Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie is a 2023 Canadian animated action-adventurecomedy film based on the television series Paw Patrol created by Keith Chapman. The sequel to Paw Patrol: The Movie (2021), it was directed by Cal Brunker, who co-wrote the screenplay with Bob Barlen from a story by Brunker, Barlen, and Shane Morris. Several cast members from the main series reprised their roles, including Christian Corrao (voicing Marshall), Luxton Handspiker (voicing Rubble), Callum Shoniker (voicing Rocky), and Ron Pardo (voicing both Cap'n Turbot and Mayor Humdinger). They are joined by an ensemble voice cast including Mckenna Grace (voicing Skye), Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery (voicing Chase), Kim Kardashian, Chris Rock, Lil Rel Howery, Serena Williams, North West, Saint West, James Marsden, Kristen Bell, and Finn Lee-Epp in his film debut as Ryder. In the film, the Paw Patrol pups gain superpowers from crystals inside a meteor and must stop Mayor Humdinger and his new accomplice Victoria Vance from wreaking havoc in Adventure City.
The film was produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Spin Master Entertainment. It is the second film under the Spin Master Entertainment banner. Plans for a sequel began in August 2021 when Brunker stated that he was interested in making a sequel after its predecessor's success. Work on the film began when it was officially greenlit by Spin Master in November 2021, with a planned October 13, 2023 release date before being pushed forward to a September 2023 release, with Brunker returning to direct. The film features elements from the Mighty Pups sub-theme of the main show. Mikros Image in Montreal returned to provide computer-animation, while the musical score was composed by Pinar Toprak, replacing Heitor Pereira from the first film. Much of the main voice cast was announced in January 2023, following Henson's casting in May 2022.
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie was released in Canada by Elevation Pictures and the United States by Paramount Pictures on September 29, 2023, to generally positive reviews from critics and was a financial success, grossing over $205 million worldwide, against a production budget of $30 million. A third film is in development and scheduled to be released on July 31, 2026.
Plot
Two years after the destruction of the Cloud Catcher,[a] meteoriticist Victoria Vance steals a giant electromagnet from Hank and Janet's scrapyard, inadvertently setting a fire that traps the owners. Janet summons Ryder and the Paw Patrol pups to extinguish the fire.
At Adventure City, the citizens gather for a meteor shower, while Ryder introduces the Paw Patrol to Nano, Mini, and Tot, three Pomeranians who wish to be part of the team as Junior Patrollers. Meanwhile, Vance travels to an abandoned observatory and creates a Meteor Magnet from what she stole, hoping to attract an incoming magical meteor. The machine malfunctions, causing the meteor to head for Paw Tower. Ryder and the pups evacuate the tower, and help the civilians escape before the meteor collides with the tower and the street below it; the Paw Patrol take the rock to their Aircraft Carrier headquarters for analysis.
That night, Skye awakens as the meteor rock begins to glow. It splits to reveal seven crystals, one of which grants her the powers of flight and super strength. The other pups each take a crystal to gain powers themselves, but as Liberty seems to have no abilities, Ryder assigns her to train the Junior Patrollers.
Vance, having been arrested for public endangerment, escapes prison with Mayor Humdinger and the Kitten Catastrophe Crew. Inside Humdinger's private airplane, the group formulates a plan to trap the Paw Patrol, who have now re-branded as "the Mighty Pups". As Skye investigates, Vance steals her crystal and parachutes out of the plane with Humdinger and the kittens, leaving Skye behind. Ryder and the other pups clear Main Street so Skye can land the damaged plane.
Back at the Aircraft Carrier, Skye tells Chase that having superpowers was the first time in her life she did not feel like the smallest and weakest; having been born a runt, she was often overlooked, leading her to run off in a blizzard to join the Paw Patrol. Taking the other pups' crystals, Skye attempts to retrieve hers from the villains, but Vance, having acquired superpowers of her own, captures Skye and steals the rest of the crystals. After learning of what has happened, the Paw Patrol and Junior Patrollers fight and subdue Humdinger, who has used one of the crystals to grow into a giant. Marshall retrieves the crystal, and Humdinger is rearrested.
