''Marmaduke'' is a 2022

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Mark Dippé Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

, and co-directed by

Phil Nibbelink Phil Nibbelink (born June 3, 1955) is an American animator and film director as well as comic book writer and illustrator known for his work on films as the Academy Award-winning ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' and the 1991 cult animated sequel ''An ...

, Youngki Lee, and Matt Whelan, based on the comic strip of the same name by Paul and Brad Anderson. The second feature-length film based on the strip following the 2010 film, it stars

Pete Davidson Peter Michael Davidson (born November 16, 1993) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He began his career in the early 2010s with minor guest roles on ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', ''Friends of the People'', ''Guy Code'', and ''Wild 'n O ...

as Marmaduke, along with J.K. Simmons, Brian Hull,

Shelby Young Shelby Young (born 8 April 1992) is an American actress and voice actress. She is known for her roles on ''American Horror Story'', ''Days of Our Lives'', ''The Social Network'' and in the ''Star Wars'' video games, as well as her presence on so ...

David Koechner David Michael Koechner ( ; born August 24, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. His prominent roles include Champ Kind in the '' Anchorman'' film series (2004–2013) and Todd Packer in ''The Office'' (2005–2013). Koechner first became i ...

and

Julie Nathanson Julie Nathanson (born 1972 or 1973) is an American actress known for voicing Rosalie Rowan in '' The Zeta Project'', Silver Banshee, and Jewelee in the DC animated film '' Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay'', Yelena Belova in Avengers Assemble, an ...

. The film is an

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint vent ...

of the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Hawaii and the United Kingdom. It was released by SC Films in international countries and on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

in the United States on May 6, 2022. The film was universally panned by critics and audiences, with criticisms going towards its animation, screenplay, story, characters, and humor. It is considered to be the worst animated film of 2022.

Plot

Phil, his wife, and their two kids Barbara and Billy live with their dog, a

Great Dane The Great Dane is a German list of dog breeds, breed of large mastiff-sighthound, which descends from hunting dogs of the Middle Ages used to hunt bears, wild boar, and deer. They were also used as guardian dogs of German nobility. It is one o ...

by the name of Marmaduke. The film opens at Billy's birthday party. Marmaduke takes a cannonball dive from the second floor of the family home into the backyard pool, releasing a tidal wave. Barbara records it on her phone and the video goes viral. It comes to the attention of a world-renowned

dog trainer Dog training is a type of animal training, the application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents (trigger for a behavior) and consequences to modify the dog behavior, either for it to assist in specific activiti ...

, Guy, who offers to turn Marmaduke into a world-class show dog. At first, the family isn’t sure about Marmaduke entering the competitions. When Phil learns there is a one million dollar top prize, he’s persuaded to make an agreement. Marmaduke goes into training and, after some initial resistance, he begins to make progress. Guy enters Marmaduke into a local dog show to test his skills. During the preliminary setup, Marmaduke encounters an

Afghan Hound The Afghan Hound is a hound distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat, and a tail with a ring curl at the end. The breed originates in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. Its local name is () or (). Other names for this breed are Tāzī, Balkh ...

named Zeus, who entices him to eat prior to the competition, which results in him getting bloated. Marmaduke does his best to conceal the matter and struts onto the field with Guy. Before one lap around the field, Marmaduke releases voluminous clouds of noxious flatus, enveloping the entire field in the process. He soars through the air and lands backside down in the winner’s trophy and defecates in it, much to the horror of everyone. Disgraced, Guy refuses to keep training Marmaduke, leaving him deflated and dejected. Marmaduke runs away from home, but when he runs down the street, he sees the family cat, King Tut, in the middle of an intersection. Marmaduke saves him but has difficulty connecting with his character. Persuaded by King Tut, Marmaduke embarks on a trip around the globe, performing heroic stunts along the way. His circumnavigation convinces Guy to take Marmaduke back on track for the World Dog Championship. Marmaduke encounters Zeus again at the competition along with many other dogs: little

welsh corgi The Welsh Corgi ( or Corgi, plural Corgis, or occasionally the etymologically consistent Corgwn; ) is a small type of herding dog that originated in Wales. The name ''corgi'' is thought to be derived from the Welsh words and (which is muta ...

Juan Pedro, beautiful pink

poodle The Poodle, called the in German () and the in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle is no ...

Shantrelle, and strong

Staffordshire bull terrier The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, also called the Staffy or Stafford, is a purebred dog of small to medium size in the terrier group that originated in the northern parts of Birmingham and in the Black Country of Staffordshire, for which it ...

Vinnie. The competition consists of three challenges, but right after Marmaduke passes the second challenge, he lands on Guy, who immediately gets hospitalized. Without a trainer, his owners end up stepping in to coach him, allowing him to tackle the final challenge. In the third and final challenge, the dogs perform a unique act, with Marmaduke and Billy doing a cowboy act with King Tut, pleasing the audience. Later, the judge's final results reveal Zeus as the winner. However, Marmaduke uncovers that Zeus's owner rigged the scores, leading Zeus to be disqualified and resulting in the

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

-powered Japanese Chin Zhi taking the top prize. Zeus tries to take back the trophy, but Marmaduke stops him. He ends up knocking over a platform where a cameraman sits, causing Marmaduke to push his owners out of the way, getting hit by the platform when saving the cameraman's life. Marmaduke is initially thought to be dead, but it is revealed that he is still alive, and initially winning the World Dog Championship and his family lived happily ever after. During the mid-credits scene, Zeus gets caught by security and is sent to the

dog pound An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of the agricultural communities, where stray livestock ...

to get his fur shaved and re-grown, while Henri and Philipe are put in jail.

