Wait. Stop. If you’ve spent the last few years reading Dav Pilkey’s graphic novels to a kid until your throat was sore, you know this was inevitable. We finally have a movie. DreamWorks Animation is bringing the half-human, half-canine cop to the big screen on January 31, 2025. But here is the thing: the cast of Dog Man isn't just a bunch of random names thrown at a wall. It’s a surprisingly tight-knit group of comedy heavyweights.
Pete Davidson is Petey. Honestly, it fits.
If you were expecting a gritty reboot, you're looking in the wrong place. This is pure, unadulterated Pilkey chaos. It’s loud. It’s bright. It’s got that weirdly specific humor that makes eight-year-olds lose their minds. But for the adults sitting in the theater? The voice cast is basically a "Who's Who" of people you’ve seen on Saturday Night Live or in your favorite cult comedies.
The Big Names Leading the Dog Man Cast
Let’s talk about Pete Davidson first. He’s voicing Petey the Cat, the world’s most inept yet strangely persistent supervillain. Davidson has that specific, raspy delivery that makes Petey feel less like a dangerous criminal and more like a guy who’s just really, really tired of losing to a dog. It’s a departure from his usual live-action persona, yet it feels entirely on-brand for a cat who keeps accidentally creating his own worst enemies.
Then there’s Lil Petey. You can't have Dog Man without the heart of the story.
Lil Petey is being voiced by Isla Fisher. This is an interesting choice because Lil Petey—also known as 80-HD’s best friend—is the moral compass of the entire series. Fisher has that high-energy, bubbly tone that manages to stay sweet without becoming annoying. That’s a hard line to walk. If the voice is too sugary, the character becomes a caricature. Fisher keeps it grounded.
Lil Petey is the clone who decided to be good. He's the one who looks at a world of "bad guys" and "good guys" and asks why we can't just be nice. It’s the emotional core of the film.
The Supporting Players You’ll Recognize
- Lil Rel Howery as the Chief: The Chief is the glue holding the precinct together. Or trying to. Howery, known for Get Out and his massive stand-up career, brings that necessary "I’m too old for this" energy to the role.
- Poppy Liu as Butler: Liu is a scene-stealer. If you’ve seen her in Hacks, you know she can do a lot with a little.
- Stephen Root as Grampa: Look, Stephen Root is a legend. Whether he’s the stapler guy from Office Space or the terrifying guy from Barry, he’s a chameleon. Having him in this cast adds a level of prestige that DreamWorks loves to sprinkle into their projects.
- Billy Campbell as George Beard: Wait, George? Yes, George.
- Ricky Mabe as Harold Hutchins: And Harold.
If you’re a Captain Underpants fan, you know George and Harold are the "creators" of the Dog Man comics within the fictional universe. It’s a meta-narrative. The movie acknowledges that these characters are the ones drawing the story we are watching.
Why This Specific Cast Matters for the Fans
DreamWorks didn't just pick names for the sake of the poster. They picked people who understand timing. Animation is all about the "breath" of the performance—the pauses, the sighs, the accidental stammers. When you look at the cast of Dog Man, you see a group of people who come from improv and stand-up backgrounds.
🔗 Read more: The Reality of Sex Movies From Africa: Censorship, Nollywood, and the Digital Underground
That matters.
Dog Man isn't a silent protagonist, but he's not exactly Shakespearean either. He's a dog body with a human head. Well, vice versa. His communication is physical. The surrounding cast has to do the heavy lifting to explain the plot while Dog Man is busy eating the Chief's couch.
Breaking Down the Petey and Lil Petey Dynamic
The relationship between Pete Davidson’s Petey and Isla Fisher’s Lil Petey is the soul of the 2025 movie. It’s a father-son story, even if the "father" is a disgruntled feline and the "son" is a lab-grown clone.
There's a specific scene in the trailer where Petey tries to explain "evil" to Lil Petey. Davidson’s delivery is dry. It’s cynical. But you can hear the tiny crack in the voice that shows he actually cares. That’s why you hire an actor like Davidson instead of just a generic voice-over artist. You need that human vulnerability under the fur.
The Directorial Vision of Peter Hastings
You can't talk about the cast without talking about the guy telling them what to do. Peter Hastings is directing. This is the man who worked on Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain.
He knows zany.
