The Secret Life of Pets (2016) User Reviews

Cute Movie, But A Bit Over-hyped

[meshjoy · 7/10 · 12 July 2016]

After hearing people praise this movie, and seeing how much it was advertised, I was curious to see this. Now, I've never loved Illumination's movies, but I've never hated them either. I don't mind any of their films, but I feel like they're not as innovative as certain other animation companies. Hearing how much people loved Secret Life of Pets gave me a bit of hope that perhaps this movie would be Illumination's breakthrough. The one that would have the best animation, story, characters, emotions, etc.

Unfortunately, Secret Life of Pets just ended up being another okay movie for me. Right when I saw the trailers, I was reminded of Toy Story with the plot. I feared that the plot would be predictable, and it definitely was. A few different things were thrown in, but as a whole, the story was pretty predictable. One of the different things that was thrown in had potential to be a really emotional scene. This is a spoiler, by the way. Anyway, Duke finds out that his original owner had died, which could've led into an emotional scene, like in Finding Dory when Dory was made to believe her parents were dead. But the whole scene failed. Firstly, it was told, not shown. A random cat just gives the news to Duke. Second, Duke barely reacts to this, despite the movie going out of its way to show us a montage of him with his owner. He just gets mad at the family that moved into the owner's home before getting caught by animal control. After that, it's never mentioned again. Duke is just fine with his owner being dead, and living with a new owner and Max. This really bothers me, since as I said, this scene had potential to be emotionally provoking. But it didn't take the chance.

Our main characters didn't interest me. Max is just another typical good guy that just wants a good life. Duke was just another lovable big guy who may be a bit slow. However, the only characters that made me laugh/I enjoyed were Gidget, Snowball, Tiberius, and Pops. Gidget and Snowball were the ones that really shined, though. Gidget was just plain adorable, and hilarious. As for Snowball, I'm not a big fan of Kevin Hart, but he really did a great job for his first animated film. I personally prefer him doing voice work than him in live action films. He managed to make me laugh multiple times as Snowball. That bunny may be cute, but he's totally psychotic. As for the rest of the characters, they didn't really interest me. I don't hate any of them, but they were pretty generic.

I also am sick of the Minions. They got old when their own movie was made. I won't mind seeing them in Despicable Me 3, since we'll only get small doses of them, but having them constantly shoved in our faces is getting annoying. The short that came on before Secret Life of Pets was just stupid. No experimentation with the animation or characters. Just plain stupidity. They also had one of the dogs in Secret Life wear a Minions costume, and I just rolled my eyes. Minions may make Illumination money, but not many people care about them anymore. I certainly don't.

I do have some positive things to say about this film. The animation was impressive. I was particularly impressed with how they animated water, and the mannerisms of the pets. Which leads into the next thing I liked about this. I admire how much the creators of the film did their research on not just dogs, but most pets people keep. They were spot on with how dogs, cats, birds, etc. act. As a dog and cat owner, I appreciate the humor/realism that went into the pets, and they reminded me of my own pets.

As a whole, this a cute, but flawed film. I wasn't impressed with most of the characters. The story was predictable. Nothing about this film was thought or emotionally provoking. However, I appreciated some of the film's humor, animation, and the research that went into the mannerisms of the pets. It's a shame that this wasn't Illumination's breakthrough. Sure, it's making a lot of money, but it's still just an alright movie. Hopefully one day, Illumination will make a film just as great as the likes of Zootopia or Inside Out. The Secret Life of Pets just isn't that film.

Don't keep it to yourself - "The Secret Life of Pets" is great family fun!

[dave-mcclain · 8/10 · 9 July 2016]

When you see as many movies as I do (and you start writing reviews in your head while you're watching them), certain movies, parts of movies, plot points or characters remind you of other movies. In my reviews, I often note those parallels, using them to comment on the movie I'm reviewing. Sometimes I note similarities between movies to say that the more recent film is unoriginal. Other times, it's just to help explain what the new movie is like. The animated adventure comedy "The Secret Life of Pets" (PG, 1:30) reminds me very much of two other animated features… but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Tell me if this sounds familiar: Someone's possessions (as he or she views them) actually have secret lives of their own which are only really apparent when the owner is not around. These anthropomorphic possessions relate to each other and form friendships. When a newer version of the original is brought into the group, jealousy emerges and the original tries to get rid of the interloper. This struggle results in both of the rivals being thrust out of the comforts of home into the little-understood big, bad world, a situation which requires their compadres to venture out of their own comfort zones to mount a rescue.

That set-up fits Illumination Entertainment's 2016 "The Secret Life of Pets" as well as it does the 1995 Pixar/Disney classic film "Toy Story". (Think, "Pet Story", or "The Secret Life of Toys".) But considering that the 2016 film is about animals rather than toys, maybe the better comparison is to another 2016 animated feature (also from Disney) by the name of "Zootopia". In both of those 2016 films, a couple of anthropomorphic animals (among many others living in a big city) form a partnership which develops into a mutually beneficial friendship. I guess it's not unfair to think of "The Secret Life of Pets" as a mash-up of "Toy Story" and "Zootopia". Nevertheless, this one charts its own unique course and is as entertaining as those other two… or the "Despicable Me" films, also from Illumination Entertainment.

Now that you know what "The Secret Life of Pets" is LIKE, here's what it's ABOUT: The movie focuses on a small brown and white terrier named Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) and his relationship with the other pets in his apartment building. Max lives in a small Manhattan apartment with his owner, a young woman named Katie (Ellie Kemper). When Katie goes to work each day, Max sits at the door wondering where she has gone and waiting for her to come back and play with him. Meanwhile, the pets in the building across the alley and above and below his apartment (and one guniea pig lost in the air ducts) are more active in their daily lives (and more mobile) than is readily apparent. (Thus, the title of the film.) Some of the neighborhood pets include an overweight white cat named Chloe (Lake Bell), a bulldog named Mel (Bobby Moynihan), a dachshund named Buddy (Hannibal Buress), a canary named Sweet Pea (Tara Strong), and Gidget (Jenny Slate), a white Pomeranian who has a secret crush on Max.

