OPERATION: MAKE A SPLASH

The all-animal characters of Operation: Cover-Up (2025) return for a summer with fun activities…and a few setbacks.

If the protagonists’ last adventure was all about attempting to fit in, their new one involves standing out. This trio of friends have different plans—attending comic design camp, collaborating with a talented DJ, and jump-starting a pro-gaming career—so Sy the blue cat proposes Operation: Make a Splash! “Let’s agree to knock these challenges out of the swimming pool!” he urges. Nick, a pink bunny, and Violet, a tan squirrel, are game, but things take a turn right away. Violet’s mother accidentally enrolls her in drama instead of comic design. Meanwhile, Sy’s father keeps proposing different activities that take Sy away from video game practice and time with friends; afraid of disappointing his father (who’s often away for work), Sy reluctantly sacrifices sleep to balance all his commitments. Nick is thrilled to rap with DJ French Toast, but he discovers she has a vicious mean streak, adding a level of tension and moral choice absent from the earlier installment as the victim of French Toast’s bullying rejects Nick’s help. Though the issues all resolve a shade too neatly, the journey is once more a satisfying one, with Godwin making room for his characters’ big emotions. His rounded cartoon art provides humor and much-needed sweetness even as the protagonists address complex conflicts.

A bolstering summer adventure that balances drama and good feelings.