Hart [Ace], Keanu Reeves [Batman], Vanessa Bayer [PB], Natasha Lyonne [Merton] Marc Maron [Lex Luthor] and Kate McKinnon [Lulu], the movie is as much an induction for children into the world of DC as it is a superhero blockbuster in its own right.
“Our goal was definitely to make this movie for everybody,” says director Jared.
“We made it to make ourselves laugh. Some of us have families, and some of us don’t, so obviously we want kids to love this. And for many of them it’ll be their first entry into DC, which is so fun.
“We made sure that it was great for kids, but we also wanted it to be cool for adults bringing their kids to watch the movie, and not have to feel like, ‘ugh, I have to sit through this’, but to feel like ‘awesome, I get to sit through this’.
“We also wanted teenagers and adults without kids to just have fun and go see a superhero movie that’s just as fun as the other ones, the many other ones that they’ve been loving.”
Making a film that is genuinely funny and entertaining for both adults and children is no mean feat.
It’s a task Jared took very seriously, and he describes striking that humour balance as “the hardest thing to do”.
“I actually don’t think of it as like: ‘OK, this one’s for kids, and this one’s for adults’. I’m trying to always make it work on all levels as much as possible. And that’s really hard,” he says of the creative process.
“The best jokes are the ones that everyone just thinks are funny, an adult and a kid can laugh at. Those are my favourites, those are the hardest.”
Thankfully, according to Emmynominated Saturday Night Live legend Vanessa, 40, Jared and his team have really pulled it off.
“I feel like all comedy has the same basic principles to it,” says Vanessa, who voices PB, the adorable pig with a huge heart. “Even though this is an animated film, and a lot of kids will enjoy it, I think there’s a lot of stuff in it for adults because they did a really good job of not only writing so much comedy into this movie, but also casting people who are so deeply funny.”
The phenomenal cast, whose CVs include The Matrix movies, The American Office, Saturday Night Live, the Jumanji franchise and Orange Is The New Black, is certainly a feather in the cap of League of Super-Pets.
“We were incredibly lucky to get this great cast,” says Jared. “I think we had a good movie, a fun idea – I think it’s fun for people. You know, it’s fun when you’re Keanu Reeves and you get to be Batman, John Krasinski, you get to be Superman. He’s like: ‘I’m finally cool to my kids!’ Who wouldn’t want to play in that sandbox as an actor?
“There’s a reason they’re huge stars: it’s because they’re incredibly talented and charismatic and lots of people follow them. But most importantly, they were right for these roles.”
What also makes the film special, according to Jared and Vanessa, is its sensitivity and unique approach to the genre.
“We all have seen these superhero movies which are so fun, and so exciting, but the idea of making these really sweet pets, these shelter pets, become the superheroes ... these pets that have been overlooked their whole lives, really coming together to save the day – I think that’s such an interesting thing,” says Vanessa. “It feels very fresh and very fun.”
“What makes it special is that it’s about pets with superpowers, not just people who are Kryptonians,” Jared adds. “That was our driving thing, because there’s so much superhero content, much of it amazing, and we love it. But it was like: ‘OK, if we’re making this one, how do we make it stand out? How do we make it special?’
“And we tried to really put ourselves in our pets’ shoes, they don’t wear shoes, but in their paws...
“What is it like to be a pet? What’s it like to be a pet who’s been powerless in the shelter, and then you get powers, but you’ve never had them before?
“I think by getting into the specifics it made it even more special. And also, hopefully universal, because we all go through the same emotions.”
Getting into the psyche of pets is what led Jared and his team to the defining spirit of the film. Behind the jokes, comedy, action and superpowers is a relatively simple message, an understanding of the most important superpower of all.
“We realised that dogs have this superpower that’s more important than flight, or heat vision, or freeze breath,” Jared says, “and that’s that dogs love unconditionally.
“It’s the purest sense of love, and maybe that’s actually what makes for a great hero.”
DC League of Super-Pets is in cinemas now