Except for missing Katie during the day, all is well in Max's little world… until one not-so-fine day when Katie brings home another dog she rescued from a shelter. Duke (Eric Stonestreet) is a large, shaggy, dark brown dog who has no problem throwing his weight around to get the best place to sleep, or as much food as he wants, or… anything else. Max starts scheming about how to get rid of Duke, but one such attempt while they're in the park with Katie's dog walker back-fires and sets both Max and Duke off on a wild and dangerous journey around the city. When Gidget realizes that Max has disappeared, she enlists their mutual pet friends, plus a caged hawk named Tiberius (Albert Brooks), and a few other neighborhood pets (including the Dana Carvey voiced "Pops"), to help her find Max. Meanwhile, Max and Duke have to try escaping from animal control workers, a disfigured alley cat named Ozone (Steve Coogan) and a small, but crazed and bitter bunny named Snowball (Kevin Hart), who was discarded by the magician he worked for and now leads a sewer-dwelling group of radicals called The Flushed Pets, who are bent on wiping out all the humans – and who decide that Max and Duke are also their enemies.

"The Secret Life of Pets" is every bit as entertaining as you'd hope, based on its theatrical trailers, or its movie posters, or just its title. Co-writers Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch exploit many of the well-known quirks of different kinds of pets, but give each character in the film its own personality. Then, once the script clearly establishes who each of these characters are, it gives them plenty to do, but without making the story unnecessarily complicated. Co-directors Chris Renaud (who also voices the aforementioned lost guinea pig) and Yarrow Cheney bring this promising concept and excellent script to realization by keeping the plot moving and not overdoing any of the film's big ideas or overplaying any of the gags. Finally, with the film's impressive voice cast and the filmmakers' "Despicable" history, the performances and the visuals are excellent across the board. On the critical side, I found a subplot involving Duke's backstory and a "Grease"-inspired sausage-fueled dream sequence to be odd and unnecessary diversions, and I would've liked to see just a little more originality and inspiration sprinkled throughout the movie. However, there's no denying that "The Secret Life of Pets" is very well-done good, clean fun for the whole family. "A-"

Very silly but enjoyable

[preppy-3 · 8/10 · 13 July 2016]

Animated film that takes place in NYC. Two dogs named Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) and Duke (voiced by Eric Stonestreet) get separated from their owner when out for a walk. The film chronicles their journey back home.

This is clearly aimed at kids but has plenty of humor that adults will enjoy. I'm in my 50s and laughed long and loud at some of the antics. The script is good and moves quickly. I was never bored. With one exception the voices perfectly fit the characters. The one exception was Snowball. He's a psychotic rabbit voiced by Kevin Hart. Hart can be funny but not here. He YELLS every word out at the audience. It gets annoying quick. The animation is great--very fluid and pleasing to the eye. The backdrops of NYC are breath-taking. The only real debit is there are some glaring lapses in logic but it IS a kids film. Recommended.

Much to enjoy here

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 8 July 2016]

Not a great film, but a very enjoyable one.

Starting with 'The Secret Life of Pets', while much of the story is charming, beautifully paced without feeling rushed and entertaining, it does run out of steam in the final third where it does drag a bit and feels overstretched.

While the lead characters are likable and interesting, there are too many characters, which are not as fleshed out and some of them not in the film enough to make impact, and the film feels over-populated as a result.

And while a vast majority of the film is incredibly entertaining, not all the jokes work in the final third, being not as well-timed and being a bit too obvious and childish.

However, 'The Secret Life of Pets' is beautifully and vibrantly animated, love the rich colours, meticulously rich backgrounds and the well-modelled character designs. The music score is whimsical and lively.

'The Secret Life of Pets' is also very wittily and often hilariously scripted, some of the best lines coming from Snowball, and there are some neat references to 'Grease', 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Some Like it Hot.' As said, much of the story is charming with enough of the entertainment factor.

Lastly the voice acting is pretty terrific, Kevin Hart, Albert Brooks and Steve Coogan coming off best.

Overall, there is much to enjoy in 'The Secret Life of Pets', though it is more a good film than a great one. 7/10 Bethany Cox

"The Secret World of Pets"-Pure Entertainment with generous dose of love between animals and people. Great Movie.

[patfish1 · 1 August 2016]

You know a movie is good when it's over shortly after it began.

Well actually the movie was well over an hour and a half but I was drawn in from beginning to the last second. In fact, even at the last second I did not want the movie to end.

It's a simple story. A cute young dog, Max, finds himself stuck with a new housemate, Duke, a big lug of a dog that their owner brings home and expects they will get along.

Thus begins the saga to get rid of Duke while helping all the cast-aside pets of the world wreak revenge on the humans who left them.

The rest is just cute and includes Snowball the Bunny and lots of animals to include canaries, snakes, lizards and sneaky buzzards. Oh, and a real cute cat that acts….heh, just like a cat.

This is a movie for all ages. It's a movie to watch on a rainy day and a movie to watch over and over. The character voices include:

Louis C.K. ... Max (voice) Eric Stonestreet ... Duke (voice) Kevin Hart ... Snowball (voice) Jenny Slate ... Gidget (voice) Ellie Kemper ... Katie (voice) Albert Brooks ... Tiberius (voice) Lake Bell ... Chloe (voice) Dana Carvey ... Pops (voice) Hannibal Buress ... Buddy (voice) Bobby Moynihan ... Mel (voice)

There is no major moral to the movie except there is a human out there for every pet, there is even a human out there for pets who have lost their owners, which includes Duke.

