Review: A Paw Patrol Christmas is appropriately cute and jolly

Put your paws up for Christmas!

I can't pretend to be a Paw Patrol stan or expert or anything like that. I approach Paw Patrol like I approach Sex and the City (there's a sentence that's never been typed before): I've seen the theatrical movies, and that's it. So, every time I have a brush with these adventurous canines, I have to sort of re-acclimate myself to this world and the characters, remember what their deal is. It's not that hard to find my footing again, since the dogs are all pretty self-explanatory.

Rubble does construction, so he rides on a little bulldozer and is sturdier than the other dogs.

Chase is a cop, so he has a hidden cannon that can pop out of his outfit at a moment's notice. (For those who accuse the show of being cop-aganda...maybe instead, it's actually a commentary on how weirdly militarized the police are? Much to think about.)

Rocky is the recycling dog, which means he rarely gets to do anything, despite being the cutest member of the team. In this special, he gets to hang a garland of tin cans on a Christmas tree, and then later use his garbage truck to help lift Rubble's bulldozer off of a pile of debris. He's my hero!

Listen, every time I reunite with the Paw Patrol, I have a great time. 

A Paw Patrol Christmas has the structure and vibes of any Christmas spin-off of a popular children's show. There are jolly vibes all around, Santa appears as a supporting character, and there's a heartwarming lesson to be learned about the reason for the season. And even the villain of the story -- the cat-loving Mayor Humdinger -- learns a little something about Christmas. I don't know if his heart exactly grows three sizes, but I think there's some cardial enlargement at play.

The gist here is that Santa gets sick right before Christmas, which means he might not be able to make his annual trip around the world to deliver presents. Most of the Paw Patrol is okay with this -- let the big guy take a year off and recuperate -- but Rubble is dismayed. He was hoping for a laser drill under the tree this year, and with Santa sidelined, he knows it's not going to show up under his tree. Meanwhile, Humdinger decides that he wants to go to the North Pole and steal all of the presents that are just lying around. He's been on the Naughty List for basically his whole life (except when he was only two years old, which we witness in a very fun flashback -- a baby with a mustache will always make me laugh), so he's desperate to get some gifts however he can.

Humdinger tricks Rubble into accompanying him and his herd of cats under the guise of bringing Santa some rejuvenating soup, when in reality he just needs access to a bulldozer to help him get away with all the gifts. The rest of the Paw Patrol swoop in when they see Rubble's collar GPS in the North Pole. Adventure ensues -- a winter storm, a chase, etc. etc. -- and Rubble learns it's better to give than to receive. Bada bing, bada boom.

Of course, this is meant for a younger audience, but I find the Paw Patrol so charming. I'm admittedly a dog person. Always have been, always will be. So I like watching these pups drive their little vehicles (this time decked out in Christmas lights) around to help save the city, or Santa's presents.

This special obviously doesn't have the production value of the crew's theatrical outings -- I imagine this is more what the show looks like -- but everything is nice-enough looking, colorful, very cute. I got a lot of good laughs out of Humdinger's cats' expressions. And most importantly, the Christmas spirit is spot-on. 

If nothing else, A Paw Patrol Christmas helps feed my appetite while I anxiously await next year's third theatrical release, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie. I will be howling in the theater along with all the preschoolers!

A Paw Patrol Christmas is streaming on Paramount+.