PAW PATROL

1/2

G, 90 minutes. Lisbon.

Sometimes low expectations are a blessing. No one will walk into “Paw Patrol: The Movie” expecting Pixar-level quality. And they’re not going to find it either (nor is it good enough to warrant taking an unvaccinated member of the target audience — in other words, any 5-year-old — into a movie theater when it is also available to stream through Paramount Plus). It is, however, a better movie than it needs to be, with some neat visuals, an outstanding score and a story that, while simple, is well told. Based on the television show that your kid adores and you can’t stand, “Paw Patrol” starts off in Adventure Bay, a community that has defunded its public services to the point that they are now performed by those who will work for kibble and scratches. Five puppies, guided by human preteen Ryder (voice of Will Brisbin), provide protection and rescue services to fully grown people who seem fine with the situation. The de facto lead puppy is police dog Chase (“Young Sheldon’s” Iain Armitage), a German shepherd with soulful eyes and a dogged (sorry) sense of duty. When recurring antagonist Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo) steals an election and becomes mayor of nearby Adventure City, the group heads out on a road trip to prevent the chaos they’re sure will ensue. However, Chase is hesitant; it seems Adventure City was where Ryder rescued him, and the dog’s memories of the place aren’t good ones. While there, the pups link up with Liberty (Marsai Martin), a dachshund who’s a big fan of the group and provides the kind of low-to-the-ground intel only a wiener dog can. The key to the movie’s success is that it takes itself just seriously enough; there’s nothing snide and nothing too cheesy.

— Kristen Page Kirby, The Washington Post