There's action, laughs, shouts, screams and much fun.

See this movie, please. See it especially if you have pets.

Flavorless but You Could Do Worse

[bkrauser-81-311064 · 6/10 · 20 July 2016]

I start this review by first acknowledging there's nothing wrong with this film from a family-oriented entertainment point of view. It's colorful, it's fun at times, provides a positive message about acceptance and provides a clever enough high concept to keep the kids on their keesters for 80 minutes. As a rudimentary children's film, you certainly can do worse.

The problem with The Secret Lives of Pets stems from its complete inability to marry story, character and concept into a discernible package. As it stands, the film is rushed, bulky and is chalked full of nonsensical choices that cripples any verdant ideas that could have been. It's a first draft; not a final product.

The story begins with a happy Jack Russell Terrier named Max (C.K.) who lives with his owner Katie (Kemper) in a surprisingly roomy Manhattan apartment. Things change drastically and suddenly with the arrival of Duke (Stonestreet) a large, shaggy Newfoundland whose introduced as a "new brother" to Max's chagrin. They, of course don't get along and after a series of confrontations find themselves lost. The first to notice they're missing is a lovestruck Pomeranian named Gidget (Slate) who recruits the rest of Max's friends among others to recover them from the vast streets of New York City.

The rest of Max's friends are barely worth mentioning as they're mostly utilized to push the buttons and pull the levers on some uninspired comedic set-pieces. They're not really useful to the plot, nor do they succeed in being the Toy Story (1995)-inspired resilient and diverse gaggle the movie hopes they are. Part of the reason for this is none of the side characters actually solve any problems. They jet here, they jet there but when faced with any obstacles they just seem to rush it. Gone is the creativity of having Mr. Potato Head fashion a new body out of a tortilla; now we have elderly Basset Hound, Pops (Carvey) hobbling through construction sites with stalwart confidence.

Frankly focusing on the story's tagged-on villains might have paid more dividends. The broad machinations of Snowball (Hart), a bunny with delusions of grandeur are easily the best part of the film, even if they remain painfully underdeveloped. Additionally his "Flushed Pets" group could have complicated Duke's allegiance to his new owner or more easily pegged Max as a fully socialized pet and therefore in need of re-education. Snowball was the best chance the movie had in getting audiences to truly know the characters we're supposed to be rooting for but instead they blew it on prolonged chase sequences and a sausage factory bit that goes absolutely nowhere.

And that gets me to the biggest problem I have with this film; the creators' approach to the high concept itself. The film tries to have its cake and eat it to, portraying characters with innately human characteristics but still clinging to the charming pet-like idiosyncrasies we know and love about our furry friends. For example, Gidget recruits the help of Tiberius (Brooks) a hawk who at first tries to eat her. She barely escapes his talons only to trust him once more because that's just what a peppy little dog would do. Max's friends Mel (Moynihan) and Buddy (Buress) don't even notice Max is gone because, being dogs, they're distracted by butterflies and squirrels. They're certainly not a rag-tag group of lovable rogues, they're a confederacy of dunces, successful only because of the ever changing allegiances of the main antagonist. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention Snowball at one point joins forces with Max to save Duke in a climactic sequence so blithely unnatural it renders the friends search and rescue completely moot.

This film is a rushed, characterless, flavorless kids film that just barely stretches its plot over the skeleton of its story structure. As I said before, if all you're looking for is a bland and forgettable family film, you could do worse. Yet provided it's appealing concept, you'd really think the animation studio that made Despicable Me (2010) could do better.

Cute and amusing in parts but ...

[lorraineesimpson · 7/10 · 2 July 2016]

... it's not a classic. Has a nice family feel to it and kids will like it, but unlike some recent animations doesn't have much for adults. The gangsta rabbit is quite funny, and I wish that Claudia the fat cat had more lines as there was scope to develop that character a bit more. The plot is pretty thin but there again you don't really expect a lot more from this type of film. I quite liked it but was also a little disappointed - it was so hyped and unfortunately didn't really live up to it. I could watch Happy Feet and Shrek all day but I wouldn't want to sit through this again. But all in all it is what it is. It's aimed at children and they will enjoy it - my grandchildren aged 7 and 10 certainly did.

The Secret Life of Pets

[aileencorcoran · 7/10 · 24 July 2016]

Let's face it, we as pet owners have always wondered what our furry friends are up to when we're not home. It's an idea that has been played around with for years, from Tom and Jerry to Phineas and Ferb. As ideas go, it isn't original, but the possibilities it can bring are endless. When Illumination Entertainment, the French animation studio behind monster hits such as Despicable Me and Minions (the first non-Disney animated film to earn a billion worldwide) launched a teaser trailer documenting the mischief pets get up to, curiosities were peaked. The world cried in unison; what does this animation studio think pets do? We already have pets as spies, pets being obsessive compulsive mouse hunters, and pets finding their way home. There is still so much one can do with this age old trope, if one is clever enough. What we got, is a beautifully animated flick with plenty of humour and good spirits that packs too much into its run time that has good intentions, despite borrowing heavily from a certain 1990s film.