The Paw Patrol follow the crystal's signature to the observatory, where the Junior Patrollers distract Vance so Zuma can rescue Skye. The pups each take turns using Humdinger's crystal as they fight Vance. During the battle, Chase falls off a cliff, but Liberty rescues him, discovering her superpower is elasticity in the process. The pups retrieve the other crystals, subdue and rearrest Vance, and destroy the meteor Magnet; however, Vance has already attracted more meteors, which are now heading for Adventure City. The pups give their crystals to Skye, who flies into the air and destroys each meteor individually. A giant meteor enters the Earth's atmosphere, and Skye destroys it as well; she is subsequently rendered unconscious, but the crystals resuscitate her. She and the Paw Patrol celebrate together, and resume protecting the city.
Voice cast
Mckenna Grace as Skye, a Cockapoo who serves as the team's aviator with her power of flight and super strength. Grace replaces Lilly Bartlam from both the first film and the series.
Taraji P. Henson as Victoria "Vee" Vance, a meteoriticist who collaborates with Humdinger[6]
Finn Lee-Epp as Ryder, a 12-year-old boy who leads the Paw Patrol. Lee-Epp replaces Kai Harris from the series and Will Brisbin from the first film.
Christian Corrao as Marshall, a Dalmatian with the power of fireballs. Corrao reprises his role from the series and replaces Kingsley Marshall from both the first film and the series.
Luxton Handspiker as Rubble, a wisecracking English Bulldog with the power of a wrecking ball. Handspiker reprises his role from Rubble & Crew and replaces Keegan Hedley from both the first film and the series and Lucien Duncan-Reid from the series.
Nylan Parthipan as Zuma, a chocolate Labrador with the power to turn his body into water. Parthipan previously voiced Al from the Big Truck Pups sub-series and replaces Shayle Simons from both the first film and the series and Jordan Mazeral from the series.
Callum Shoniker as Rocky, a mixed-breed dog with the power of magnetism. Shoniker reprises his role from the first film.
Kim Roberts as Mayor Goodway, the Mayor of Adventure Bay[10]
In an August 2021 interview, director Cal Brunker stated that he was interested in making a sequel after the success of Paw Patrol: The Movie. He said, "We've certainly thought about it. There are other stories that we would be excited about telling. But for us, it's really about seeing if people love this one, and then taking it from there."[11] On November 3, 2021, Spin Master announced that a sequel, titled Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, had begun development, with Brunker confirmed to be returning in the sequel as director and Jennifer Dodge set to return as producer with the addition of Laura Clunie and Toni Stevens.[12]
The sequel features elements from the Mighty Pups sub-theme of the series, where a magical meteor crash lands in Adventure Bay and the pups transform into Mighty Pups with superpowers. It focuses on the story of Skye who is the smallest member of the team, exploring her new "powers" in Adventure City and featuring supervillains where they steal the superpowers from the Mighty Pups, determined to make the biggest difference.[12]
Jennifer Dodge, who produced the film sequel, said that she wanted to tell a deeper story that could resonate even stronger with kids and families worldwide. She added, "Judging by the exit polls, audience scores, and positive critical reception, everyone had as much fun watching it, and rewatching it, as we did making it. We’re looking forward to taking kids on a new adventure in the second film with our partners and can't wait to further expand our storytelling with one of the fan-favorite pups in our spin-off."[12]
In May 2022, it was announced that Taraji P. Henson would join the cast in a new role. After joining the sequel, she made the following statement: "I am so excited to be a part of the next Paw Patrol theatrical adventure. While I don't want to give too much away, my character in the film throws the pups some new challenges that they must unite to overcome. I think the film has a powerful message for kids that no matter how small they might be, they can still make a difference in their community."[6]
On January 25, 2023, Kristen Bell, Christian Convery, Mckenna Grace, Lil Rel Howery, James Marsden, Serena Williams, Kim Kardashian (reprising her role as Delores), Marsai Martin (reprising her role as Liberty), Ron Pardo (reprising his role as Mayor Humdinger), Callum Shoniker (reprising his role as Rocky), Alan Kim, Brice Gonzalez, North West, Saint West, Luxton Handspiker (reprising his role as Rubble from Rubble & Crew replacing Keegan Hedley from the first movie), Christian Corrao (reprising his role as Marshall from the show replacing Kingsley Marshall from the first movie), and Nylan Parthipan were added to the cast. Grace and Martin had previously worked together in Spirit Untamed.[13] During Paramount's presentation at CinemaCon in April, Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, previewed a trailer for Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie and revealed that Chris Rock will have a cameo in the film.[14]
