Common Sense Media Review
By Renee Schonfeld
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Slapstick action and humor in musical talking-dog sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Pup Star: World Tour
What's the Story?
Tiny, the enchanting songstress-fox terrier and Pup Star champion (voiced once again by Kaitlyn Maher), is elated when she's chosen as a judge for an international canine singing competition in PUP STAR: WORLD TOUR. Tiny and three other judges -- Britain's Simon Growl (Steve Valentine), Jamaica's Dog Gnarly (Ziggy Marley), and New Jersey's Lady Paw-Paw (Nikki Blonsky) -- travel across the globe to choose the best of the best to compete in New York City for the title of Global Pup Star. Unbeknownst to the stalwart judges, Bark (George Newbern), an angry dog still smarting from his loss to Tiny in an earlier movie, tries to sabotage the effort with his accomplices, including the ever-dastardly human, Roland (Jed Rees). Complications ensue, including major dog-napping escapades, a "kiss-and-tell" session that threatens Tiny's romance with P.U.P. (Mackenzie Sol), the disappearance of Scrappy (Tiny's rap star little sister), and a daring prison escape.
Is It Any Good?
Lots of slapstick humor and pratfalls, kid-friendly suspense, bouncy music, and "internationally quirky" talking dogs help this sequel rise a bit above its predecessors. Talking dogs get old quickly in movies like this, but singing dogs -- especially given the wide range of tunes and voices here -- keep this movie fresh. Pup Star: World Tour has just enough energy, campy humor, puns, and canine heroism to keep audiences engaged. And "One pack, one voice, one world" delivers its message about the universality of music, albeit not very subtly. As expected, the buffoonish bad guy is laughably over-the-top every moment he's on-screen, and the exaggerated but gallant Latina housekeeper is a stereotype, but even those characters will evoke laughs, especially for primary-grade kids who are OK with pretend violence.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about cartoon violence versus real violence. In movies like Pup Star: World Tour, the action is intended to be funny and a little bit suspenseful. Very young kids could find even such comic danger scary. How does your family decide when the kids are ready? Why is it important to know the impact of even cartoon violence on kids?
This movie is a sequel to two other Pup Star films. If you've seen one or both of the other two, did this one meet your expectations? Why or why not?
What are "stereotypes"? Which characters in the film are ethnic stereotypes? Do you think the intention was to laugh at these characters or to enjoy their distinctive cultural traits? How can you tell the difference?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 5, 2018
- Cast : Kaitlyn Maher , David Deluise , Denisse Ojeda
- Director : Robert Vince
- Studio : Air Bud Entertainment
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- Run time : 87 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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