Pup
Parents say
Based on 12 reviews
Kids say
Based on 7 reviews
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Pup
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Pup (a.k.a. Black to the Moon 3D) is a 2013 computer-animated feature from Spain that is filled with excruciating stereotypes and inappropriate humor. If the awful accents and stereotypical behavior of the "Californian" and "Russian" characters was the worst of it, that would be bad enough, but there is also a sequence involving Asian spiders chockfull of broken pidgin English and obligatory "kung fu" moves, displaying a cultural insensitivity not seen since the 1940s. Also, the titular dog is often presented in an anatomically correct manner, and disposes of the Asian spiders by raising his hind leg and urinating. It's also worth mentioning that the pit bull brought in to be a drill sergeant on the farm looks more like a muscle-bound man fond of wearing nothing but leather. There is also some profanity ("damnit" and "hell"). The voices are annoying, the songs are excruciating; there simply is nothing worthwhile about this movie.
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What's the Story?
Kanuto is a sheepdog who does his best to keep his flock from getting into trouble. But he runs into problems when Blackie the sheep spies the moon landing on TV, and will stop at nothing to figure out her own way to get on the moon. While attempting to catapult herself to the moon, she ends up lost, and when other sheep are seduced by a wolf who promises them careers in showbiz, Kanuto seems in over his head. With so much going wrong, the farmers who own Kanuto decide he isn't cut out to be a sheepdog, and bring in a drill sergeant pit bull to restore order. It's up to Kanuto to rescue Blackie (and win her love) even as she finds a rocket ship bound for the moon, rescue the other sheep, and prove himself worthy of being a sheepdog.
Is It Any Good?
PUP is a slow-paced, hard-to-follow computer-animated movie that is rife with iffy humor and bad stereotypes. If the bad Californian and Russian voices were the extent of it, that would be awful enough, but there's a scene involving Asian spiders that sounds like it could have been written in the 1940s for all its broken pidgin English and "kung fu" stereotyping. While the idea behind the movie had the potential to be interesting and enjoyable, the movie resorts to inappropriate humor, excruciating songs, and the aforementioned stereotypical characters.
Simply put, this is yet another subpar attempt to capture the Pixar magic. While the animation isn't awful, too much of the content makes this a movie to avoid.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about cultural stereotypes. Why is it wrong for movies to promote cultural stereotypes?
If you could remake this movie, how would you do it?
How does this film compare with other computer-animated movies?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: March 25, 2014
- Cast: Kristina Hughes, Peter Hudson, Brian Vermeire
- Director: Francis Nielsen
- Studio: Phase 4 Films
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Cats, Dogs, and Mice, Horses and Farm Animals
- Run time: 82 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: Some language and rude humor.
- Last updated: February 26, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
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Toy Story (1995)
Pixar classic is one of the best kids' movies of all time.
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A Bug's Life
Cute animated tale with some mild peril and scary bugs.
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Finding Nemo
Sweet father-son tale has some very scary moments.
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