Man’s best friend is, of course, his dog. But over the years dogs have taken other roles than just being a pet, such as guide dogs, police dogs and rescue dogs to name but a few.

So in their own way they’re furry superheroes, but this latest animation takes that sentiment literally.

For a number of years growing up, Danny (Dawson Littman) has had Charlie (Owen Wilson), the golden retriever, as his best friend, but now Charlie’s starting to show his age; he can no longer climb the steps to the house, and has to stay in his dog house in the garden.

Then, one day, Charlie finds himself being abducted by aliens, who seem to be looking for something, and finds himself on their ship, with a few other animals and creatures, such as his neighbouring cat Puddy (Ruairi MacDonald).

They are soon discarded however, by a petulant young alien who is looking for a pet of his own, but they are sent back to earth.

Things are different for Charlie however, which he first notices when he starts talking, reunited with Danny. It turns out this isn’t the only change, as since his return from the spaceship, Charlie now has super powers, such as the ability to fly and super doggy strength, which he uses for the power of good.

What he doesn’t know however, is that Puddy also has super powers, but he finds his kitty path more towards that of evil...

If anyone has a natural voice for animation it’s Owen Wilson, so it’s no surprise that this feature isn’t his first animated rodeo, having voiced characters in Fantastic Mr. Fox, Cars 2 and Free Birds.

His voice certainly lends itself to the adorable Charlie, with a huggable warmth and charm to it.

The story is a little uneven, but the gist that Charlie returns back from space with superpowers is enough to carry it throughout the whole film.

They also choose to make the cat the bad guy, which is a rap that continues to plague the feline community, which although unfair, every cat owner can accept it.

The animation is attractive too, being very colourful and playful, making it a highly appropriate family film for all ages. With larger than life characters, especially a great turn from MacDonald playing bad kitty Puddy, they’re all very engaging; it’s just the shame their dialogue isn’t as sharp or funny as it could have been.

Still, it’s a pleasing animation from an independent studio, and doesn’t suffer from some of the issues that some of the bigger studios seem to be suffering from – yes we mean you Disney/Pixar – that are struggling to reach greater animation heights they once did.

By no means a classic then, but does enough to certainly entertain a younger audience, and Charlie is an affable cute mutt to hang out and spend time with.