Director: David Soren
Cast Headliners: Ed Helms, Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch, Nick Kroll, Jordan Peele
Original Release Date: June 2nd, 2017
Seen: Late June 2017
Who didn't read the Captain Underpants series back in the day. It was a staple of late 90s/early to mid 00s elementary and middle schools. It was juvenile, it was silly, and it was full of a lot of charm across author Dav Pilkey's sequels, spinoffs, and similar works. It is surprising that it has taken this long to get an animated movie but the wait is mostly highly worth it. With a title like “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie” one perhaps expects and hopes for more in the future.
The movie , greatly looking with the first of many animation styles (director David Soren of Dreamworks nicely weaves between living comic sketchings, a nice 3d CGI look, even “flip-o-rama” and live sock puppet action) gives the fictional story of what Captain Underpants is. He is a wacky comic book character made by elementary school students George(Kevin Hart) and Harold (Thomas Middleditch). Their imagination is as much as their love for pranks which is much to the ire of those like principal Mr.Krupp (Ed Helms) or bully-nerd Melvin Sneedly (Jordan Peele). There is also the villainous science replacment teacher Professor Poopypants (Nick Kroll). A lunch lady Edith (Kristen Schaal) also gets some funny and sweet moments between some unnamed staff. It's a small cast of named characters, but that's fine enough when they are memorable.
It turns out that the boy's have a magic ring that make Principal Krupp actually believe he is Captain Underpants from their confiscated comics. Helms is great as both the mean Krupp, the babylike yet stereotypically manly / superheroic Underpants, and some fun disguises / other moments. He is adaptable as both and is almost unrecognizable (as he was also solid in The Lorax). Sometimes he darts between the two different roles within moments and it is handled well with charm. The child characters are funny as well. It's amazing how Hart, Middleditch, and Peele are also unrecognizable and sound just (aside their age-gravelynes of course) like children. Their performance and enthusiasm make it all believable for laughs and wit. Kroll's Professor P is a generic villain but that's the point and it gives him the chance to deliver some cheesy lines in a German accent. For readers of the book, they all feel right off the page and for newcomers they're charming / hateable.
The humor is silly and childish but that's the point as well. It will make a kid, adult, or anyone with a sense of dumb humor laugh. Things happen snappily and quickly. The plot is as simple as can be and almost flows too quickly but it's an excuse to deliver lighthearted charm and wild happenings. The music was partially composed by Weird Al Yankovic and fits well to match the sugar pop colorful visuals.
There's not much else to this aside some surprising moments of deeper feels and emotion. For fans, they will like the adaptation and some “lore cameos” to the book series (the movie is mostly an adaptation of the first few books with some other call outs) and the capturing the literal toilet humor and schoolyard fun. Non-fans, or those with families and heck even animation fans of all ages will like this breezy wild adventure. It's perhaps a bit too short, simple and fast happening, but it's very sweet. 7.85 out of 10
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