‘Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie’ Review: Capitalism Can’t Stop These Pups From Delivering a Heartfelt Dino Adventure
There is a joke from Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie that went, “They got new powers, new uniforms, and new merchandise. To all the parents out there, I’m sorry.” That joke made every parent at the screening look like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining. But that didn’t stop Nickelodeon and Spin Master from making a third Paw Patrol movie to churn out that merchandise. Based on the checks notes sub-series Dino Rescue within the Paw Patrol universe (how many sub-series does this franchise have?!), The Dino Movie arrives following the “kids love dinosaurs, right?” trend, capitalizing on Jurassic World’s billion-dollar box office.
It’s a big week for dinosaurs, as this film opens right next to The End of Oak Street. Initially, I was going to say, “If Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor running from homicidal dinosaurs is too intense for your tots, see Paw Patrol as a fine family diversion,” but this “threequel” follows the same blueprint. These pups are always on the brink of death, but darn it, while that same formula is straining, I keep finding myself endeared by their thoughtful stories well-suited for its toddler audience.
Image copyright (©) Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
MPA Rating: PG (for mild action/peril.)
Runtime: 1 Hour and 28 Minutes (88 minutes)
Language: English
Production Companies: Spin Master Entertainment, Nickelodeon Movies
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Director: Cal Brunker
Screenwriters: Cal Brunker, Bob Barlen
Cast: Mckenna Grace, Carter Young, Rain Janjua, Jameela Jamil, Jennifer Hudson, Terry Crews, Fortune Feimster, Bill Nye, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Ron Pardo, Meredith MacNeill, Henry Bolan
U.S Release Date: August 14, 2026
After rescuing a rich family (Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg as the parents) from a yacht fire, the Paw Patrol find themselves caught in a storm and wash up on an island inhabited by dinosaurs. There, they meet Rex (Hayden Chamberlen), a confident and helpful paraplegic pup who has dinosaurs as his pets and pals.
The dogs see this as a scientific breakthrough and invite archaeologists (Fortune Feimster and Jameela Jamil), reporter (Jennifer Hudson), and scientists (one voiced by Bill Nye) to the island to conduct research. But their rival, Humdinger (Ron Pardo), fresh out of prison, spots the island on the news. He seizes the opportunity to exploit its crystal resources for profit, hiring a dynamite expert named Alistair Stonewall (Terry Crews) and trapper Harper Cutlass (Meredith MacNeill) for his scheme.
Another Paw Patrol adventure, another pup desperately in need of therapy.
Mckenna Grace as “Skye”, Rain Janjua as “Chase”, Hayden Chamberlen as “Rex", William Desrosiers as “Rocky”, Henry Bolan as “Ryder”, Lucien Duncan-Reid as “Rubble”, Carter Young as “Marshall”, and Nylan Parthipan as “Zuma" in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie from Paramount PIctures and Spinmaster. | © 2026 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Dino Movie follows a similar rubric, and the effort in a functional story is looser in structure, marinating on the pups vibing with Rex and his dinos on the island until their sole adversary, Humdinger, becomes relevant to the plot. I nearly bumped into the screen because he’s a riot; I kept giggling over his uncaring diva attitude and persona. Unbeknownst to the pups, most of the havoc stems from Humdinger’s hubris, like the dino stampede and a climactic volcanic eruption.
The character wheel lands on the clumsy firefighter pup Marshall (Carter Young). He becomes self-conscious about his “clumsy pup” status. While he’s composed and heroic in his efforts, his accident-prone nature becomes a burden.
The previous entries’ returning writers, Cal Brunker and Bob Barlen, have no reason to apply these mental health and self-image issues to these dogs. Despite Marshall’s arc being less intuitive than Skye’s (Mckenna Grace) imposter syndrome and Chase’s (Rain Janjua) trauma, it still maintains a respectable sophistication. Voice actor Carter Young (known for voicing Miles in Spidey and His Amazing Friends) got me choked up with how passionately he portrays this poor dog’s insecurities.
It’s nice that these movies address mental health and self-esteem – topics and feelings that kids should explore. I imagine it would help them better understand themselves. However, Marshall’s arc is 1:1, something Paw Patrol has seen before, and I think kids might catch on to the repetition.
Seriously though, these dogs need therapy. Why do these movies spend so many tax dollars on building industrial mech and machines for these baby doggos and not use any of the budget to get them a psychiatrist? Not only for their mental health but also for their trauma, because this is an intense movie.
The pups may be selling toys, but at least they know how to stage a rescue.
Carter Young as “Marshall” and Hayden Chamberlen as “Rex" in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie from Paramount PIctures and Spinmaster.
On Dino Island, director Cal Brunker and the Montreal-based Mikros Animation pull off surprisingly intense and gratifying action set-pieces. With every first-responder search-and-rescue cue, they amplify the spectacle to new heights. These puppies and the people they rescue are knocking on death’s door. Though they sacrifice story for CONSUMERISM, there’s epic scale and scope for the kids, with fine suspenseful cues that even the last few Jurassic World entries lacked. Chris Pratt and Scarlett Johansson wish they could tame T-Rexes, ride them like horses, and treat them like dogs.
While I (finally) found myself as an “old adult critic without a kid” at my family-oriented press screening, the toddlers were locked in. And you know, if a kid ain’t vibing with a movie, they’re running around a theater raising hell. But they were watching Dino Movie like their own big blockbuster spectacle, cheering (or howling) as the dogs do by the end.
If you’re a parent who can turn a blind eye to blatant consumerism, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie still has enough heartfelt, heroic first-rescue missions to entertain the tots. It’s yet another fine high-scale Paw Patrol feature for the fam.
