Move over Spider-Man. Hop it Bats. Get lost Guardians. There’s a new superhero in town, and his name is Captain Underpants. Adapted from the bestselling children’s books by Dav Pilkey, Captain Underpants is the alter-ego of Principal Krupp, the overweight and cruel leader of Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. He hates children and delights in their misery, so in retaliation, two students hypnotize him and inadvertently turn him into the titular hero.
This new clip from the upcoming Dreamworks CG adaptation, which goes by the mouthful of a title Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, shows that very moment, with the boys amused and aghast at the clumsy, foolhardy creature they’ve created. Now, seasoned superhero fans might be rolling their eyes at this, but in a certain light, isn’t an underpants-wearing principal just as sensible as a radioactive spider dude, or a rich boy dressing up as a bat?
Well… okay, maybe it is a bit sillier. Still, Captain Underpants comes with counter-cultural credentials – with the books being some of the most frequently challenged library novels in modern years. Panicking parents see the series as promoting horrors like encouraging readers to *gasp* disobey authority. Won’t somebody think of the children!
Kidding aside, this clip and the previously released trailer showcase a pitch-perfect air of irreverence and old-school cartoon timing. Captain Underpants is unlikely to be troubling any best of year top tens, but fans of the books will eat it up. Plus, who knows, if this does well we might see the big screen appearance of Professor Poopypants, Tippy Tinkletrousers and Sir Stinks-A-Lot (I swear I’m not making these up).
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie hits theatres on June 2nd.