There are hundreds of movies coming out in 2022 across multiple platforms from the theater to streaming, but pet and animal movies are the ones that always stick out to us. There is something for everyone coming soon including adventure, superheroes, mystery and even the unexpected. Whether you enjoy movies at home or the full theater experience you are sure to enjoy some of these new films for your family.
Pet and Animal Movies Coming Out in 2022
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild
Possum brothers Crash and Eddie set out to find a place of their own, but find themselves trapped in the Lost World. They are rescued by weasel Buck Wild, and together embark on a mission to save the Lost World from dinosaur domination.
Director: John C. Donkin
Cast: Simon Pegg, Vincent Tong, Utkarsh Ambudkar
Release Date: Friday, January 28, 2022
Website: Disney.com
Platform: Disney+
Rating: PG
Sunset Vet Review
The sixth installment of The Ice Age franchise, “The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild,” runs a little dry. We are introduced to the possum brothers Eddie and Cash as they try to navigate the underground world previously introduced in “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.” What exactly they are trying to navigate is unclear as the characters and story are never adequately developed. The writing may have been saved with the humor and voice acting the original films were beloved for, but the jokes were sparse and fell flat when given. It’s the nostalgia of the series that is this movie’s saving grace. All of that, combined with the less than stellar CGI, leaves us with the rating of two out of five paws.
Dog
With a dog named Lulu by his side, Army Ranger Briggs races down the Pacific Coast to make it to a soldier’s funeral on time. Along the way, Briggs and Lulu drive each other completely crazy, break a handful of laws, narrowly evade death, and learn to let down their guards to have a fighting chance of finding happiness.
Directors: Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jane Adams, Kevin Nash
Release Date: Friday, February 18, 2022
Website: UnitedArtistsRreleasing.com
Platform: Theaters
Rating: PG-13
Sunset Vet Review
As you might expect with a movie about an Army Ranger and a dog racing to a fallen soldier’s funeral in time, this movie brings the raw emotion. The trials of military personnel struggling to adapt to life after combat are not often showcased in movies, and Channing Tatum is outstanding in his role as a soldier recovering from the horrors of war. The writing is sensitive and heartwarming, with the right amount of humor to keep things from getting too dark. “Dog” takes some heavy material and adds provoking insight. As a disclaimer, the subject matter of the film and PG-13 rating may make this movie not suitable for younger audiences. As for us, “Dog” gets a solid four and a half out of five paws.
Turning Red
Mei Lee is a confident, dorky thirteen-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. And as if changes to her interests, relationships, and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited, she “poofs” into a giant red panda!
Director: Domee Shi
Cast: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Release Date: Friday, March 11, 2022
Website: Disney.com
Platform: Disney+
Rating: PG
Sunset Vet Review
“Turning Red” is a celebration of friendship and self-belief. As expected from a Disney Pixar film, they really delivered with their catchy original songs and high-quality animation. The characters are full of emotions, as expected from a teenager coming into her own story, but sometimes to the extreme. The dynamic of Meilin and her mom Ming does a good job of showing the true-to-life difficulties of a teenager growing up and trying to find her own voice and a mother struggling to accept her baby is no longer, in fact, a baby. The story loses its footing a few times but is a solid family-friendly watch overall. “Turning Red” gets three and a half out of five paws.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is eager to prove that he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr. Robotnik returns with a new partner, Knuckles, in search of a mystical emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands.
Director: Jeff Fowler
Cast: Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, Jim Carrey
Release Date: Friday, April 8, 2022
Website: SonicTheHedgehogMovie.com
Platform: Theaters
Rated: PG
Sunset Vet Review
Not only is “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” one of the greatest video-game movies, but it’s a fantastic sequel to boot. The kids are sure to stay entertained as they follow Sonic zoom around the world, dodging foes and running into intergalactic friends. The comedic relief of Jim Carrey as Sonic’s enemy, Dr. Robotnick, is exactly the type of performance you’d expect from the actor — excellent. The sequel focuses more heavily on the video-game franchise’s beloved characters, which is sure to delight any Sonic fan. The fast-paced plot coupled with the deeper world discovery of Sonic the Hedgehog leaves us giving the film five out of five paws.
The Bad Guys
After a lifetime of legendary heists, notorious criminals Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula are finally caught. To avoid a prison sentence, the animal outlaws must pull off their most challenging con yet — becoming model citizens. Under the tutelage of their mentor, Professor Marmalade, the dubious gang sets out to fool the world that they’re turning good.
Director: Pierre Perifel
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson
Release Date: Friday, April 22, 2022
Website: DreamWorks.com
Platform: Theaters
Rated: PG
Sunset Vet Review
“The Bad Guys” is a great watch. The plot is fun-filled, backdropped with beautiful animation and superb voice acting. Such an enjoyable family-friendly movie, “The Bad Guys” does an excellent job of keeping the kids entertained while subtly teaching the lesson of how the choices we make have consequences. We’ll admit the movie leans a little heavy on the fart jokes but is written well enough that adults will be kept guessing where the plot twists lead. Is the ending a little predictable? Yes. The movie is very funny, though, and would be enjoyed by the entire family. We give all five out of five paws for this one.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Chip and Dale are living amongst cartoons and humans in modern-day Los Angeles, but their lives are quite different now. It has been decades since their successful television series was canceled. When a former cast mate mysteriously disappears, Chip and Dale must repair their broken friendship and take on their Rescue Rangers detective personas once again to save their friend’s life.
