PG | 1h 28m | Adventure, Comedy, Family | 2026
Children’s entertainment has a fairly simple job: Give kids something fun to watch and make them laugh when you can. Then leave them with a few ideas about how to treat people and what kind of person to aspire to become.
That formula is hardly new. Family films in the past could be funny, sad, and/or completely ridiculous, yet they usually knew where they stood on right and wrong. There was value in giving children heroes who held on to those ideas when doing so becomes inconvenient.
Somewhere buried in many of us still lie the kids who want heroes to stick to their beliefs, help those in need, and do the right thing, even when it means going up against tremendous odds.
Rescue Goes Prehistoric
The PAW Patrol pups are already earning their kibble when the movie opens. They head out to sea with their young human leader, Ryder (Henry Bolan), to rescue someone aboard a burning vessel.The crew includes firefighter Marshall (Carter Young), police pup Chase (Rain Janjua), aviator Skye (McKenna Grace), construction specialist Rubble (Lucien Duncan-Reid), recycling pup Rocky (William Desrosiers), and water-rescue pup Zuma (Nylan Parthipan).
Their trip takes a major detour when a violent storm sends their ship onto a remote tropical island where dinosaurs are still very much alive and roaming.
They soon meet Rex (Hayden Chamberlen), a dog who’s spent years on the island, knows its prehistoric residents, and gets around with the help of a wheeled mobility device. Rex becomes their guide. As the pups begin exploring their new surroundings, Marshall becomes increasingly bothered by Rex’s tendency to make mistakes.
Plenty of Heart
Director Cal Brunker treats the island like an enormous rescue course built specifically for the PAW Patrol. Once the pups arrive, the usual calls for help suddenly range from small-scale rescues to full-crew operations.Rhubarb, a young T. rex who takes a liking to Marshall, is also a frighteningly efficient piece of cuteness. I suspect toy shelves across America are about to lose a lot of available space.
The animation makes good use of all that prehistoric real estate, especially when the pups are working around animals that can dwarf their vehicles. Brunker keeps everybody busy. The rescue work is easy to follow, even with several characters moving through the same sequences. The pace suits a film running around 88 minutes.
Marshall supplies much of the story’s drama through his fear that he’ll keep making mistakes and letting others down. Flashbacks of his past explain why getting back up became such an important part of who he is, and the filmmakers let that idea permeate his actions for much of the movie.
I must add that the PG rating does deserve attention. The volcano’s hazards, dinosaur stampedes, and dangerous rescue sequences put characters in some serious peril for a kid-targeted adventure, even though the action remains cartoonish.
One of the strongest qualities of “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie” is how well it incorporates themes of perseverance, courage, teamwork, and figuring out problems with others—all positive ideas that younger viewers can easily understand.
The dinosaurs themselves provide plenty of fun. Rhubarb is ridiculously adorable, while Marshall’s determination gives the story something inspiring for kids and adults to take home with them.
