PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups is a 44-minute special of Nickelodeon's PAW Patrol, airing late 2018. Unlike most other movies, however, the DVD version was released long before it appeared in cinemas, available at Walmart since September 11th.
Mayor Humdinger wishes to go to the moon and be the first mayor there, enlisting the help of his nephew Harold to build a rocket and launch himself into space. Unfortunately a mishap causes the rocket to launch preemptively, and the rocket accidentally knocks a meteor off course and send it spiraling towards Adventure Bay.
The PAW Patrol clears everyone off the streets before investigating the meteor. A massive flash blasts the pups (and Harold) backwards, which gives the pups (and Harold) superpowers. Mayor Humdinger desires to also get some of those powers for himself, so he, along with Harold, works to try and steal the meteor. They are foiled by the now Mighty Pups, however, and Humdinger opts to give up and run away.
Harold on the other hand is more determined, and realizes that the team relies on Ryder's leadership - without him, the team would fall apart. Thus, Harold captures Ryder and then builds a giant robot, using the meteor's powers to supercharge it and further captures the PAW Patrol. Without Ryder, the team, as Harold predicted, falters a bit, but luckily Chase manages to take over as leader and defeat Harold's robot. Unluckily, the robot gets knocked into The Lookout, turning it into a giant rocket blasting off into space.
The pups do their best to try and stop the robot rocket. At this point though, Ryder manages to escape and sends a message to Chase, informing him where the meteor is. With the message, the PAW Patrol grabs the meteor, depowering the robot and sending it back down to Earth. Skye and later Chase create a whirlwind to slow down The Lookout's descent, and Ryder emerges unscathed.
Rubble places The Lookout back where it should be just when the meteor stops glowing and the pups find they've lost their abilities. Ryder and the PAW Patrol place the meteor into storage, leaving just as the meteor re-emits a soft glow.
In the PAW Patrol TV series, this movie was adapted into a subseries titled "Mighty Pups: Super Paws".
Tropes:
- An Ice Person: Everest gets ice breath.
- Artifact Title: Inverted - it took five years, but finally, the 'PAW' part of 'PAW Patrol' actually makes (some) relevance as the pups' superpowers stem from their paws. Also Played With, as the new updated theme song mentions how [the pups are] 'here to save the world' and proceeds to have no saving of worlds (since the Humdingers' goals were getting the meteor and getting to the moon, with no evil plans involving Taking Over The World).
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Inverted on two occasions:
- Mayor Goodway completely reliant on the PAW Patrol to save her city even though she does care only for plants and not the people/pups who risked their lives to save them.
- Mayor Humdinger may be the secondary antagonist but he also helped his nephew to do his dirty work and managed to pillage two locations: The city hall and The Lookout. (City Hall gets destroyed when he stole the meteor twice and they capture The Lookout).
- Attack Animal: The pups must stop the Humdingers from causing more trouble.
- Batman Can Breathe in Space: Even though the episode clearly shows the pups, Ryder, Harold and Mayor Humdinger leaving the atmosphere or at the very least being high enough for the sky to become noticeable darker, there is zero mention of how any of them can breathe in space.
- Blow You Away: Skye can fly as well as create whirlwinds to toss objects around, or slow objects down.
- Breath Weapon: Everest. Interestingly, she is the only pup with a breath-based power; Zuma for example has water powers which are similar to ice, but he shoots water from his paws instead of his mouth. Er, muzzle.
- The Cameo: Tons. The wiki lists Francois, Tracker, Carlos, Mr. Hudsonnote , Farmer Yumi, Ms. Marjorie, Danny, Mr. and Mrs. Wingnutnote , Uncle Otisnote ,the mailman from "Pups Save Friendship Day", Julius, and Julia.
- Camera Abuse: The camera gets splashed with water droplets during Zuma's big wave.
- Determinator: Chase and the rest of the PAW Patrol are determined to save Ryder from the Humdingers.
- Evil Gloating: Mayor Humdinger taunts the PAW Patrol twice.
- "Those pesky pups! Can't let them get up here!"
- [Doing his victory dance] "You pups can't stop me!" (Cue Ryder entering and telling him it's over until Humdinger leans back and disables comms again.)
- Fictional Earth: While it was always assumed that the show took place on some version of Earth, here we get a view of the planet for the first time, showing landmasses quite different from what we're used to.
- Hand Wave: The Phlebotinum of the meteor is due to quote, "the interaction of our atmosphere with cosmic stuff".
- I Have Your Wife: Harold managed to strip Ryder of his equipment and gear and traps him and his invention takes him at his garage while Harold managed to use his powers to get his uncle and helps him defeat the pups. Later, Ryder escapes himself and gives Chase a clue to where the robot's weak spot is, which unknowingly saves himself in the process.
- Jet Pack: Rocket boots are used by a character in the special.
- Making a Splash: Zuma can blast water from his paws, as well as create a massive wave.
- Not the Intended Use: Rocky uses his Green Lantern-esque toolbelt as pouches for the pups to ride in.
- Orchestral Version: The theme tune gets upgraded to a more dramatic version, as well as new lyrics, for this special.
- Oh, Crap!: The PAW Patrol's reaction to seeing Harold in a giant mech, and the reaction of the townsfolk seeing The Lookout fall from the sky.
- Playing with Fire: A variation. Instead of actively shooting fire, Marshall instead has heat powers that can melt a variety of things.
- Power Glows: The pups' paws glow whenever they use their powers. Likewise, whatever Harold's telekinetically moving glows, too.
- Running Gag: Mayor Goodway's tulips keep getting destroyed.
- Sequel Hook: Although the pups lose their powers, the meteor glows at the end of the mini-movie, suggesting that one day the pups could regain their superpowers. Ryder also remarks that maybe the pups'll get them back someday.
- Skewed Priorities: Mayor Goodway is far more upset about her tulips than the giant robot rampaging around her city.Mayor Goodway: "Sorry. Force of habit."
- Super-Speed: Chase can run fast enough to create a whirlwind, leaving a TRON-like trail behind him.
- Super-Strength: Rubble can lift a train and four carriages, or The Lookout, by himself. We're not sure which one is heavier.
- Technopath: Harold. Although it seemingly also comes with telekinesis.
