4–8
4.5/5
Excellent for young fans
Paramount / Spin Master
Animation / Children’s Adventure
14 August 2026
There are some film ideas that require a lengthy pitch. PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie is not one of them. It takes the rescue pups, puts them on a dinosaur island and lets the chaos begin.
For the preschool and early-primary audience that already loves PAW Patrol, that combination works exactly as expected. The film is bright, fast-moving and packed with the transforming vehicles, rescue missions and familiar characters children come to see.
The pups become stranded on a mysterious island populated by dinosaurs and have to protect its prehistoric inhabitants from Humdinger’s reckless actions. Marshall gets a particularly important role as he wrestles with doubts about whether he is capable enough for the job.
That confidence storyline gives the film a useful emotional centre beneath all the dinosaurs and rescue equipment. Younger children get the excitement they want while the story reinforces problem-solving, teamwork and the idea that feeling unsure does not mean you cannot be brave.
The BBFC describes the threat as very mild, but there are still explosions, characters falling from heights and a volcanic eruption. One animal character is hit and falls down a cliff. All of this happens within the reassuring PAW Patrol world and the danger resolves safely, but very sensitive preschoolers may find the volcano or dinosaur danger tense.
There is also a little very mild language and some bottom and fart humour. Nothing here is likely to surprise parents familiar with mainstream children’s animation.
This is much more squarely aimed at children than something like Toy Story. Adults are unlikely to discover layers of meaning they missed the first time around, but the film is brisk, cheerful and understands its audience.
At around 88 minutes, it also avoids one of the biggest problems with taking small children to the cinema: it does not outstay its welcome.
If your child loves PAW Patrol, dinosaurs or rescue vehicles, this is almost tailor-made for them. Children who have moved beyond the series may find it too young, so we would particularly recommend it for roughly the preschool-to-seven-or-eight bracket.
For its intended audience, though, The Dino Movie does its job extremely well.
For a young PAW Patrol fan, adding a dinosaur island makes an already familiar world feel much bigger.
The sub-90-minute runtime is much more manageable for younger cinema-goers than an overlong family blockbuster.
Marshall’s doubts give children a simple, reassuring message about confidence and bravery.
It does not try to become something more complicated than a colourful rescue adventure for young children.
