Richard Cartwright, Disney Enterprises Alex Neuberger and furry co-star are at the center of the action in "Underdog." Click photo for larger image. 'Underdog' Starring: Jim Belushi, voice of Jason Lee Director: Frederik Du Chau Rating: PG for rude humor, mild language and action Online: Official movie site

It's not enough that he's a talking, flying, crime-fighting dog with superhuman strength. No, the 2007 version of Underdog is also able to bring a widowed former cop and his alienated teenage son together.

There's no (great) need to cheer. "Underdog" the movie is here, and it opens with a shoutout to all those baby boomers who grew up with the 1960s cartoon canine and are now taking their children or -- gulp -- grandchildren to the live-action movie.

But it's a whole different animal, in every sense, since Underdog is a real beagle, although one with the voice of Jason Lee which gives the movie a weird "My Name Is Earl" vibe. Lee has a distinctive, even warm voice, but one that's a bit cocksure, unlike that of Wally Cox, who spoke for Underdog on TV starting in 1964.

Not long after the movie opens, the disgraced police beagle (he sniffed out a ham rather than a bomb) ends up in the lab run by the evil scientist Simon Barsinister (Peter Dinklage) and his henchman, Cad (Patrick Warburton). An experiment involving a secret serum goes awry and the dog gains extraordinary powers and escapes.

When security guard Dan Unger (Jim Belushi) finds the pooch on the street, he adopts him and names him Shoeshine.

Dan's teenage son, Jack (Alex Neuberger), discovers the dog can talk, run like a cheetah, fly like an eagle and put criminals in their place. He helps fashion a costume for him, and Underdog comes up with his own rhyming slogan and woos his version of Lois Lane, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Polly (voice of Amy Adams).

But the villainous Barsinister lives up to his name with plans to hunt down Underdog and bring the good folks of Capitol City to their knees.

"Underdog," directed by Frederik Du Chau ("Racing Stripes"), manages to meld four real beagles with computer-generated imagery so you buy the idea of a chatty caped canine. Not so successful is Polly, who should have been a white poodle, for starters, and whose mouth movement isn't quite so seamless.

Even accepting that this is not your father's "Underdog" or your "Underdog" of Saturday mornings and sugary cereals, it degenerates into cartoonish silliness near the end. There's a reason cartoons can get away with tying someone near a bundle of dynamite and live-action movies cannot.

A big action scene involving Underdog, some other animals with super powers and Barsinister seems designed to be a high point but ends up being a low one. It's a bit embarrassing to see an actor of Dinklage's talent try to bring some authenticity to the mad scientist.

With a PG rating and 84-minute running time, "Underdog" will keep the younger members of the household amused on a rainy or blistering afternoon. But in terms of creativity and originality, it's no "Ratatouille."

'UNDERDOG'

Starring: Jim Belushi, voice of Jason Lee

Director: Frederik Du Chau

Rating: PG for rude humor, mild language and action

1.5 stars