Plenty of parents write off PAW PATROL as noise — pups barking orders, sirens blaring, repeat — but a new Parents.com report makes the case that there’s more going on under the racket than most adults give the Nickelodeon franchise credit for.
“Each episode follows a consistent sequence: identify the problem, gather information, assign roles, and carry out a plan,” Jamie Krenn, a cognitive and developmental psychologist and adjunct associate professor at Columbia University Teachers College, told Parents.com.
Krenn said that structure lines up with early executive function skills kids are building at exactly the age they’re watching: planning, working memory, cognitive flexibility and impulse control. Each pup, she noted, brings a distinct strength to the team, giving kids a simple, digestible script for tackling problems that has nothing to do with who yells loudest.
Elizabeth Fraley, MEd, an early childhood educator and founder of Kinder Ready, pointed to Chase as the clearest leadership model in the pack. “Through the show, children learn to harness skills like teamwork and civic responsibility,” she said. “Additionally, the show and books highlight the importance of bravery and using skill sets to bring goodness to any situation.”
Fraley also singled out Ryder, the pups’ human founder, as a model of clear communication and empathy, and pointed to the show’s catchphrase — “All paws on deck” — as a line that translates straight into a family or classroom setting. Movieguide® has been saying some version of the same thing for years, sometimes with a caveat attached.
PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE, the franchise’s first theatrical outing, earned a 4/4 quality rating from Movieguide® back in 2021.
“PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE has a strong moral worldview with light Christian imagery,” the review reads. “It celebrates friendship, helping people in need and the idea of adoption.”
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That review did flag two “politically correct cross-dressing moments,” landing the movie a -1 family content rating overall — Movieguide®’s way of telling parents there’s a conversation worth having before or after watching.
The sequel fared better with families and at the box office alike. PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE opened to $23 million in 2023, nearly double its predecessor’s debut, and Movieguide® gave it a 4/4 quality score and a +2 family content rating.
Director Cal Brunker told Animation Scoop the goal was straightforward: “We wanted to make a big, fun movie that everyone had to go see on the big screen.”
Producer Bob Barlen added that the team aimed for something the whole family could watch together, “from the youngest member of the family all the way through to the older brothers and sisters.”
A third movie is slated for 2026, with Spin Master Entertainment president Jennifer Dodge crediting the franchise for “subtly teaching” kids “the value of community, inclusiveness and teamwork.” Movieguide® has flagged one wrinkle worth watching, too: the spinoff series RUBBLE AND CREW introduced a non-binary character, and the outlet has urged the next movie to stick with the values that made the first two installments work.
That spinoff, RUBBLE AND CREW, still earned a strong 4/4 quality score and a +1 family rating for its first three episodes, with Movieguide® calling its moral worldview “steel-grade” for its emphasis on teamwork, family bonds, and community service — alongside a specific parental discretion note about a later episode.
The pups have kept busy on the small screen too. PAW PATROL: FIRE RESCUE, which hit Paramount+ this month, scored a 4/4 quality rating and a +3 family content rating.
“MOVIEGUIDE® finds PAW PATROL: FIRE RESCUE appropriate for all ages,” the review states, pointing to its “intentional focus on fire safety education, flexible leadership styles, and kindness even towards those who wrong others.”
PAW PATROL: AIR RESCUE, which streamed on Paramount+ earlier this year, landed a 3/4 quality score and a +2 rating, with Movieguide® advising some caution for younger viewers given the cartoon peril that comes with a series built around aerial rescues.
Add it up, and the Parents.com case for PAW PATROL as a leadership tool tracks closely with what Movieguide®’s reviewers have found show after show: a franchise that consistently rewards teamwork and courage, with just enough content notes sprinkled in to remind parents that discernment doesn’t get to take the day off, even for cartoon dogs.
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