PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie is a 2023 Canadian animated superherocomedy 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 TV series lent their voices to the film, 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 introducing Finn Lee-Epp in his film debut as Ryder. In the film, the PAW Patrol pups gain superpowers from the pups' crystals and must stop Mayor Humdinger and his new accomplice Victoria Vance from wreaking havoc in Adventure City.
The film was produced by Spin Master Entertainment and was distributed in Canada by Elevation Pictures while Paramount Pictures (under the Nickelodeon Movies banner) handled international distribution. 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 and the United States on September 29, 2023, to generally positive reviews from critics and was a financial success, grossing over $202 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
Meteor expert Victoria Vance steals a giant electromagnet from a scrapyard owned by Hank and Janet and sets the scrapyard ablaze. Janet calls the PAW Patrol pups, led by Ryder, for help, who subsequently extinguish the fire. Later one evening, the citizens of Adventure City, along with news reporter Sam Stringer, gather outside the PAW Patrol's headquarters as they wait for a meteor shower. In the abandoned observatory, Vance uses the stolen electromagnet to create her latest invention: the Meteor Magnet, which she uses to snatch a magical meteor. However, the attempt backfires, causing the meteor to head straight for Adventure City. Ryder and the PAW Patrol notice this and immediately warn the citizens before the meteor crash-lands, destroying their headquarters in the process. Vance is arrested for posting the video from the meteor incident, while the PAW Patrol take the meteor to the Aircraft carrier HQ to analyze it. That night, Skye is awoken by a strange glow emitting from the meteor. The meteor cracks open, revealing seven crystals contained inside, one of which attaches to Skye's pup tag, granting her the power of flight and super strength. Likewise, the rest of the pups gain their own powers except Liberty, who is assigned by Ryder to train the Junior Patrollers, with Ryder announcing the pups that they should be rebranded themselves as "the Mighty Pups".
Vance escapes along with Mayor Humdinger and the Kitten Catastrophe Crew to steal the crystals. They sneak over to an airport where they find and board Humdinger's private airplane. During the flight, they set a trap by destroying one of the plane's engines and calling the PAW Patrol afterwards. Skye engages Vance, Humdinger and the kittens in a battle, but ends up losing her crystal to the gang. They quickly parachute out, leaving Skye trapped in the plane as it loses control. With the airport too far away, Ryder has the pups clear Main Street to make a runway for Skye. Once there, she lands the plane for a rough landing. Distraught over losing her crystal, Skye reveals to Chase that she was the runt of her litter as a baby and nearly abandoned in a drafty winter barn when all the other puppies got adopted by potential families. She nearly froze to death in the snow while trying to follow Ryder, but Ryder miraculously saved her from hypothermia by turning around and wrapping her in his coat. One night, Skye decides to take the pups' crystals to attempt to retrieve her crystal. However, she becomes trapped in a force field, allowing Vance to steal the rest of the crystals. Upon waking up and discovering the crystals missing, the PAW Patrol fight against Humdinger, who has used one of the crystals to grow into a giant. Delores almost gets stepped on by Humdinger but is saved by Liberty. Thanks to the Junior Patrollers' intervention, Marshall retrieves one of the crystals from Humdinger, who is arrested again.
The PAW Patrol arrive at Vance's observatory. The Junior Patrollers distract her by pretending to be scouts as Zuma frees Skye from captivity. The pups fight her by passing one crystal from pup to pup. Amidst the battle, Chase falls off a cliff but is saved by Liberty, who finds her power to be elasticity. The pups manage to defeat Vance (who is then arrested once again), destroy the Meteor Magnet, and get all the crystals back. When more meteors head straight for Adventure City due to Vance having used the Meteor Magnet again previously, the pups give their crystals to Skye. Skye flies into the air and destroys the meteors. When a huge meteor heads straight for Adventure City, she goes in for one final burst of strength, managing to destroy the meteor before it hits Adventure City. However, the impact knocks Skye unconscious, and then she falls into the ocean which kills her, but is revived by the power of the crystals. The PAW Patrol along with the Junior Patrol congratulate Skye for her heroism. Ryder and the PAW Patrol continue to live their lives in Adventure City.
