Based on the popular epic series of children's books by Dav Pilkey (also producing), I remember flicking through the first novel as a child, so I was really looking forward to seeing this cartoon adaptation. Basically in Piqua, Ohio, George (Kevin Hart) and Harold (Thomas Middleditch) are best friends in the fourth-grade, next-door neighbours and share a naughty sense of humour, which they often express, bringing joy and laughter to Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. The duo frequently prank the mean teachers, especially ill- mannered and fiendishly stern principal, Benjamin "Benny" Krupp (The Hangover's Ed Helms), and also create comic books about Captain Underpants, a superhero who fights crime while wearing only underwear and a cape, they sell their comics to school students through their company Treehouse Comics Inc, from their treehouse. George and Harold's pranking comes to an apparent end after tampering with a toilet invention, the Turbo Toilet 2000, at the extremely boring Invention Convention, the toilet's creator is the school's local snitch, intellectual Melvin Sneedly (Jordan Peele), who shows Krupp footage as evidence of their misbehaviour. Krupp decides as punishment to separate the boys in different classes, annihilating their friendship, to stop this Georhe and Harold route through Krupp's office to find the documents he needs to sign, in doing this they find a number of their confiscated items, including a 3D Hypno Ring George received out of a cereal box. When Krupp catches them and takes them to his office, George points the Hypno Ring at Krupp, he is surprised to discover that it actually works, he and Harold hypnotise Krupp into acting like animals. Finally, seeing that Krupp bears a resemblance to Captain Underpants, without his wig, they command him to become Captain Underpants, the headmaster strips to his underwear and uses the red curtains as a cape, but then he runs away to cause trouble in Piqua. Captain Underpants is a ridiculously enthusiastic, incredibly dimwitted superhero, but he does unintentionally foil a bank robbery, but the duo see the severity of their acts. George and Harold take him back to their treehouse, there they discover that they can turn Captain Underpants back into Krupp by splashing him with water, and can turn him back clicking their fingers. Believing that Krupp will continue with his plan to separate them, they decide to settle with Captain Underpants, but insist he be dressed up as Krupp, Captain Underpants agrees, with the pretence this is his secret identity, his sudden change of personality attracts the attention of and affection of shy and clumsy school lunch lady Edith (Kristen Schaal). Just when George and Harold think their troubles are over, an odd, German- accented scientist named Professor P. (Nick Kroll) visits the school, Captain Underpants (disguised as Krupp) hires him to be a new teacher, the duo are suspicious of him. As it turns out, Professor P. has a dastardly plan to get rid of laughter altogether, due to the fact that that people have made fun of his full name, Professor Pee-Pee Diarrheastein Poopypants, Esq., for years, he recruits Melvin to help him, due to his extreme incapability of having fun or humour. There is a point when Captain Underpants is unintentionally turned back into Krupp, it is raining, meaning that he remains wet, and the duo cannot transform him back clicking their fingers, they are finally separated and taken to separate classrooms, they believe their friendship is over. Soon, Professor Poopypants tries to take over town with a giant giant version of the Turbo Toilet 2000, fuelled by toxic food waste from the school cafeteria, and technology uses the power of Melvin's brain to turn all children into glum, humourless zombies. Krupp is starting to see the error of his mean ways, the duo manage to get back together, knowing that he is their only hope, Krupp becomes Captain Underpants, but having no actual superpowers he is effortlessly defeated trying to stop the villain, he is thrown into the toilet full of toxic waste. George and Harold are captured and turned into zombies, but when Professor Poopypants mentions the planet Uranus, this triggers the memory of the duo meeting and their sense of humour sparking, this breaks the trance and escape, their excessive laughter damages the Turbo Toilet 2000's computer. Upon consuming the mutated food leftovers, Captain Underpants acquires real superpowers, including super strength and flight, he rescues George and Harold, and defeats and shrinks Poopypants, but he does manage to get away flying on the back of a bee, vowing to return. Knowing that they cannot control Captain Underpants, George and Harold destroy the Hypno Ring to turn Krupp back into himself, permanently, they assume he will break them up as planned, but Krupp has had a change of heart, having read their comics, he finds them very funny, and he feels lonely and lovesick, so the duo set him up on a date with Edith. However, the remaining toxic waste has transformed a number of toilets into vicious monsters, while Edith and Krupp are dining, he snaps his own fingers, he once again becomes Captain Underpants, and carries George and Harold with him to help save the day, Harold exclaims his catchphrase said as the end of every Captain Underpants book (apart from the last), "here we go again!" Also starring Dee Dee Rescher as Ms. Ribble, Brian Posehn as Mr. Rected and director David Soren as Tommy. The actors are well chosen for the voices, the story is wonderfully silly, with good themes about friendship as well, the lead character that is "faster than a stretching waistband" is a hilariously incompetent hero, and it may be short on actual poop, but there are plenty of great slapstick and written jokes based on toilet humour, funniest scene is an orchestra of whoopee cushions, with burps and farts galore, the adults will have just as much fun as the kids watching, a fabulously funny and enjoyable family animated comedy. Very good!