The film opens with our protagonist, Max (Louis C.K.), a Jack Russell Terrier living in New York City with his owner, Katie. Max, like any terrier, is full of beans and love for his master; Illumination got the happy go lucky attitude of the Jack Russell down perfectly. They also got the territorial side, for when Katie brings home a Newfoundland mix named Duke (Eric Stonestreet), Max is less than impressed. Not wanting his perfect life torn upside down by the hairy interloper, Max tries his darndest to get rid of him, leading, of course, to the pair getting whisked away by the pound when Duke tries to dispose of Max. Naturally, the pooches must cope with each other and find their way home, but not without obstacles; underneath the belly of NYC is an underground secret society of abandoned and unwanted animals, led by the not so cuddly rabbit, Snowball (Kevin Hart). Due to accidentally offing a valuable member of the society, Snowball and his henchmen swear vengeance on our furry duo. While all this madness is afoot, a Pomeranian named Gidget, who has a major crush on Max, enlists the help of all their animal neighbours to save him.

The main issue of the film, and it's a biggie, is that it's Toy Story with pets. There's no sugar coating it. The main species has a social circle that their owners aren't aware of. The main character loves his owner so much, and is insanely jealous when they bring home someone new. When one is trying to get rid of the other, they end up far away from home, and have to find their way back. They even have elements of Toy Story 2 and 3; friends coming together to find the main character, and a seemingly cute antagonist causing chaos. The only real original element is that the animals have their own language; they don't harbour the ability to speak to humans. Despite this, the film isn't a dud. By now, you've already heard from many sources about the parallels with Toy Story, and, if you're open minded, can enjoy the film for what it is; a slapstick comedy with talking animals. It doesn't remove the issue, but it allows one to see the effort the creators put in to the rest of the film.

The animation is fantastic; the textures and anatomy of the animals, while stylised, is still very true to what it represents. The look and feel of New York is large in scale and immensely colourful. The characters look like they have weight to them, that despite their cartoony appearance, they could be real animals. The characters are likable and cute, with the actors making them sound like they are animals; in better terms, you believe they are animals, not animals being voiced by humans. I don't know how they managed that, but they did.

What little character development is present it given to Max and Duke, with the latter having a genuinely heartbreaking moment which is sadly glanced over, and thrown aside. There is so much life and likability here. The only issue with character, is that there's too many to remember, and not enough time to get to know them. It's a good thing when you want to see more of the characters, but it also gives glaring warning signs: an inevitable sequel. Or perhaps, that may be a good thing. For this film, despite its flaws, seems like it could be the precursor to a creative franchise. There is so much that can be done with these characters, and with this world, that a sequel would be welcomed. The only issue is, would it be milked to the death like the poor Minions?

The jokes are mostly funny, with some misses; there is a jab at YouTube cat videos that will forever be relevant, and the metal loving poodle is amazing. The little quirks that the animators and actors gave the animals are fantastic, such as the dogs having short attention spans, and the cat sitting in too small containers. There's a lot for pet owners to relate to, especially in the ending.

It may be a mixed bag, but it's a good, likable one. The Secret Life of Pets had potential to be amazing, and still has potential to become a creative, lasting franchise. This beautiful film is plenty of bark, with little bite. If you leave without a smile on your face, then you were clearly neutered.

Rating: B2

Pets on the Run, Make for Silly, Family Fun

[rgkarim · 8/10 · 9 July 2016]

Kids movies continue to swarm into the theaters, and Hollywood's trailer editors have been hard at work baiting us in. With Disney owning the box office this summer, Illumination Entertainment (the creators of Despicable Me) are taking a shot at the box office run. This weekend we got The Secret Life Of Pets, a movie that has been highly anticipated since it's trailer debut from so long ago. It was indeed a very entertaining trailer, but we all know how trailers can be deceptive now don't we? So I have headed into the trenches again to report on the latest film to hit the silver screen.

The GOOD • Cute/Kid Friendly • Funny • Good animation

When you watch, or for many rewatch, the trailers you most likely saw the characters as cute, cuddly animals doing hilarious things. Good news! The trailer is accurate this time and provides the cute factor you expected (including the very scenes you saw in the trailer). All of the characters are adorable, the main ones being bouncy, fluffy, high-spirited animals that will make you want to say Awwwwww. Our design team found a way to maximize all the cute features of an animal and sell it to the families that will lead to merchandising. Even animals you wouldn't think cute (like snakes, gators, and lizards) get the cuddly personifications. Hopefully you have gathered from this, that the design is kid friendly and will have your little ones enamored.

But cute is only the hook, what keeps the interest going in this film? The answer is the comedy of course. The stunts the animals pull are entertaining and the dialogue itself had me chuckling at many of the media references. Voice acting only helps sell the comedy more, especially Kevin Hart and all his high pitched screaming. Your kids though will be the ones to enjoy the comedy the most though, as it is slapstick, simplistic antics with digital pets. Running into walls, making funny faces, or going to the bathroom on the floor are just some of the things you will see that had toddlers chuckling in their seats.

And a small bonus, that really shouldn't be a surprise, is that the animation is good. Illumination Entertainment certainly has their anatomy and physiology down being able to superimpose human qualities while still maintaining there animal qualities. Glad to know that our animation studios are still able to produce great works. If only they could have put that effort into the next few qualities.

THE BAD • The Story • Lack of Uniqueness • Trailers showed you a lot of the movie

With the comedy and animation being the obvious focus, you have to wonder how the story fared in this movie. Unfortunately…it didn't fare that well. Oh it's not that bad at all, but the problem is that it lacks anything memorable or emotionally driving for me. The writers crammed a lot of plots into a short 90 minutes run time, and the resulting production was a very rushed, shallow tale with little development. A split focus resulted in little emotional build-up, and there was no intriguing qualities to keep my attention on any of the cast. And the goal they were trying to achieve was very limited and didn't really set any time limit or urgency to the tale.

