DC Super-Pets Book Reveals the Plot of Dwayne Johnson's Animated Superhero Film
A new novelization of DC Super Pets seemingly reveals some new details about the upcoming, animated DC movie. Despite being loaded with A-list stars in voice acting roles, DC Super Pets has flown mostly under the radar for a lot of fans, and its trailers have focused more on the movie's humor than its plot. That means a new "Step Into Reading" book intended for early readers (read: pre-K to third grade) gives the first really in-depth look into the story of the film. In it, we also learn how the Super Pets got their powers.
When big-budget superhero tentpoles are coming to theaters, it isn't uncommon for the children's novelization of the movie to shed some light on the plot. Usually released before the film in order to make its way into Scholastic catalogs and onto toy endcaps, the children's novelization can be pretty different from the final film (probably for obvious reasons) but tends to have at least the general idea of the plot and most of the twists in place.
The irony here, of course, is that it's an animated kids movie that's getting the Iron Man 3 treatment (yeah, that one got spoiled by a kids book). So, what do we learn within those 24 pages? Read on, but know there are potential spoilers ahead for DC Super Pets.
In the story, Superman decides that Krypto needs an animal friend, and takes his super-dog to an animal shelter, where the pair encounter the other pets who will play key roles in the film. Somehow, the animals are exposed to orange Kryptonite, which gives them all powers, including a -- pink guinea pig? Honestly, it's hard to tell what she is -- named Lulu, who gets mind powers, and wants to take over the world.
Remember, kids: just like we learned in Shazam!, telepathy is totally a villain power.
Orange Kryptonite first appeared in the mid-2000s comic book based on the Krypto the Super-Dog TV show. In Krypto #14, Krypto and friends faced off against a cat who had gotten some orange Kryptonite and given herself powers. Later, in Tiny Titans, it was revealed that Lex Luthor had some in his possession.
From there, it's more or less what you expect from the trailers and synopsis. The Justice League is kidnapped and imprisoned by Lulu, the pets try to save them, end up briefly imprisoned themselves, then break out, beat the bad guys, and rescue the League, setting up the owner/pet relationships you expect.
A note about these Step Into Reading books: they are often accurate only in very broad strokes. As a parent, this writer has read movie adaptations that excise entire subplots or characters, since they only have 24 pages to work with. Don't take these "spoilers" as gospel, or assume this is a thorough description of the film. But it does a more effective job than the official plot synopsis, and gives you a sense for who some of the characters are and how they will interact.
DC Super Pets will be in theaters on July 29.