Teaching children the proper disrespect towards authority figures can be a difficult thing, but since 1997, Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series has been nothing less than a godsend. Now Dreamworks Animation is bringing Pilkey’s epic to the big screen, and parents around the world will have a new quiver in their bow. The film stars Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch as two prank-loving fourth graders who hypnotize their authoritarian principal (Ed Helms) into believing he is a superhero named “Captain Underpants.” This is basically the best possible outcome in fourth grader–principal relations, especially when, as the trailer reveals, there are supervillains around.
In this case, Captain Underpants will face off against Professor Poopypants (Nick Kroll), in a struggle that is all too familiar to our nation’s youngest children. David Soren directs from a script by Nicholas Stoller; Jordan Peele and Kristen Schaal round out the all-star cast. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie will be released June 2, which should give our nation’s children just enough time to learn hypnosis before school starts again in the fall. Great news, principals of America—the upcoming school year just got a lot more interesting!