To add more fuel to that fire, The Secret Life of Pets wasn't really that unique of a movie. We've had talking pet movies before, where anthropomorphic animals traverse a city or town that often involves a very extreme villain (think Oliver and Company or Homeward Bound). Those tales stick home because they had edge, depth, and moments that stick out in your mind. Not the case with this movie, as again there was no drive to make our pets grow, develop, or even go through much struggle at all. It doesn't have any twists to mix things up either, and therefore leaves little to spoilt. In addition, much of the movie, including a lot of the funny parts, is revealed in the three trailers out and therefore you can save yourself some major bucks by just rewatching all of the trailers. Yeah, I know that is definitely a disappointing factor.

The Verdict

The Secret Life Of Pets is exactly what the trailer promises, fun, entertaining, and wildly adorable. Younger audience members, as well as those very young at heart, are the target group for this movie hands down. It has the laugh factor certainly, and the cast of characters are a motley crew that I certainly enjoyed. However, the story is very simplistic, the lack of emotional suspense, and that much of the movie is told in the trailers make this movie not the most memorable of the summer. I can't say it is worth a trip to the theater in comparison to some of the other kid movies, but it makes for a good family outing.

My scores are:

Animation/Comedy/Family: 7.5-8.0 Movie Overall: 7.0

The studios best film since Despicable Me

[gricey_sandgrounder · 7/10 · 18 June 2016]

With the animation genre in such a golden age, more and more studios are starting to drop their name into the mix.

The latest one is Illumination Entertainment. After starting really well with Despicable Me, it has seemed to have made OK flicks such as Hop, The Lorax, Despicable Me 2 and Minions.

Now we have what many people are hyping as their best feature since Despicable Me, in the form The Secret Life Of Pets. The marketing has been pretty good and trailer suggests a good time at the cinema.

For me, I was pretty satisfied with what I saw. The first third of the film was its strongest part. It was introducing the characters well, there were some solid laughs and they were setting up the story nicely. However the longer the film went on, the slightly sillier it was getting. It was starting to lose its feet, and the gags were getting a bit too much. Thankfully, it was not that bad at all on the whole. It was still moving a long nicely, the characters were being solidly developed and the story rounded off pretty well. I think it might have peaked too soon and everything else felt inferior.

The voice performances were good. Jenny Slate continues to do well in her voice work and I felt she gave the strongest performance. Kevin Hart played his character really well, and had some nice laughs. Louis C.K. was well cast as the lead and gave us a character you could root for. The rest did their job well. They were not good enough to be memorable, but not bad enough to be negatively criticised.

On the technical side, the animation looked really nice and fitted the tone well. The action was entertaining if not a bit over the top at times. The character designs were strong, and I can see them being sold well as merchandise.

Overall, some of it felt disappointing. But on the whole I had a fairly good time watching this. It is definitely the studio's best film since Despicable Me. But with so many other animation studios delivering much stronger films at the moment, this could be forgotten sooner than you think. This might not do as well in the box office as originally expected. Especially a new Pixar film on the way.

There is also a short before the main film, and it features the studios most famous characters. It was o.k. But nowhere near as strong as Pixar's shorts.

The best bits are all in the trailer

[meganhinge · 4/10 · 7 October 2016]

The trailer was looking promising. Lots of laughs and clever humour. Hopes were high as the trailer for Zootopia was inciting and that film did not disappoint. However, Secret Life of Pets turned out to be a fizzer. Excessively violent for a children's film, not funny or clever and really rather odd. The characters are not developed which means that the audience doesn't particularly care what happens on their quest. The stand out of the film is the husky little white fluffball of a dog. I think this film is aimed at children, though the guy down the row from me was certainly laughing a lot (while I was taking power naps). Not the same caliber as Despicable Me.

A fun movie with a good plot.

[seancassidy-32550 · 8/10 · 3 July 2016]

I enjoyed this movie more than Despicable Me. I liked the fact that there was more than one story going on at a time. At one point, there were three different stories that eventually came together.

I think the jokes in the movie would be funnier for adults than children, probably because I'm a fan of Louis C.K. and his delivery. I think the eventual happy ending that concludes the movie is suited to the kids and they will come out happy they saw it.

The characters aren't as compelling as Disney/Pixar characters but I think there were more jokes in this one than usual. I also don't think there were as much emotional obstacles for the characters to conquer in this one opposed to a Disney/Pixar movie. This movie was just fun almost all the way through. Even when the characters were about to die they were still making jokes. Some people might rather this type of animation.

The movie was easy and fun to watch, a good movie for the kids and the adults.

Starts off amazingly...then quickly loses momentum

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 7 August 2018]

"The Secret Life of Pets" is a very successful film from Universal, the same folks who brought us the "Despicable Me" franchise. While I am thrilled that the studio decided to do something other than yet another sequel, "The Secret Life of Pets" is a highly uneven movie.

The story starts off terrifically well. The opening sequence is simply breaktaking--with some of the best CGI you'll ever see. I was very impressed with this...as well as watching all the various pets acting like pets. However, the film simply did not maintain this momentum. Once the two dogs, Max and Duke, got lost...so did the story. The notion of human-hating animals living in the sewers and stealing dog pound trucks is pretty stupid....and unappealing. Instead of being cute like the film had been, it tries to get edgy and it misfires. In other words, and this will sound weird, the film was much better when it had little in the way of plot (one of the reasons I loved "Minions" is because it was less wedding to plot and more to fun). Overall, an uneven film that becomes somewhat tiresome after a while.