Director: Akiva Schaffer
Cast: Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, Seth Rogen, J.K. Simmons, Eric Bana
Release Date: Friday, May 20, 2022
Website: Disney.com
Platform: Theaters
Rated: PG
Sunset Vet Review
Unique is not typically a word used to describe a Disney cartoon. But that’s exactly what “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” is — one atypical take on two very classic cartoon characters. The 2D animation combined with CGI is visually intriguing. This movie is heavy on nostalgia, which is to be expected, but the writing poking fun at itself was not. There is that beautiful, rare balance of adult and kid humor that keeps the whole family laughing. The movie is silly and family-friendly, but not so silly that you should pass this up on date night. The cameos in the movie are worth the watch, and for that, we give four out of five paws.
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
A down-on-his-luck hound finds himself in a town full of cats who need a hero to defend them from a ruthless villain’s evil plot to wipe their village off the map. With help from a reluctant trainer, the underdog must assume the role of fearsome samurai and team up with the felines to save the day. The only problem is — they all hate dogs.
Directors: Mark Koetsier, Rob Minkoff, Chris Bailey
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Cera, Ricky Gervais, Mel Brooks, Djimon Hounsou, Aasif Mandvi, George Takei, Gabriel Iglesias
Release Date: Friday, July 29, 2022
Website: PawsOfFuryMovie.com
Platform: Theaters
Rated: PG
Sunset Vet Review
“Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” is an animated remake of the 1974 classic “Blazing Saddles.” It was initially scheduled to be released in 2017 but eventually got to the big screen in 2022 due to certain hiccups. This kept fans on edge ever since, in rapt anticipation. The question now is: was it worth the wait? Directed by Mark Koetsier, Rob Minkoff and Chris Bailey, this movie tells the story of Hank, a dog who is chosen to protect a city of cats from destruction. To accomplish this task, he is trained by an older cat to become an ideal samurai. Throughout the movie, there is a lot of humor, but it gets a little off sometimes. Many adults will find the jokes lame. It’s the kind of movie you want to let the kids watch alone. Overall, it turned out less than expected. We give it a rating of three and a half paws out of five.
DC League of Super-Pets
In “DC League of Super-Pets,” Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel—to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.
Director: Jared Stern
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Keanu Reeves, Vanessa Bayer, John Krasinski, Kate McKinnon
Release Date: Friday, July 29, 2022
Website: DCLeagueOfSuperPets.com
Platform: Theaters
Rated: PG
Sunset Vet Review
Ever thought of what an animal Justice League would be like? Here you have it! When an evil guinea pig plans to take over the world and proceeds to capture the Justice League, Superman’s dog, Krypto, and his super-powered friends delve in to save the day. Among the cast are Dwayne Johnson, Kelvin Hart and Keanu Reeves, who portray their roles incredibly well, bringing their characters to life. Creativity is displayed in its humor and superhero action, making you laugh while having the nostalgic feeling of a DC movie. Overall, it is a fun movie. “DC League of Super-Pets” gets four paws out of five paws.
Luck
The story of Sam Greenfield, the unluckiest person in the world. Suddenly finding herself in the never-before-seen Land of Luck, she must unite with the magical creatures there to turn her luck around.
Director: Peggy Holmes
Cast: Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, John Ratzenberger
Release Date: Friday, August 5, 2022
Website: Apple.com
Platform: Apple TV
Rated: PG
Sunset Vet Review
“Luck” tells the story of Sam Greenfield, an 18-year-old orphan who just left her girls’ home to live independently. Her new life seems to be plagued by bad luck as she meets with a series of unfortunate events. One day, she meets a black cat, and things take a turn. This Skydance Animation movie, directed by Peggy Holmes and produced by John Lasseter, depicts every aspect of fine visuals. However, the plot is poorly developed. The long explanations make the movie complicated and not easy to follow. Several attempts are made at humor, but it doesn’t quite pull through. It is certainly not a fantastic movie but just good enough. Overall, “Luck” receives three and a half paws out of five paws.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son, Josh, struggles to adapt to his new school and friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle, a singing crocodile that loves baths, caviar and great music. The two become fast friends, but when evil neighbor Mr. Grumps threatens Lyle’s existence, the Primms must band together to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places.
Directors: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Cast: Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Winslow Fegley
Release Date: Friday, October 7, 2022
Website: LyleLlyleCrocodile.movie
Platform: Theaters
Rated: PG
Blue’s Big City Adventure
When Josh gets the opportunity of a lifetime to audition for Rainbow Puppy’s Broadway musical, Josh and Blue skidoo to NYC for the very first time where they meet new friends and discover the magic of music, dance, and following one’s dreams! The entire Blue’s Clues crew is reunited for this special movie musical event, with the beloved animated friends and all three hosts – Josh, Steve, and Joe – together for the first time in the Big Apple like fans have never seen them before!
Directors: Matt Stawski
Cast: Steve Burns, Joshua Dela Cruz, Donovan Patton
Release Date: Friday, November 18, 2022
Website: NickAlive.net
Platform: Paramount+
Rated: PG
Strange World
The original action-adventure journeys deep into an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades, a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest — and by far — most crucial mission.
Director: Don Hall
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Alan Tudyk, Dennis Quaid, Lucy Liu
Release Date: Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Website: TheWaltDisneyCompany.com
Platform: Theaters
Rated: PG
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The daring outlaw Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for peril and disregard for safety have taken their toll. Puss has burned through eight of his nine lives, though he lost count along the way. Getting those lives back will send Puss in Boots on his grandest quest yet. He embarks on an epic journey into the Black Forest to find the mythical Wishing Star and restore his lost lives. But with only one life left, Puss will have to humble himself and ask for help from his former partner and nemesis.
Director: Joel Crawford
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Chris Miller, Kaley Alyssa Flanagan, Miguel Gabriel
Release Date: Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Website: DreamWorks.com
Platform: Theaters
Rated: PG