Animation
On June 7, 2022, it was announced that Mikros Image in Montreal, who animated the first film, would return to handle the animation.[15]
Pinar Toprak composed the film's musical score, replacing Heitor Pereira from the first film.[16] The soundtrack album was released on September 29, 2023, the same day as the film's theatrical release.[17] Additionally, three original songs were announced to be made for the film: "Down Like That", "Bark to the Beat", and "Learning To Fly", performed by Bryson Tiller, Mckenna Grace with blackbear, and Christina Aguilera and released as singles on September 8, 15, and 22, respectively.[18]
Release
Theatrical
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie was theatrically released earlier in various European countries, including Portugal, on September 23, 2023.[19] It was released in the United States and Canada on September 29.[20] Unlike the first film, which was simultaneously released on Paramount+ in addition to a traditional theatrical release due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[21] the film was released exclusively in theaters.[22] It was accompanied by the short animated film Dora and the Fantastical Creatures from the upcoming preschool show Dora.[23] Upon the film's announcement, it was given a release date of October 13, 2023, in November 2021,[24] but in February 2023, it was pushed forward by two weeks to its current date.[20] however Other territories released the film in October 2023; the United Kingdom, for example, showed a special charity preview in aid of Medicinema on September 24, 2023, and had two weekends of advance preview screenings from September 30, 2023, before its wide release on October 13.[25]
Marketing
The film's trailer was released on June 12, 2023. A line of action figures and toys by Spin Master was released in August 2023.[26]
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie made its TV debut on Nickelodeon on July 19, 2024.[28]
Reception
Box office
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie grossed $65.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $139.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $205 million.[5][4]Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $114million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues, placing it tenth on their list of 2023's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[29]
In the United States and Canada, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie was released alongside The Creator, Saw X, and the wide expansion of Dumb Money, and was projected to gross $18–20 million from 3,989 theaters in its opening weekend.[3] It made $6.8 million on its first day, and went on to debut to $22.8 million, topping the box office.[30] It fell 48% to $11.2 million in its second weekend, finishing second behind newcomer The Exorcist: Believer,[31] and then made $7 million in its third weekend.[32]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 50 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie will be best enjoyed by its youthful target audience, but it's sweet, thoughtful, and funny enough to entertain the entire family."[33]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 49 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[34] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled at PostTrak gave it an 83% overall positive score, with 68% saying they would definitely recommend the film.[30]
Courtney Howard of Variety gave the film a positive review, writing, "With much humor and charm, this second chapter reads fairly well for all ages. It may not reinvent the wheel, but it certainly knows how to cleverly repackage and resell the goods."[35] Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing: "Skye's subplot will particularly resonate with young audiences, since she initially feels like her small size makes her the team's weakest link."[36]Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com gave the film three stars out of four, saying "Is it a worthwhile transition object to get children used to the thrill of seeing stories they love on a giant screen in a dark room? Of course, it is."[37]
Jesse Hassenger of IGN gave the film a 5 out of 10, stating: "PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie feels more like a legitimate feature film than its predecessor, but it's still well within the realm of distractor cinema rather than something parents would want to watch with their kids."[38] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a mixed review, writing, "Unfortunately, much of the film's running time is taken up [with]... the sort of typically mind-numbing action sequences stuffing adult live-action superhero franchises."[39] Jake Wilson of The Age criticized the film for its rehashed plot.[40]
On September 26, 2023, Spin Master announced that a third film is in development. On February 28, 2024, it was announced that Paw Patrol 3 will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.[46][47] In September 2024, it was announced that Jennifer Hudson and Fortune Feimster had joined the cast, with Mckenna Grace returning as Skye.[48]
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