Some fun moments, but ultimately not a good watch overall due to the lack of a plot really

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 11 September 2016]

"The Secret Life of Pets" is one of the most known animated films from the United States this year (2016). The two directors and four writers who made this include a couple names that worked on films from the Minions universe, so nobody should be surprised that a Minions short film runs before "Pets" and there is also another reference at the very end with one of the pets being dressed like a Minion. But back to this one here. I was as unimpressed by the outcome here as I was by the newest "Minions" movie. The film runs for approximately 90 minutes and gives us an insight into the life of pets and what they do when their owners are off to work and not in charge. Heard that before? That's right. The general idea here reminded me a lot of the Toy Story approach to things. And there are more references. For example, the two main characters (dogs) felt a lot like the protagonists from the "Monsters Inc." universe in terms of their size and interactions. So yeah, "Pets" definitely borrows a lot from other films, but what is the most disappointing thing is that it tries to be creative in its own right at times, but almost never succeeds and this is pretty shocking looking at how many filmmakers worked on this one.

"Pets" is definitely not a failure and there are several parts where I enjoyed it from the comedic perspective. I also liked some minor references, for example early on about how the main character does not like to be alone at home. The comedy is not the problem here. It is the emotional impact. The only part where it is close to making one is when we find out about the new dog's owner and his journey back to his old owner's house. Other than that, the drama is entirely forgettable and good animation is just not enough anymore today on the level of Pixar quality. There are many flaws with the story in here. First of all, the makers threw in character after character without really elaborating on any of them. Honestly, counting all the (lost) pets, there are enough characters for three films in here. Another problem is their behavior. It felt a bit strange how they quickly stepped in for each other out of nowhere when moments before we still felt that they did not like each other at all and this refers to the two dogs as well as the fluffy white rabbit who turns out the main antagonist. We see all the time how evil and cold-hearted he is and then out of nowhere he risks his life for his enemies basically.

Another big problem I had with the film is that I had no idea what the characters' goals were throughout the film, at least for the two dogs. Enjoy a day out? Run from the lost pets? Run from the dog-catcher? They were just out there and it really had no purpose and then in the end they return home safely and it's all good with everybody being friends with everybody. I was not convinced at all. Also about the love interest of the main character, there was contradictory behavior. On one occasion she acts as if she wants nobody to know who she has a crush on and then she screams it out to everybody. It was pretty bizarre and the writing really lacked a lot on some occasions. This is also why my overall verdict for the film is negative. I give it a thumbs-down and if they ever make a sequel I must say I have very little interest in seeing it as this film was quite a disappointment and for me personally, it is nowhere near being a contender for best animated film of 2016, even with all the known voice actors in the German as well as English version. Not even for Louis C.K., everyone can be a winner.

Worth the wait. And Gidget ROCKS!

[jaywensley2004 · 7/10 · 8 July 2016]

I note, happily, that some of the best character driven films of the past 10 years are animated: "The Incredibles", "Finding Nemo" and especially "Inside Out" (the real "Best Picture" of 2015) stand tall among a bounty of films where the plot serves the development of the characters and their relationships. Add "The Secret Life of Pets" to that list.

While not as good as the previously mentioned movies, "...Pets" holds its own: It is entertaining, gorgeous to look at and by the film's end developed in me a sincere affection for several of the characters. Especially Gidget, and I'll get to her shortly.

Opening with a spectacular animated sequence featuring New York City backed by Taylor Swift's "Welcome to New York" (the city might want to consider picking Swift's tribute as its new anthem) the Big Apple has never looked better. A smooth segue leads into an extended sequence which will be familiar and welcomed by anyone who has seen the trailer for the film. This is what we came for. Or at least me. I first saw the trailer a year ago (a preview before "Minions") and still fall out every time I see Buddy the Dachshund get massaged. This opening provides a satisfying, hilarious and comprehensive introduction to many of the main characters before the movie slowly starts losing its way.

The rest of the film is like many sketch comedy shows: There's a lot of material and it is uneven. There are many good, smart laughs:

Snowball the Psychotic Bunny: "From now on, YOU WORK FOR ME!"

Max: "That could be a fun challenge."

-and:

Pops (an aging Basset Hound): "Maybe you have time, but for me, every breath is a cliff hanger. So I need to take a short cut." Pops steps off the edge of a building!

Chloe (unperturbed): "Okay, so the short cut was death."

But there are a few scenes, such as a very dark and disturbing interrogation/initiation scene, that miss the mark by a lot.

For me, the second and third acts of the movie were made worthwhile by the character of Gidget, an adorable white ball of fluff with a heart of darkness. Again and again Gidget steps up and drops hell on anyone and anything that blocks her path to her UhmEr, Max. (An UhmEr is a person who you really, really like but about whom you are uncertain of the status of your relationship, as in: "This is Max, he's my Uhmmm...Errr"). Gidget is the focus of one of the best visual sequences in the movie: When the entire Flushed Pets Gang tries to capture Gidget and the rest of her rescue party, Gidget lets loose her inner Rottweiler in a sequence that owes a great deal to Tex Avery and Chuck Jones. Gidget finishes addressing this problem with an attitude of sincere appreciation for the co-operation of by-standers and victims alike that I found winning and upbeat, and almost made me choke with laughter. GIDGET ROCKS!

Aside from getting me to smile almost constantly from beginning to end, the greatest accomplishment of "The Secret Life of Pets" came near the film's close. No spoiler here, but a plot twist involving a major character reversal nearly undid a suspenseful scene until I flipped my switch from cynical to hopeful. I think kids, especially tween-agers will appreciate this scene because it reflects what many of them (if I remember being a tween-ager with reasonable accuracy) believe about friendship. There is a saying: "A stranger is a friend I haven't made yet," and this key plot development speaks to that profound desire.

The above referenced event also sets up one of the most satisfying moments in the movie's epilogue. Any "Tiny Toons Adventures" fans out there? If so, you'll probably recognize the homage to Elmyra, the over-enthusiastic pet lover of Tiny Toons fame. Here, Elmyra finally gets the pet that is perfect for her, and for we of the audience, it is a happy moment.

