DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS (2022) ***

The animated DC superhero movies produced by Warner Animation Group are usually just as good, if not better than their live-action DC Extended Universe counterparts.  In fact, The LEGO Batman Movie is my favorite comic book flick of all time.  While DC League of Super-Pets never comes close to matching those heights, it remains a solidly enjoyable superhero romp for kids and adults alike.  

When Superman (voiced by John Krasinski) proposes to Lois Lane (voiced by Olivia Wilde), it creates a rift with his pet dog, Krypto (voiced by The Rock).  Meanwhile, a demented guinea pig named Lulu (voiced by Kate McKinnon) acquires superpowers from a chunk of orange Kryptonite and sets out to take over the world.  After dispensing of Superman and the Justice League, she zaps Krypto of his super-strength with some Kryptonite hidden inside a cheese wedge.  Krypto then turns to a ragtag group of superhero shelter animals led by Ace (voiced by Kevin Hart) to help save Metropolis.  

There are a few genuine laughs here, but not nearly as many as I had hoped for.  If you go in expecting the satire of The LEGO Batman Movie or Teen Titans GO! To The Movies, you might be a little disappointed.  While we do get a little of that here and there, this is more or less aimed squarely at kids.  It’s basically The Secret Life of Pets, except with capes and superpowers.  

If anything, the celebrity voices are perfectly cast.  In fact, you might find yourself wanting to see them appearing in a live-action movie all their own, minus the wisecracking canines.  Keanu Reeves steals the show as Batman.  I can only hope we see more of his version of the Caped Crusader in the near future because he’s far and away the best thing about the flick.  I also enjoyed hearing Marc Maron as Lex Luthor (although it might’ve been funnier if Maron had just been playing a thinly veiled version of himself).  It’s McKinnon though who gets the best line when she sees the League of Super-Pets assembled for the first time and quips, “What is this?  Paw Patrol?”