PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie Plays Like a Longer Episode With a Keep Trying Message

We saw PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie, and my short take is that it was like seeing a longer episode of the show, built around a simple message for kids: don't give up, keep trying. I shared my first thoughts from home after the theater, and I didn't do it alone.

Why my daughter Maisie was my PAW Patrol expert for The Dino Movie

This is the latest movie from the longstanding, successful animated show, which has run for many seasons, and Skye, Rubble, Chase, Marshall and the whole crew are back. As much as I love to give my full thoughts, I thought about it and figured I'm not really the demographic for this one as much. So I brought in an expert: my daughter, Maisie.

Maisie first said she was a fan from three to five, then corrected it to two to four. I'd say maybe two to five, to almost six, would be accurate. She hasn't kept up with it in a little bit, but she did see the first PAW Patrol movie. She also set me straight on the count. I called this the second PAW Patrol movie, and she pointed out there were two new ones, which makes this the third. She knows better than I do.

She wanted to see it because she was a fan, and she also wanted popcorn. She said she got an icee too, though I told her she didn't.

Maisie says the dinosaurs, the cats and the pups are cute

When I asked what she thought of the new movie, Maisie told me: "The dinosaurs are cute." The cats were cute too, she said, and so were the pups.

On the main message, her answer was "Keep trying until you get it." She added: "mistakes are proof that you are trying." That is very, very true, and I think that's the important thing and what they want to get to kids.

Nostalgia for me and my wife, and a focus on Marshall

I saw it with my daughter and my wife, and the nostalgia was there for me and my wife, because both my kids have grown up on PAW Patrol. I think there really aren't a lot of movies out there that you can take your kids to see from around three to six, even eight years old, so this was a nice thing to sit down to.

There are some animated movies where you don't even need a kid there and you come away thinking it's amazing and so much fun. I don't know if this is that movie. But the message really is don't give up, keep trying, and they focus a lot on Marshall here, who is a lot of people's favorite pup.

Who I think should see PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie

If you're familiar with PAW Patrol, you're going to like it, because it's a PAW Patrol movie. If you've never seen a PAW Patrol movie, is this going to make you want to go catch up on the entire series? Probably not.

One more fan joined us, who I introduced as one of the new pups and who told us "My name is the dude." His verdict: "It was good." He didn't actually see it, though; he was too busy eating everything at home.

The Backstreet Boys have a tune in the movie too. Overall, take your three year old, your five year old or your six year old to see it, or take someone who used to be a big fan and wants to go check it out.

Which PAW Patrol pup is your favorite?