"The Secret Life of Pets" is not a great movie: I rate it 7 Stars. But it is a fun film with lots to laugh at, so much visual detail that multiple viewings on BluRay are definitely in order, and enough heart to make me glad I'm not too jaded to enjoy it.

OH! And like "Minions" last summer, my viewing of "...Pets" was preceded by a trailer for Illumination Films next big release, this winter's "Sing." I think "Best Animated Feature" could be in Illumination's future.

One of the most overhated films ever!

[rafaelcr44 · 7/10 · 17 December 2022]

Fun fact: I met the universe of movie critics with The Secret Life of Pets. It was 2018, I was on holidays, my dog was hospitalised (she has been neutered), and I had nothing to do. So, I logged in Netflix, and watched this film. After that, "coincidentally", YouTube recommended me a review of this film. The guy was charismatic, and coincidentally, I went to the theatre to watch Aquaman on that same weekend. And obviously, after the session. I went back to that guy's channel (Otávio Ugá, from Super Oito, who's my favourite movie critic until today). After that, I started to follow cinema tirelessly.

Okay, this is a movie review, not a life story. And writing this text is something similar with what I did when I wrote my review of Interstellar. No influence of great memories or movie critics. And surprisingly, my opinion here didn't go as down as Nolan's film. I honestly think this movie is still good.

Yes, it's a Toy Story "rip-off"; yes, some of the jokes have aged badly; and yes, the screenplay is generic and lacks polish; but the characters are still charismatic, 70 to 80% of the jokes still work, and the soundtrack is spectacular (Alexandre Desplat, I can't expect less from a two-time Academy Award winner).

It's a simplistic argument, I know that, but I can't disagree, and I used it to talk about MicMacs, Jackass, and even Thor: Ragnarok; as The Secret Life of Pets is a comedy, its primary objective is being funny, and WOW, it's hilarious. Jenny Slate is an incredible voice actress, as I said before, I can't imagine another actor but Eric Stonestreet as Duke, Albert Brooks, Dana Carvey, Lake Bell and Hannibal Buress (Chloe and Buddy are fantastic) are also excellent, and I changed my mind about Louis CK. I used to not like his job as Max, as I still prefer the voice from the second film, but he fits the Jack Russell more than I thought (also, I don't see him anymore as a coadjuvant of his own story).

And now, an opinion that goes against the majority. All non-Brazilian reviews I've seen have slammed Kevin Hart's job as Snowball, the psycho bunny. To my mind, he's by far the best character. He has the best arc, the script knows exactly how to work with him, Kevin Hart's performance is passionate, and I still think he deserves a solo film.

I can't not recommend this movie. It's far from perfect, it's even far from great, but if you don't have anything to do and need a comedy of quality to pass the time, The Secret Life of Pets is a nice afternoon session, and it's another movie that I'm finally in peace with.

Never pets were so funny and addictive

[jorge-01585 · 6/10 · 17 July 2016]

Hallelujah! It took so many time to see a movie that take my illusion in animated comedies back. Funny,fresh and sassy. Though I'm not a fan of comedies

A topic so easy to make a movie, but that never was made. And that's exactly what makes this movie so amazing. The simpleness that with hilarious touches that you don's see coming. The variety of animals and situations that puts them in topics and scenes easy to success is one of the best points of this movie.

One of the best comedies of the year for just been just like it is and don't create atypical situation that animated movies got us used to.And once again show us that less is more and maybe not perfect but high enough to have an amazing time.

This movie makes something that almost no one does, make me laugh almost the whole movie

Great for kids!

[AustinOswald · 7/10 · 19 June 2016]

"The Secret Life of Pets" was indeed 'pawesome', although very over-hyped. That is the case for most of Illumination's projects, so I must start by commending their advertising team. Although this movie was funny, the trailer seemed to showcase most of the jokes and gags seen in the movie. The new jokes that the audience hadn't seen before were more aimed toward the kids, but didn't strike the adults as much as their competing studios (Pixar, Disney, Dreamworks, etc.) usually do. With a pretty straight forward plot and a substantial amount of potty humor, I felt this film was more for the kids than for the family. The character development was very robust for the amount of characters featured in the film. There were some under developed characters, but most of the main characters were top of the line. The sewer sequences were very well lit and the animations flowed together and were very finely detailed. The movie was good and the voice actors were top notch. I would recommend if you're looking for a fun movie to watch that's not too thought provoking.

Surprisingly Entertaining Illumination Flick

[valen060 · 9/10 · 3 August 2016]

Ever since the release of Despicable Me back in 2010, Illumination has really stepped up from their previous animated movies. Whether it be the aforementioned film, its sequel, its spin-off Minions, or the 2012 adaptation of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, it was quite a change with their latest entry The Secret Life of Pets.

The plot centers around Max (Louis C.K.), a terrier living happily with his loving owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) in New York City, but when she adopts a bigger dog named Duke (Eric Stonestreet) to live with them, Max is overwhelmed by his new roommate. The two opposing dogs must then work together however, before Katie gets back when they are lost in the big city.

For an original story done by Illumination, it does creatively borrow off the concepts of both Toy Story as well as the 2008 film Bolt, yet it flows out well with the voice cast bringing these characters to life which include stand-up comic Louis C.K. voicing the leading dog Max, Jenny Slate (Saturday Night Live, Zootopia) as Max's potential love interest Gidget, and 'Modern Family' star Eric Stonestreet as Duke. With quick-witted, slapstick humor that feels reminiscent of Looney Tunes (even with a tendency to adlib lines in some scenes), the real scene stealer among this talented cast goes to comedian Kevin Hart voicing adorable, yet antagonistic rabbit Snowball.

