The superhero genre takes a new twist with “DC League of Super-Pets,” a potential animated tent pole that expands the DC universe to the animal world.

If the first entry is any indication, “Super-Pets” is a welcome addition. It’s a perfectly acceptable bit of family fare that uses a talented voice cast to overcome any tropes from the screenplay.

“Super-Pets” follows Krypto (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), the dog of Superman (voiced by John Krasinski). The duo have been inseparable since arriving from Krypton, but things get complicated – especially for Krypto – when Lois Lane enters the picture.

To ease the tension between his dog and girlfriend, Superman goes to an animal shelter, where Krypto meets a wisecracking dog named Ace (voiced by Kevin Hart).

When a guinea pig named Lulu (voiced by Kate McKinnon) – a former test animal for Lex Luthor who is also at the shelter – gains superpowers via a piece of orange kryptonite whose powers were released in the shelter, she sets out to destroy Superman and the rest of the League of Justice. The only group that can stop her is Krypto and Ace, who have also gained super powers along with the other animals in the shelter.

The high-concept story has a lot of moving parts that need to be fit just right to truly get the action going, but for the most part directors Sam Levine and Jared Stern (who co-wrote the film with John Whittington) manage to keep it all together and not allow it to become overly convoluted.

Johnson and Hart have worked together a lot lately, and that comic chemistry shines through on the screen. They are clearly having a lot of fun but aren’t the only ones in the talented cast. Keanu Reeves is great as Batman, with Vanessa Bayer and Natasha Lyonne also delivering some of the film’s best moments as a sweet pig named PB and a near-sighted turtle named Merton.

“Super-Pets” isn’t quite on the same level as “Lego Batman,” which Stearn co-wrote, but it does have a lot of the same pop culture charm. It’s almost like “The Secret Life of Pets” evolved into a superhero movie to create this unique little hybrid that manages to find its stride by the end.

This is a potential franchise that, judging by the first film, definitely has potential. Younger audiences will definitely love it, while the parents will likely find enough to be entertained as well.

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart

Directed by: Jared Stern, Sam Levine

Rating: PG for action, mild violence, language and some rude humor

Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas (Glasgow), Franklin Drive-In

Grade: B-