Voice cast
Mckenna Grace as Skye, a heartening 7-year-old Cockapoo is the main protagonist of the movie who serves as the team's aviator with her Mighty Pup power of flight and super strength. Grace replaces Lilly Bartlam from the series and the first film.
Taraji P. Henson as Victoria "Vee" Vance, a meteor expert who collaborates with Mayor Humdinger.[6]
Marsai Martin as Liberty, a spirited long-haired Dachshund who served as a member of the PAW Patrol in Adventure City and the mentor of the Junior Patrollers with her Mighty Pup power of elasticity. Martin reprises her role from the first film.
Christian Convery as Chase, an independent 7-year-old German Shepherd who served as a police pup with his Mighty Pup power of super speed. Convery replaces Luke Dietz from the series and Iain Armitage from the first film.
Mayor Humdinger, the PAW Patrol's arch-nemesis from Foggy Bottom and ex-mayor of Adventure City who escapes from prison and teams up with Victoria Vance.
Cap'n Turbot, an animal expert and one of the PAW Patrol's friends and most frequent callers.
Lil Rel Howery as Sam Stringer, a news reporter for Adventure City News Network.
James Marsden as Hank, the owner of J & H Metal Scrapyard and Janet's husband.
Kristen Bell as Janet, the co-owner of J & H Metal Scrapyard and Hank's wife who takes care of a pet goldfish named Bruce.
Finn Lee-Epp as Ryder, a 10-year-old boy who served as the leader of the PAW Patrol. Lee-Epp replaces Kai Harris from the series and Will Brisbin from the first film.
Christian Corrao as Marshall, a cuddly 6-year-old Dalmatian who served as a firefighting pup with his Mighty Pup power of fireballs. Corrao replaces Kingsley Marshall from both the series and the first movie, as well as reprising his role from the series.
Luxton Handspiker as Rubble, a wisecracking 5-year-old English Bulldog who served as a construction pup with his Mighty Pup power of a wrecking ball. Handspiker reprises his role from the show Rubble & Crew and previously voiced Rex from the Dino Rescue sub-series in Season 7 and replaces Keegan Hedley from both the series and the first film, and Lucien Duncan-Reid from the series.
Nylan Parthipan as Zuma, an energetic 5-year-old chocolate Labrador, who served as the aquatic rescue pup, with his Mighty Pup power of turning his body into water. Parthipan previously voiced Al from the Big Truck Pups sub-series and replaces Shayle Simons from both the series and the first film, and Jordan Mazeral from the series.
Callum Shoniker as Rocky, a clever 6-year-old mixed-breed dog who served as the team's recycling and handyman pup, with his Mighty Pup power of magnetism. Shoniker reprises his role from the first film.
Kim Roberts as Mayor Goodway, the Mayor of Adventure Bay.[10]
Monique Alvarez as Carmen, a worker at Tony's grocery store.
Stephanie Belding as a computer voice
Production
Development
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, and Christina Aguilera and released as singles on September 8, 15, and 22, respectively.[18]
Release
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 animated CGI 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] 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
A line of action figures and toys by Spin Master was released in August 2023.[26]
As of January 7, 2024[update], PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie has grossed $65.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $137 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $202.2 million.[5][4]
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.[28] It fell 48% to $11.2 million in its second weekend, finishing second behind newcomer The Exorcist: Believer,[29] and then made $7 million in its third weekend.[30]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 49 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. 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."[31]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.[32] 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.[28]
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."[33] 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."[34]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."[35]
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."[36] 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."[37] Jake Wilson of The Age criticized the film for its rehashed plot.[38]
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.[41][42]
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