DreamWorks Animation’sDog Manis finally here, and the 2025 animated film is actually a secret sequel to a forgotten $125 million DreamWorks movie from eight years ago.Dog Manseems to be an all-new animated movie series from DreamWorks, with it being based on Dav Pilkey’s immensely popular book series of the same name. WhileDog Mancan be enjoyed as a stand-alone film, many potential viewers don’t realize that the film actually has a major connection to another forgotten DreamWorks film, with it actually being the second installment in the franchise.
Dog Manis one of the mosthighly-anticipated animated family movies of 2025, with the new DreamWorks film using a unique art style and wacky comedy in order to bring the book series to the big screen.Dog Mantells the story of a police officer and his canine companion, with the duo getting caught in a deadly explosion. The only way to save them is to sew the dog’s head on the police officer’s body, leading to the birth of the ultimate cop: Dog Man.Dog Man must face Pete Davidson’s Petey the Cat, setting up the newest DreamWorks Animation story.
Dog Man Is A Spinoff Of DreamWorks' Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Dog Man Is A Comic Series In The Captain Underpants Universe
Although the film’s marketing hasn’t made it explicitly clear,Dog Manis actually a spinoff of DreamWorks Animation’sCaptain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.Captain Underpants: The First Epic Moviewas released in 2017, with it adapting the beloved Dav Pilkey children’s book series by combining several stories and elements from the first few novels. Despite coming out less than a decade ago,Captain Underpants: The First Epic Moviehas been mostly forgotten. However,Captain Underpantscan still live on in the DNA ofDog Man.
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In the universe of theCaptain Underpantsbooks,Dog Manis an in-universe comic series written byCaptain Underpants' two protagonists, George and Harold. Despite being a fictional story within theCaptain Underpantslore,Dog Manbooks have been getting published since 2016, with there being 14 mainline entries in the series as of the writing of this article. Each of theseDog Manbooks is presented as if it was written by George and Harold in the universe ofCaptain Underpants, meaning that the movie may follow this rule too.
Will Any Captain Underpants Characters Appear In Dog Man?
George & Harold May Have Already Been Spotted
Since theDog Manbooks are fictional stories set within theCaptain Underpantsuniverse, it is doubtful that George, Harold, Captain Underpants, or any of the other characters will have a major impact on the story ofDog Man. OneDog ManTV spot does show two characters who look like George and Harold walking in the background as Dog Man drives by, although this is probably nothing more than an Easter egg.The cast ofDog Manalready has plenty of characters, and it wouldn’t make sense for anyCaptain Underpantscharacters to reappear in the story.
However, it is entirely possible that George and Harold could appear inDog Manas part of a framing device. Since George and Harold wrote theDog Mancomics, theDog Manmovie could utilize this.Dog Mancould open or close with George and Harold writing theDog Mancomics, with many other in-universeCaptain Underpantscomics pulling off this trick in the books. This would allowDog Manto acknowledge its connection toCaptain Underpants: The First Epic Moviewithout confusing audiences who didn’t see the original film.
Why Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Never Got A Proper Sequel
DreamWorks Didn’t Think It Was Successful Enough
Despite having a cult following,Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movienever got a proper sequel. The film was made surprisingly cheaply, withCaptain Underpants: The First Epic Moviehaving a budget of only $38 million. The film grossed $125.4 million, meaning that it undoubtedly made money. However, the film still did not meet DreamWorks' expectations, leading to them never greenlighting a properCaptain Underpantssequel.
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However,Captain Underpants: The First Epic Moviedid get a successor on Netflix. A 2D animated TV series titledThe Epic Tales of Captain Underpantsbegan in 2018 on the streaming service, with it running for four seasons and also getting several specials. NowDog Manis the next installment in the franchise, and some fans are holding out hopes that aCaptain Underpantssequel could happen if the spinoff succeeds.
