Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie: when talents are put at the service of others
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, directed by Cal Brunker and released in 2023, is the sequel to Paw Patrol: The Movie.
The “Search & Rescue” dogs, led by their loving and caring owner Ryder, a young boy who loves the puppies and trains them with patience and dedication, receive superpowers, thanks to a mysterious meteorite dust that has fallen on Adventure City. And so, they become Super Puppies.
Talents and gifts should be made available to others
The film shows us small but courageous protagonists, dedicated to community service. Even when they receive new superpowers, they do not think of using them for their own gain, but instead contrive to use them as generously as possible so that others can benefit.
The message is clear: everyone has something to offer, often people have different gifts but all are important. And the more we make our talents available to the community, the happier we will be.
The Paw Patrol have always had a mission to defend the city from danger, and now, thanks to these superpowers, they can carry out their task in an even more exemplary way.
However, if or when these superpowers fail, the ability to do good remains … and the film puts a lot of emphasis on this, showing that the greatest super power is knowing how to team up.
The message of the film: everyone has a different potential: let us recognize our own and each other’s uniqueness
Each of the little dogs on the team gets a different superpower: some can lift mammoth weights and some can shoot fireballs from their paws. Skye, the smallest dog, is happy to finally have a super power, that of flying. In fact, she has long felt perpetually at a disadvantage compared to her companions because of her age, smaller stature, and puny physique.
Often, on the most demanding missions, she had been left at home: the team did this to protect her, yet she suffered because she would have liked to be more useful, to do more for the group and the city.
The super power she received will allow her to be more involved in the most arduous tasks, but more importantly, she will have a chance to prove that, with or without superpowers, no one is too small, no one is insignificant: everyone can make a valuable contribution in a team or community….
Evil harms first and foremost those who do it
The film’s antiheroes are Mayor Humdinger, who escapes from prison (where he had ended up in the previous film) and a mad, evil scientist, Victoria Vance. This woman and the evil mayor become allies in trying to take over the meteor powers that the Puppies have, in order to become Super Villains.
They have no interest in the community and see the power of the meteorite as a tool to enhance themselves. It is this blind claim to greatness that will make them infinitely small….
Why see it? A family film suitable for even the youngest children
Paw Patrol is a family-friendly film, suitable for even the youngest children. There are no scenes that scare very young viewers (the villains are presented in an almost ridiculous way), and the plot is easy to follow. Instead, the simple but valuable messages are designed for both adults and the little ones. The latter should be taught – while adults should be reminded – that it is much nicer to serve than to enslave, that life is fuller when spent for others, and above all that no one is useless, not even if seemingly more fragile than others.