Movie review
July 14, 2022 · 94 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The story’s core engine is a dog named Hank facing constant prejudice from cats who hate dogs on sight. The cats throw out lines like “go back where you came from” and “my dad hated dogs so I do too,” and the film ends with Hank’s big speech about moving “beyond judging each other strictly on labels like dog and cat” so “we can all be better together.” Director Rob Minkoff openly called it a story about acceptance, diversity, and inclusion. The tolerance messaging is baked into every major beat.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank.
Woke representation / casting
Animal fantasy world with comedic voice casting (Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson); no forced diversity or identity signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Comedic prejudice lines plus explicit climactic speech pushing acceptance beyond “dog and cat” labels.
Identity-driven story themes
Entire narrative revolves around dog vs. cat prejudice and resolution through inclusion and unity.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Generic greedy villain; no activist attacks on patriarchy, capitalism, whiteness, or Western institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No backlash claiming the title pushes forced identity politics.
Creator track record context
Mainstream director with no activist history; this project framed by him as diversity/inclusion story.
Production
