Underdog

Underdog is a family adventure comedy based on the classic animated television series. A beagle named Shoeshine ends up in the laboratory of the mad scientist Dr. Simon Barsinister, where an accident leaves him with extraordinary abilities, including flight and the power of speech. He is taken in by a widowed security guard, Dan Unger, and his son Jack, who becomes the dog's friend and the only person who knows his secret. Assuming a superhero identity, Shoeshine sets out to protect the citizens of Capitol City, and especially a spaniel named Polly Purebread, from Barsinister and his henchman Cad. The film mixes action and fantasy with comedy aimed at a family audience.

Frederik Du Chau directed, working from a screenplay by Adam Rifkin, Joe Piscatella and Craig A. Williams. It was the third film he directed, following Quest for Camelot in 1998 and Racing Stripes in 2005. Jason Lee voices Shoeshine, while Peter Dinklage plays Barsinister, with Jim Belushi as Dan, Patrick Warburton as Cad, Alex Neuberger as Jack and Taylor Momsen as Molly. The production, backed by Walt Disney Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment among others, cost about 25 million dollars and took roughly 65 million dollars worldwide, a solid return on its budget.

Audience response was modest. On IMDb it holds 4.8 out of 10 from around 24,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.6 out of 10 from roughly 783 votes. A critics' rating of 4.3 out of 10 from 68 reviews places professional opinion close to the lower end of those audience scores.