Cast

as Marmaduke, a clumsy yet decent-natured

. * J.K. Simmons as Zeus, a cream-colored selfish

Afghan hound The Afghan Hound is a hound distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat, and a tail with a ring curl at the end. The breed originates in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. Its local name is () or (). Other names for this breed are Tāzī, Balkh ...

who is Marmaduke's rival/nemesis. *

as Phil Winslow, the patriarch of the Winslow family and Marmaduke's owner. * Brian Hull as Guy Hilton, a

. *

Erin Fitzgerald Erin Fitzgerald is a Canadian voice actress who provides voice-overs for a number of cartoons, video games and English language dubs of Japanese anime. In animation, she voices Raven Queen in '' Ever After High'' and C.A. Cupid in both ''Monster ...

as Barbara Winslow, the teenage daughter of Dottie and Phil. *

as Dottie Winslow, matriarch of the Winslow family and Phil's wife. *Terri Douglas as Billy Winslow, the son of Dottie and Phil. *

Mary Hart Mary Hart (born Mary Johanna Harum; November 8, 1950) is an American television personality. She was the host (1982–2011) of the syndicated gossip and entertainment round-up television program ''Entertainment Tonight''. She was Miss South Dak ...

as the Entertainer Mutt Tonight Host. *

as Shantrelle, a French pink

who is Marmaduke's love interest. *

Stephen Stanton Stephen Walter Stanton (born August 22, 1961) is an American voice actor and visual effects artist. His roles include Sasha Nein in ''Psychonauts'' and '' Psychonauts 2'', Grand Moff Tarkin in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, Ben Kenobi in '' Star ...

as King Tut, a

Balinese cat The Balinese is a long-haired List of cat breeds, breed of domestic cat with Siamese cat, Siamese-style point coloration and sapphire-blue eyes. The Balinese is also known as the purebred long-haired Siamese since it originated as a natural muta ...

owned by the Winslows. *Andrew Morgado as Henri and Philipe, Zeus's owners who are twins. *

Nika Futterman Nika Futterman (born October 25, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her voices in various animated series, including Mike in '' Mike, Lu & Og'', Asajj Ventress in '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', Stretch and Squeeze in ' ...

as Juan Pedro, a small

from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. *

Tania Gunadi Tania Gunadi (born 29 July 1983) is an Indonesian actress. She moved to Los Angeles when she was a teenager. She is best known for playing Emma Lau / Dark Tamera on '' Aaron Stone'', Miko Nakadai on '' Transformers: Prime'', Sashi Kobayashi on ...

as a cheerleader *Kevin Le Long as a background character with a non-speaking role

Production

On October 23, 2017, it was announced that a CGI ''Marmaduke'' film was in development, to be written by Byron Kavanagh and directed by

Mark A.Z. Dippé Mark A.Z. Dippé (; born November 9, 1956) is a Japanese-born American film director and visual effects supervisor. He made his directorial debut in 1997 with ''Spawn (1997 film), Spawn''. Biography Mark Earnest Dippé was born in Japan to a Chin ...

, who would produce alongside Dan Chuba and Matthew Joynes and Simon Crowe. In 2018,

Andrews McMeel Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (formerly Andrews, McMeel and Parker (1975–1986) and Andrews and McMeel (1986–1997)) is a company that publishes books, calendars, and related toys. It is a part of Andrews McMeel Universal, which comprises AM ...

announced the involvement of cast members

as Marmaduke, J.K. Simmons as Marmaduke's rival "Zeus", and

as Phil Winslow. The film's animation was provided by Dippé's company WonderWorld Studios, currently known as StoryBerry, who has facilities in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, and

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, while main production was done by Legacy Classics in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and One Cool Animation in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Release

The film was first announced for a release in the second quarter of 2019. It was later slated for a release in 2020, but was delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The film was acquired by

in 2022. On April 8, 2022, Netflix released a trailer for the film, and announced at May 6 as its release date.

Reception

Pre-Release

On April 8, 2022, a trailer was released online and received an extremely negative response, with a 17,078 dislike to 1,798 like ratio.

Critical response

Aurora Amidon of ''

Paste Magazine ''Paste'' is an American monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publi ...

'' criticized the formulaic and predictable plot, but praised the voice acting of Davidson, Simmons, and Koechner. For his role in the film,

was nominated for Worst Actor at the

Golden Raspberry Awards The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzi ...

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 2020s children's animated films 2022 computer-animated films American computer-animated films American children's comedy films Chinese computer-animated films Chinese children's films Chinese comedy films Canadian computer-animated films Canadian children's animated films South Korean children's films South Korean comedy films English-language comedy films American sequel films Netflix original films Films about dogs Animated films about talking animals Animated films based on American comics Films based on comic strips Animated films directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé Films directed by Phil Nibbelink Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2020s English-language films Marmaduke 2020s Canadian animated films 2022 American animated films British computer-animated films British children's films British comedy films 2020s British films Canadian animated comedy films 2020s Hong Kong films 2020s South Korean films