Watch: 'Dog Man' brings Dav Pilkey book to life as animated film

"Dog Man," a spinoff of "Captain Underpants" featuring the voices of Pete Davidson and Lil Rel Howery, opens in January. Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
"Dog Man," a spinoff of "Captain Underpants" featuring the voices of Pete Davidson and Lil Rel Howery, opens in January. Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Universal Pictures is teasing the new film Dog Man.

The studio shared a trailer for the movie Tuesday featuring the voices of Pete Davidson and Lil Rel Howery.

Dog Man is based on the graphic novel series by Dav Pilkey. The series is a spinoff of Pilkey's Captain Underpants graphic novels, which were previously adapted as a 2017 film and a 2018-2020 Netflix series.

Dog Man is an animated adaptation from DreamWorks Animation. The film follows the titular Dog Man, "a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner" who are fused together in "a hairbrained but life-saving surgery" after they are injured on the job.

"As Dog Man embraces his new identity and strives to impress his Chief (Howery), he must stop the pretty evil plots of feline supervillain Petey the Cat (Davidson). Petey's latest plan is to clone himself, creating the kitten Lil Petey, to double his ability to do crime stuff. Things get complicated, though, when Lil Petey forges an unexpected bond with Dog Man," an official synopsis reads.

Pete Davidson voices Petey the Cat in "Dog Man." File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Pete Davidson voices Petey the Cat in "Dog Man." File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

"When Lil Petey falls into the clutches of a common enemy, Dog Man and Petey reluctantly join forces in an action-packed race against time to rescue the young kitten. In the process, they discover the power of family (and kittens!) to bring even the most hostile foes together."

Lil Rel Howery attends the Los Angeles premiere of "The Out-Laws" in 2023. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Lil Rel Howery attends the Los Angeles premiere of "The Out-Laws" in 2023. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

The voice cast also includes Isla Fisher as TV reporter Sarah Hatoff, Poppy Liu as Petey's assistant Butler, Stephen Root as Grampa, Billy Boyd as Sarah's cameraman Seamus, and Ricky Gervais as Flippy the fish.

Dog Man is directed by Peter Hastings (The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants) and opens in theaters Jan. 31, 2025.

Isla Fisher attends the Vanity Fair Oscar party in 2022. File Photo by Chris Chew/UPI
Isla Fisher attends the Vanity Fair Oscar party in 2022. File Photo by Chris Chew/UPI