Hastings has a history with the Pilkey-verse, having executive produced the Epic Tales of Captain Underpants series on Netflix. He knows the rhythm of these jokes. He knows that a joke about a toilet is only funny if the timing is perfect. By bringing in this specific cast of Dog Man, Hastings is leaning into a comedic sensibility that bridges the gap between the Millennials who grew up on Animaniacs and the Gen Alpha kids currently obsessed with the books.
Dealing with the Meta: George and Harold
One of the coolest parts of the casting is the inclusion of George and Harold. In the books, these two kids are the ones who "write" Dog Man. It’s a comic-within-a-comic. The movie seems to be leaning into this.
💡 You might also like: Alfonso Cuarón: Why the Harry Potter 3 Director Changed the Wizarding World Forever
By casting Billy Campbell and Ricky Mabe, the film maintains a tether to the wider "Pilkey-verse." It’s a nod to the fans who have been there since the Captain Underpants days. It’s a way of saying, "We know where this started."
What to Expect from the Performance Style
Expect loud. Expect fast.
The voice acting in DreamWorks films usually leans toward the kinetic. Think The Bad Guys or Kung Fu Panda. The cast of Dog Man is clearly encouraged to ad-lib. You can hear it in the way the lines overlap. There’s a messiness to it that feels intentional.
Dogs are messy. Kids are messy. This movie should be messy too.
Honestly, the most surprising thing about the cast is the lack of "stunt casting." Usually, these big animated features try to jam in a pop star or a TikToker who can't act. Here, everyone is a seasoned performer. Even Davidson, despite his tabloid reputation, is a remarkably gifted voice actor when he wants to be. He has a way of sounding bored and excited at the same time, which is the definition of a cat.
A Quick Look at the Main Roster:
The Chief is voiced by Lil Rel Howery. He’s the guy screaming.
Petey is Pete Davidson. He’s the guy scheming.
Lil Petey is Isla Fisher. She’s the one dreaming.
It’s a simple triad that works because the voices contrast so well. You have the deep, authoritative (but stressed) tones of Howery, the raspy mumble of Davidson, and the bright, high-pitched energy of Fisher. It’s a sonic palette that ensures kids won’t get bored and adults won’t get a headache from monotone delivery.
Why This Cast Might Save the Movie
Adaptations are risky. Fans are protective of Dog Man because the books are so personal to Dav Pilkey. He wrote them based on his own experiences with ADHD and dyslexia as a kid. The books are messy because his brain was messy.
📖 Related: Why the Cast of Hold Your Breath 2024 Makes This Dust Bowl Horror Actually Work
If the movie was too "perfect," it would fail.
The cast of Dog Man brings a level of grit. They aren't "perfect" voices. They have character. They have flaws. When the Chief yells, you can hear the actual frustration. When Petey sighs, you feel the weight of his failed inventions. This authenticity is what will make the movie stick.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Parents
If you're planning on heading to the theater, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Read "The Scarlet Shredder" first: This is the latest book in the series (released in 2024). It gives a lot of context for where Petey is mentally, which might influence Davidson’s performance.
- Listen to the "Dog Man: The Musical" soundtrack: No, it’s not the movie cast, but it helps you get used to the characters having voices. It’s a transition.
- Watch the trailer with the sound off: Seriously. Look at the animation style. It mimics Pilkey’s hand-drawn feel. Then turn the sound on and see how the voices of the cast of Dog Man fit that specific aesthetic.
- Follow Dav Pilkey’s updates: He’s been very involved in the process, and his insights into why these actors were chosen are fascinating.
The movie hits theaters at the end of January. Between Pete Davidson’s snark and Lil Rel Howery’s yelling, we are in for something that is hopefully as weird and heart-filled as the books themselves. Don't expect a masterpiece of cinema. Expect a movie that understands exactly what it is: a story about a dog, a cop, and the cat who keeps making things complicated.
Get your tickets early. This one is going to be loud.
Next Steps for Your Dog Man Research:
To get fully prepared for the premiere, you should check out the official DreamWorks YouTube channel for the "behind-the-scenes" shorts featuring the voice actors in the recording booth. It’s the best way to see how much of Pete Davidson’s actual personality made it into the cat. Also, keep an eye on the Scholastic website for any movie-tie-in book releases, as these often feature concept art of the characters that explain why the cast was directed to sound a certain way.