Charlie the Wonderdog Review – Owen Wilson’s new animated superhero film is nothing to wag your tail about
At a time when many continue to nurse a superhero hangover after years of Marvel movies and the rebooting of the DC Universe, you need to be special to stand out among the pack. Unfortunately for Charlie the Wonderdog, Shea Wageman’s latest feature fails to scratch that sweet spot behind my ears. The film begins with an emotional Up-like opening, wherein we follow Charlie (Owen Wilson) from his early days as an adorable pup to the dreaded time when he’s clearly slowing down, his fur coarse and flecked with matted grey strands. The seven-minute journey is endearing, powerful, and devastatingly sweet, as we witness Charlie and his owner, Danny (Dawson Littman), grow up together, their lives and happiness intertwined. As an animal lover, the sequence moved me as thoughts of pets from years past flashed before my eyes, memories burning bright, then tucking them away for when I need them again. While watching the film, I remarked to my wife, ‘Is this movie going to murder my feelings?’ The short answer is yes, but not in the way I’d hoped.
No sooner than when Charlie the Wonderdog had me in a vice-like grip, my eagerness to be surprised and delighted by what was to come at an all-time high, it all fell apart. To find out why, we need to fast-forward to the moment when Charlie and Puddy, the cat that lives next door, are abducted by aliens. The sequence introduces us to an all-powerful race of squid-like extraterrestrials, whose ability to alter the fabric of reality and change the biological makeup of any creature appears boundless. While attempting to create the perfect pet for the alien queen’s petulant, ungrateful, and mean-spirited son, Charlie and Puddy find themselves changed. Puddy grows larger and more intimidating, gaining telekinetic abilities that let him manipulate objects and creatures (including humans) with ease. Meanwhile, Charlie inherits powers akin to Krypto, Superman’s canine companion, including flight, super-strength, and more. As a byproduct of the alien encounter, Charlie and Puddy can speak, allowing them to communicate with humans upon returning home after the alien child deems them unworthy of his company.
Charlie, because he’s “man’s best friend,” uses his newfound powers for good, effectively becoming a superhero overnight. His restored sense of purpose reawakens his zest for life, as the encounter with the aliens has also rejuvenated his youth, returning him to his prime. However, Charlie’s revitalization comes at a cost, as his new calling strains his relationship with Danny. Now that he’s a superhero, Charlie and Danny rarely spend time together, thereby removing one of the film’s strongest elements for roughly 2/3 of the film. While Charlie’s intentions are pure, his self-imposed sense of duty takes him away from Danny. Instead, it pairs him with President Rose (Tabitha St. Germain), a tech-deficient, impatient, opportunistic criminal, who also happens to be the leader of the free world. While kids will likely see President Rose as little more than a garden-variety villain, I, as a 45-year-old adult, cannot help but draw a direct line from Ms. Rose to He Who Shall Not Be Named. I cannot ignore the similarities, nor the fact that Charlie answers to Ms. Rose, even after her dastardly plan is exposed. Art imitates life, right? Ugh!
While President Rose offers little substance, Puddy takes center stage as the film’s primary villain. In addition to Puddy being overwhelmingly obnoxious, his motivations for world domination stem from every cat-hater’s complaints about my favorite animal. Straight up, Puddy is cat slander on four paws. Aspects of Puddy’s character elicit laughs, but mostly, the film goes out of its way to give cats a bad rap while portraying dogs as the superior species and companions. There’s also a bit where a dog who identifies as a cat gets mixed up in Puddy’s nefarious plans, but I don’t have time to pick that throwaway commentary apart.
Stepping away from the dog pile for a moment, I do have some positive things to say about Charlie the Wonderdog. The film’s visual presentation, in all of its Pixar-like glory, looks good. With particular attention paid to Charlie, Puddy, and the rest of the animal cast, the cats and dogs are well-articulated and creatively rendered, and they move throughout the film with fluidity. Moreover, Owen Wilson, who’s something of a golden retriever himself, does an admirable job as the voice of Charlie. Wilson plays Charlie with vibrant energy and sincerity, even if most of his dialogue is saccharine and straight out of a Golden Book for superheroes. Dawson Littman also brings childlike wonder and excitement to Danny, who, for most of the film, acts as the Lois Lane to Charlie’s Superman, minus the courtship, of course. If Ruairi MacDonald was hoping to make Puddy insufferable, mission accomplished. Then again, villains are often a tough sell. You’re supposed to despise them, to one extent or another. Puddy got under my skin, though it’s primarily due to the writers taking every opportunity to make cats out to be ungrateful, self-important companions.
The hardest part about all of this is that animation is my jam. I love it. It’s part of why JoBlo keeps me around. I’m the guy. I embrace animation in all forms, and I’m always willing to meet it where it’s at. I understand that Charlie the Wonderdog is for young children. I appreciate and admire how long it takes to make an animated film, and how hard the team works to bring something like this together. This position is also what makes Charlie the Wonderdog such a miss for me. I saw the glimmer of potential at the film’s start, and was excited to be surprised. As events pressed on, that elation dwindled, as the action felt ill-paced, I never laughed, and the human characters were completely oblivious. Even Danny’s mom, who was a scientist before giving birth to Danny, fails to put the pieces together that her own dog is the same one getting a medal of courage from the President of the United States. Then again, she’s also keeping an alien relic in her bottom desk drawer, but whatever. Domino masks, amiright?
It’s entirely possible that I’m a monster, and kids will find Charlie the Wonderdog a delight. The fact remains that this film is for them, and my yelling at clouds about story quality, lack of character engagement, and cat slander will likely fail to reach their tiny ears. I can only judge the film based on my personal experience, and there are a few things I dislike more than squandered potential. The talent is there. The art is there. Still, I can’t help but feel like Danny and Charlie’s relationship deserved more of the spotlight, instead of reducing it to a tightly coiled pile on the lawn, waiting for a plastic bag to come and put me out of my misery.
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