Danny (Dawson Littman’s voice) is a little mad at his pet dog Charlie (Owen Wilson) for not laying low. However, as Charlie explains, he can’t help but come to the rescue and fly towards those needing any help. But let’s back up a bit and explain why Danny and Charlie can talk to each other. They even have minor fights. An Alien Prince (Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez) gives powers to Charlie. He does the same to a neighbour’s cat Puddy (Ruairi MacDonald), coincidentally, his enemy. Charlie’s altruistic nature makes him so popular that he launches his own brand of dog food and inadvertently outsells cat food. Charlie uses his powers to save those in need. Puddy, in a not surprising plot twist, enacts an evil master plan when he figures out his and Charlie’s powers.

Specifically, Puddy realizes that the Alien Prince gave him human qualities and gives humans animal qualities. His plan, then, is to take out Charlie’s dog food business and sell food that makes cats smart and humans dumb. I’ll be fair to some aspects of the writing here. The writing here shows the reasons why Puddy becomes the villain that he is. In explaining this plan, MacDonald seems older than he is, but his emotions as a villain have no levels to them. The same goes with every voice actor in Charlie the Wonderdog, although in fairness, this may be their first jobs. I get that everyone is so tired that an exhausted aura seeps into their work. I can’t, however, excuse Owen Wilson’s lifelessness because this isn’t his first time working in an animation film.

Charlie the Wonderdog comes from Canada’s own Shea Wageman, the film’s director, co-producer, and co-writer. His previous work includes a few projects both in and outside of Disney subsidiaries as well as some video games. The desire to branch out and make something with some semblance of originality is understandable. Again, there are some good things within the voice work and the writing but this film needs some improvements. Its structure feels too familiar, with its first two acts showing buildup and some conflicts between Charlie and Danny. Animation films like this are building up to a big fight scene, but the one between Charlie and Puddy feels anticlimactic. It’s either that or maybe I just didn’t like the fact that this film slanders cats for 90 minutes and that it talks down to its viewers.

Charlie the Wonderdog is available to watch in select Cineplex theatres.