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Parents' Guide to

Secret Agent Dingledorf and His Trusty Dog Splat

By JK Sooja, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Cartoonish violence, creepy clowns in so-so adventure.

Movie PG 2021 89 minutes
Secret Agent Dingledorf and His Trusty Dog Splat Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This family adventure with some faith-based messages is a mixed bag. The positive messages are easy to understand and the playfulness is fun. Yet, the elements that keep Secret Agent Dingledorf and His Trusty Dog Splat from being great are many. Generally, the story generously borrows from other intellectual property, including movies like the Spy Kids and The Dog Who Saved the Holidays, and video games like Plants vs. Zombies. Additionally, there are some questionable decisions, like when the smart and well-raised main character Bernie willingly goes with a complete stranger (a scary man in a clown costume) to his truck. The clown promptly ties Bernie up and drives away. Also, the film begins with actually scary clowns holding up a corner store with toy guns. Even though the clowns act goofy, some viewers might still simply find this scene frightening and disturbing. Lots of comedic violence also better translates on a different medium, like a comic, graphic novel, or book.

Finally, there's nothing surprising about the hero, the friends, or the dog. And the dog, Splat, by the way, is on screen maybe 5 minutes total and only appears occasionally to fart, which makes the title seem odd given the dog's limited involvement.

Movie Details

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