Those irresistibly cute PAW Patrol puppies are back in their second feature film, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.
In their new film, opening September 29, a meteor crash lands in Adventure City. Its crystals give the pups special powers, and transform them into The Mighty Pups.
However! There are villains afoot who wish to steal these crystals for their own nefarious purposes.
Kids love PAW Patrol for many reasons: the bright colours, adventures with a bit of danger, and the message that no one is too small to help someone else.
The animation studio behind the PAW Patrol movies, Montreal-based Mikros Animation, understands what makes the characters resonate with children. They were careful to take these qualities and apply them to the upgraded Mighty Pups.
Adrien Montero, modelling supervisor, talks about the challenges of new costumes. "[The costumes] had to show how the whole PAW Patrol had improved," he says on the Mikros website. "They needed to be cooler, more complex, but also practical! [We] didn’t want to design a nice costume that wouldn’t allow pups to move."
Upgraded special effects were also a large component of the film. Executive Producer Laurence Vacher says the FX department became one of the largest departments at the studio.
"The director really wanted to elevate the visual quality," says Vacher, "and the show now included a lot of special effects since the heroes now had superpowers."
The Montreal-based studio worked with two international teams, one based in Paris and the other in Bangalore, India.
Staff featured on the Mikros website say that once the time differences were sorted out, the collaboration process went smoothly.
With an 85% Tomatometer score, it looks like the Montreal animation studio has created a new family favourite with the beloved puppies.
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie opens at Stettler's Jewel Theatre on September 29, and runs until October 5. Check jeweltheatre.ca for showtimes before arriving at the theatre.
See you at the movies!
Ruth