Richard Crouse

SYNOPSIS: In “Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie,” a new animated film for kids spun off from the popular TV series about a heroic puppy search-and-rescue team, the canine heroes discover an island populated by dinosaurs. “No dino’s too big, no pup’s too small!”

CAST: Carter Young, Mckenna Grace, Terry Crews, Jennifer Hudson, Jameela Jamil, Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, Mckenna Grace, Ron Pardo, Lucien Duncan-Reid, and Nylan Parthipan, Bill Nye, Henry Bolan. Directed by Cal Brunker.

REVIEW: After a daring adventure to rescue a cat named Mr. Fluffy Butt from a burning yacht, the Paw Patrol finds themselves shipwrecked on what they think is a deserted island. When the clumsy Dalmatian Marshall (voice of Carter Young) tumbles down a hill, he soon finds himself face-to-face with one of the island’s many inhabitants, a dinosaur named Timmy the T-Rex.

But this isn’t Jurassic Park.

These dinosaurs are friendly, at least that’s what Rex (Hayden Chamberlain), a friendly paraplegic Bernese Mountain Dog who has been stranded on the island after falling overboard years before, says. “Dino Island is the greatest discovery in the history of the world.”

Meanwhile, the Paw Patrol’s arch-nemesis Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo), and his coterie of naught6y cats, are released from jail. “No more cheating,” he says. “No more lying! No more get rich quick schemes!” But, when he sees a news report on Dino Island, and notices a large cache of diamonds in the background, his path on the straight and narrow takes a U-turn and he heads to the island to face his old canine foes and steal as many diamonds as he can.

“Paw Patrol: Dino Island” does not cater to adult sensibilities by wedging in jokes or double entendres for the older folks à la “Shrek” or “King Fu Panda.” Instead, it’s a gently paced action adventure aimed directly at kids. So, no clever pop culture references just kid-friendly action that, as the third movie in the franchise, is bigger than anything they’ve attempted in the past.

The richness of Pixar and the playfulness of Illumination and their millions of Minions is missing in “Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie.” The direction, by Cal Brunker, who co-wrote the screenplay with Bob Barlen, is workmanlike, keeping their core audience, age 3 to about 8, top of mind. The result is a cute but bland movie stuffed with good messages about teamwork, helping others and perseverance, and some high-flying action but little in the way of memorable sequences.