In its consistent yet incidental use of crisis and conflict in the narrative, animated films, mostly misjudged as ludicrous, are actually driven by a steady exploration of human nature and connection. While we see robots, talking animals, cyborgs, and humans pitted against each other, we are also made to understand why they are entertained as equals. The moral vision and concerns of animated films are reflected mostly in their rhetoric. Directed by Peter Hastings, Dog Man is a recent addition to that tradition.
Spoilers Ahead
How is the Dog Man born?
In Ohkay City, populated by both humans and animals, Police Officer Knight and his loyal dog, Greg, are in pursuit of the evil Petey the Cat. They are tasked with defusing the bomb planted by the villain cat atop a warehouse. However, as they cut the wrong wire, the bomb detonates. Back in his secret lab, Petey the Cat seems to have unlocked the secret strengths and weaknesses of Knight and Greg. While Knight has an agile body, he is mentally dull. Similarly, Greg’s weakness is his body as a dog, but his quick intellect makes him brainier than Knight. Petey knows that them combining their skills would result in an end to his domination. The sudden explosion severely injures Knight and Greg, where either loses their weakest body segments. The injury, however, compels the doctors to stitch their strongest body elements together. A new figure is born with the body of Knight and the head of Greg, named “Dog Man.”
Dog Man proves to be a bugbear to Petey, whose actions, instead of getting rid of the two individually, accidentally led to the birth of a super cop. Petey is a supremely inventive nemesis; he has made every attempt to destroy this hybrid with his inventions. When his assistant leaves him on account of being unpaid, Petey realizes the importance of having someone who would mirror his evil thoughts and wretched values. He orders a cloning machine but it spits out a little cat, a junior version of Petey, who cannot stop calling him ‘Papa,’ much to his chagrin.
Why is Petey the Cat so cynical?
The antagonistic discourse surrounding Petey is built around his frank proclamations of villainy and cynical assertions of self-justification. When little Petey befriends Dog Man and starts living at his house, Petey sniffs him out using his own invention, the 80 HD. As they walk back to their home at night, the little clone tries to point out the little wonders of the world, like the twinkling stars and the beauty of the river under the moonlit sky. To Petey, this is all sugar-coated nonsense and sounds like something Dog Man is meant to prattle on about. He lives with the understanding that he is meant to be inflicting harm and wrecking havoc.
Petey’s behavior can be explained by the cruel behavior meted out to him by his father in his childhood. He mirrors the behavior of the only masculine figure he’s ever been close with. Therefore, the child’s goodness comes across as baffling to him. When Petey asks why Petey Jr. is so unlike him despite being designed to be a clone, the child replies that maybe he is the clone of the unexplored part of Petey. The kid suggests that they should set out to find Petey’s father. In an attempt to heal Petey’s unresolved childhood trauma, Li’l Petey brings back his grandfather. The cranky septuagenarian has not changed since he left young Petey and his mother. His return only gives more clarity to Petey in terms of any consideration of reconciliation.
How does the film make a commentary on the nature of evil?
In the film, the central intrigue of human nature is more vividly captured through the treatment of its villain, Petey the Cat. He advocates for a war against all do-gooders of the world, including Dog Man. Although Li’l Petey looks like an antithesis to him and an offspring of Dog Man, the child is not so far removed as we would imagine him to be. As much as he would like to stay forever embraced with his villainy, he unknowingly lets that go when Li’l Petey’s life is threatened by Flippy, the psychokinetic fish. Flippy’s inbuilt goodness meter flags the child as the goodest of all—Li’l Petey’s goodness even surpasses that of Dog Man. The flawed goodness of Dog Man and the unbounded yet equally faulty villainy of Petey join forces to rescue the child. Petey’s unresolved father issues are pointed out by Flippy as the former tries to distract him from going after his kid.
By the end of the film, it becomes clear that all the wrongdoings boil down to an absence of companionship and friendship. Li’l Petey helps Flippy determine the cause of his wickedness. In doing so, he causes a change of heart in him. Even Petey is awarded by the mayor as a do-gooder, much to his superficial annoyance.
On their way back home, Petey and Li’l Petey notice Petey’s father driving away in a truck. The entire lab has been cleared out by the old cat, and what he has left is the indication of the only thing that did not matter to him—Li’l Petey’s handmade comics. This is an eye-opening moment for Li’l Petey, who is forced to accept the truth that not all beings can have a change of heart for good. Evil exists in the same vein as good. Senior Petey’s departure might shatter the dream of a happy family but has spared the child a lifetime of heartbreak. The child is dejected and starts inhabiting the same cynical mindset passed onto him by his Papa. As a way to tend to his broken heart, Petey reminds him that evil is unavoidable, but that does not necessarily mean that the world is horrible.
In the end, Petey realizes that Dog Man has become an inextricable part of Li’l Petey’s life. His entire worldview hinges on the experiences of sharing his time with Dog Man. Therefore, the two decide to help Li’l Petey grow up.
