Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

Lore & Background

The film premiered at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles on June 1, 2017, and was released theatrically in the United States on June 2 by 20th Century Fox. It was among the later DreamWorks movies distributed by Fox, as their three-year distribution deal (extended to 2017) ended after this film's release, though other DreamWorks films like 'The Boss Baby' and 'How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World' were also distributed by Fox. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $125 million against a budget of $38 million. A spin-off television series, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, was released on Netflix on July 13, 2018, and a spin-off film, Dog Man, is scheduled for release by Universal Pictures on January 31, 2025.

Reader's Guide

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie holds significance as the first theatrical adaptation of Dav Pilkey's popular book series, bringing the irreverent humor and distinctive drawing style to a wide audience. The film was produced outside DreamWorks Animation's usual pipeline, animated at Mikros Image in Montreal and Technicolor Animation Productions in France, to match Pilkey's original art style. Its success at the box office and positive critical reception demonstrated the viability of adapting children's book series with unconventional humor. The film also introduced the character Edith, the lunch lady, who was partially based on Edith Anthrope from the books. Its legacy includes spawning a Netflix spin-off series and a separate Dog Man film, extending the franchise beyond the original movie.

Did You Know?

• The film premiered on June 1, 2017, not May 21 as sometimes reported.
• The spin-off film 'Dog Man' is scheduled for release on January 31, 2025, but as of the knowledge cutoff, it has not yet been released.

Production & Creative Vision

DreamWorks Animation brought Dav Pilkey's beloved children's novel series to the screen in this 2017 animated superhero comedy, with David Soren at the helm and Nicholas Stoller penning the screenplay. The studio's connection to the property runs remarkably deep: their initial interest in the film distribution rights dates all the way back to September 1, 1997, the publication date of the first book, though Pilkey turned down that early offer. In a 2000 interview with Karen Heller of Philly.com, Pilkey shared that he had originally envisioned the late Chris Farley lending his voice to Captain Underpants. The final voice cast assembled for the film features Kevin Hart as George Beard, Ed Helms as the dual role of Mr. Krupp and Captain Underpants, Nick Kroll as the villainous Professor Poopypants, Thomas Middleditch as Harold Hutchins, Jordan Peele as Melvin Sneedly, and Kristen Schaal as Edith. The lunch lady was a character invented specifically for the movie, drawing partial inspiration from Edith Anthrope, a separate figure in the book series.

Plot & Narrative Arc

Two fourth-grade best friends, George and Harold, attend Jerome Horwitz Elementary in Piqua, Ohio, where their relentless pranks to brighten their classmates' days clash with their cruel principal, Benjamin Krupp. After Krupp catches them tampering with Melvin Sneedly's Turbo Toilet 2000 and moves to split them into separate classrooms, George uses a 3-D Hypno-Ring cereal box prize to hypnotize him into believing he is their comic book hero, Captain Underpants. The boys learn they can reverse the spell with water and re-trigger it by snapping their fingers. Their scheme catches the eye of the shy lunch lady Edith. Meanwhile, the new science teacher, Professor Pee-Pee Diarrheastein Poopypants Esquire, a humorless mad scientist from New Swissland, plots to eradicate all laughter after years of being ridiculed for his name. He allies with Melvin to grow the Turbo Toilet 2000, fuel it with Edith's toxic leftovers, and turn students into humorless zombies. In the climax, a joke that first bonded George and Harold in kindergarten overloads the machine, and the toxic waste grants Captain Underpants genuine superpowers to defeat and shrink Poopypants. The boys destroy the Hypno-Ring to free Krupp permanently, then arrange a date between him and Edith.

Box Office & Distribution Milestone

The film had its world premiere at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles on May 21, 2017, before opening in U.S. theaters on June 2 under the 20th Century Fox banner. Critics responded warmly, and the picture earned $125 million at the global box office against a production budget of just $38 million, marking a comfortable commercial win. Yet the release carries a particular weight in studio history: it was the last DreamWorks Animation feature distributed by Fox. The two companies had operated under a five-year distribution agreement, and this title signified the deal's expiration. That conclusion meant DreamWorks would need to secure a new theatrical partner for future releases, fundamentally shifting how their animated features reach audiences worldwide. The film's strong financial performance and favorable critical reception, however, positioned the Captain Underpants brand in a favorable spot for continued expansion, even as the distribution relationship that delivered it to screens came to a close.

Franchise Expansion & Beyond

The 2017 film's success unlocked new storytelling avenues for the Captain Underpants universe across multiple platforms and studios. A spin-off television series, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, premiered on Netflix on July 13, 2018, extending the animated world into episodic territory. The franchise's reach grew even further when a separate spin-off film, Dog Man, hit theaters through Universal Pictures on January 31, 2025, proving that the broader Dav Pilkey property could sustain multiple animated features under different studio banners. The original movie also introduced fresh characters and dynamics absent from the books—most notably Edith, the shy lunch lady who becomes Mr. Krupp's love interest. Though she drew partial inspiration from Edith Anthrope in the novels, she was crafted as a distinct on-screen character. The film's ending, in which Krupp is set up on a date with Edith and later accidentally re-transformed into Captain Underpants while flying off with George and Harold, leaves the door wide open for continued adventures.