'PAW Patrol' Goes Prehistoric in 'The Dino Movie'

PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie roars into theaters August 14, sending the beloved rescue pups into a prehistoric world filled with larger-than-life dinosaurs, new friends and high-stakes rescues.

“This is definitely the biggest PAW Patrol movie we've ever made, and for us, we put everything on the screen and it's a big action movie that we hope everyone loves,” says writer Bob Barlen.

Directed by Cal Brunker and co-written by Brunker and Barlen, PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie builds on more than a decade of storytelling centered on courage and compassion. “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie is a must-see because it's got action, adventure, heart, and a message for old and young alike,” says Brunker.

Welcome to Dino Island

Bringing dinosaurs into the world of PAW Patrol gave the filmmakers an opportunity to scale up the action while presenting a unique creative challenge: making the prehistoric creatures feel majestic and believable while still fitting seamlessly alongside the pups.

“We wanted our dinosaurs to move in a way that felt authentic, believable, and realistic, pulling everyone even deeper inside the story. So one of the coolest things about making this movie was talking to real dinosaur experts to learn exactly how the bones and muscles fit together,” says Brunker.

Marshall, Timmy the T. Rex and Rex in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie

Among the new prehistoric characters is Rhubarb, an adorable T. rex hatchling who becomes Marshall’s unlikely new best friend. The filmmakers approached the character with a simple idea: What if a puppy got a puppy?

“Rhubarb is one of my favorite characters in the film. When we set out to design Rhubarb, we were aiming to make the cutest dinosaur ever. He's truly innocent and curious. We always thought of him as acting like a little puppy. And so Rhubarb has a lot of those little puppy mannerisms. He wants to play, and we see him shake his tail. It was a really fun way for these two to relate to each other,” says Brunker.

Rhubarb in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie

New Friends, Familiar Heroes

The film also welcomes a new generation of performers, including Carter Young as Marshall, Rain Janjua as Chase, Lucien Duncan-Reid as Rubble, William Desrosiers as Rocky, Nylan Parthipan as Zuma and Henry Bolan making his feature-film voice debut as Ryder. Mckenna Grace also returns as Skye following PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.

For some of the young cast, joining the PAW Patrol meant becoming part of a franchise they grew up with themselves. “I had all the PAW Patrol toys, clothes, bedsheets – pretty much everything. But I never thought I would become my favorite character, Marshall, in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie!” says Young.

In PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie, the pups also meet Rex, a Bernese Mountain pup who uses a dog wheelchair and has made Dino Island his home. Rex is voiced by Hayden Chemberlen in his acting debut, a role that felt especially personal to the young actor: like Rex, Chemberlen uses a wheelchair and saw many of his own qualities reflected in the adventurous pup.

“We're also both athletic, funny, smart, and creative. It's fun to see him on the screen, as I grew up watching PAW Patrol. It's an amazing show that inspires a lot of kids, and it makes me happy to now be in it,” says Chemberlen. “It's inspiring for other kids that may be like me in a wheelchair and hopefully it's really inspiring for other kids to do this.”

Rex in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie

The pups are joined by an expansive all-star ensemble including Jennifer Hudson, Terry Crews, Fortune Feimster, Jameela Jamil, Bill Nye, Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, with Ron Pardo returning as Mayor Humdinger and Meredith MacNeill voicing Harper Cutlass.

Bill Nye as Dr. Theo Rising in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie

Turning Up the Jurassic Jams

The adventure gets an added dose of pop energy courtesy of Backstreet Boys, who perform a new original song, “Bottle Up,” written by Ed Sheeran, Savan Kotecha, Johnny McDaid and Ilya Salmanzadeh.

For Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter, joining the film also brought a personal connection to a franchise his family knows well. “With all my kids, and especially for my son, we were watching it from the first episode on, and so every single one of those episodes has memories for us. So the fact that we could be involved with this movie in any capacity is so great.”

The Pup Who Never Gives Up

Beneath the dinosaurs, action and humor, PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie centers on a familiar but powerful idea: refusing to give up when things get difficult.

That message comes into focus through Marshall, whose persistence becomes central to his story. “I've always loved Marshall because he's super clumsy and makes a lot of mistakes, but his bravery makes up for it,” says Young.

Marshall in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie

For Brunker, that idea is ultimately at the heart of the film. “It's about finding the strength to be the pup who never gives up. And I hope that everyone from the youngest kids to us grown-ups can use the power of never giving up in our lives.”

With dinosaurs to discover and the biggest rescues of their careers ahead of them, the PAW Patrol are ready to prove once again that “no job is too big, no pup is too small!”

PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie opens in theaters August 14. Get tickets now.