While the littler ones will be kept engaged and entertained by the humorous animal characters as well as the obstacles they come across, to me personally the story feels rushed, especially the need for a little more emotional depth and better character development. I know there's a lot more to offer in this story's universe, so a sequel can't be far behind from this underrated animated flick. Nevertheless, it certainly kept me laughing nearly throughout the movie's 90-minute run time and it's something that shouldn't be taken for granted. I enjoyed it.

Just back from seeing this movie. Actually it was good

[lisafordeay · 7/10 · 26 June 2016]

The Secret Life Of Pets stars Louis C.K,Eric Stonestreet and Jennie Slater and tells the tale of a dog called Max who lives in NYC with his owner Katie. But when Katie gets a new dog called Duke,Max gets jealous of Duke and tries to get rid of him causing the pair to get lost in New York City. So they team up with a wise-cracking bunny voiced by Kevin Hart and his crew and the two dogs try to find their way back home in time before Katie comes back. SO will Max and Duke find their way back.

Parts of this film reminded me of Garfield meets Bolt with a hint of Toy Story involved as the whole premise is what do your pets do at home while the owner goes out of their homes.

It was overall a very funny tale and myself and my family all loved it today as we seen in in 3D. Kevin Hart was funny as the bunny rabbit and Jennie Slater(who was the voice of the sheep in Zootopia)was funny as Max's love interest.

If you are a dog or cat lover and you love animated films. Then check it out.

7.5/10

B+

Verdict: Not original but it was a solid film nonetheless.

the secret life of pets

[windlepaul · 5/10 · 4 August 2016]

I went to see this with my sister and my cousins and we enjoyed it. It was funny silly and my favorite illumination movie it's worth a watch and it is definitely better than minions it is fun for the whole family. I could not stop laughing at this movie it so many great characters. the cast is pure amazing my favorite character was Kevin Hart's character snowball he was the most funniest character in the movie I don't know why this movie has a 6.8 it should have at least a 7.8. It brought me laughs from beginning to end. This movie will hopefully inspire illumination to make make new franchises next or you know despicable me 3 it's defiantly going to be that.

Pet Lover's Delight

[ccorral419 · 9/10 · 13 July 2016]

It's a "Despicable Me" reunion (don't let that turn you away), as director Chris Renaud, writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, along with director Yarrow Cheney (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 2018) gather to get inside the hearts and minds of our little furry/scaly/feathered friends. With fun music by Alexandre Desalt (The Danish Girl 2015), a list of Who's Who cool VO actors (Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Dana Carey, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell - the list goes on), and realistic animation courtesy of Illumination Entertainment, new, old and foreseeable pet owners (young and mature) will find great delight in this easy and entertaining to watch animation production. To the credit of the writers, all the obvious "pet jokes/mannerisms" and current society references aren't forced on the viewer at one time. Thus, the film keeps giving throughout. Sure, about 3/4 the way in the idea grows a bit old, but the cuteness factor quickly returns for a rewarding finish. FYI: Don't let the less than funny "DM" Short that pre-empetes the film cloud your judgment. While Children (and there are plenty in attendance) really enjoy all things "DM," there were few adults enjoying that experience. Illumination Entertainment is pre- viewing "Sing," due out in 2016, which also looks promising. Ruff, Ruff!

Pelts, no secret life

[chaos-rampant · 30 March 2017]

I saw this together with the latest from Pixar. Both are animated, feature talking animals making crazy getaways and trying to retrieve loved ones, so you might think they're going to be somewhat in the same ballpark. How significantly lesser can one be? Let's see.

Pixar begin with small, memorable pockets of world that they expand, pulling back to reveal larger vistas. The effort is to have the narrative expansion in as much visually flowing ways. There is thoughtful engineering to this flowing; sequences have been choreographed and given room to unfold. There is an element of discovery. Characters retain a certain human gravity in their wants.

These guys just plop us here and there. The place is an unimaginative New York, simply digitized, poorly discovered. The unveiling of the larger world leaves us with an animal mob in the sewers plotting revenge. Sequences, ostensibly the very same chase scenes, are choppy and without any flow. We just bump on a bunch of things on our way out. Characters are sketchy, one is a wimp, the other is a bully, then we change them around to be caring. The hawk as villainous predator then our hero's girlfriend tells him they could be friends, so as of right now he wants to help.

We're talking levels of difference between Singin' in the Rain and an SNL skit that features song and dance.

And do you ever get the impression some movies simply have lame personality? I find this usually in how characters are presented, in the change of heart they have, in how they pursue what is deemed important. Oddly I never seem to notice the opposite in movies that engage me. Even when I disagree with what I'm being presented with by Noe or Trier but I'm being engaged by a view of the world, not a personality. It seems a certain kind of bad movie reduces the exchange to how things rub me, not having been conceived to do anything else. Well, this is one.

The secret is out, and it's a fun imaginative story for everyone, not just the kids.

[subxerogravity · 7/10 · 8 July 2016]

But that's the way these movies are going these days, the Secret Life of Pets is design to get everyone to buy a ticket (especially those who own pets), but I do feel this movie is more catered to get adults in those seats. Of course you can bring your children, cause nothing in the movie is not for children, but the clean jokes are mostly focus to an older crowd (or a crowd of pet owners)

I'm hoping no child out there knows who Luis CK is, other than his own children. I think this is the first time the kids will hear the voice of Luis CK. The opening monologue was very similar to something that Luis CK would talk about in his comedy routine (Just less grim and raunchy). As the character of Max, a small terrier, he tells us what it's like to be a pet, and from his perceptive it's more like being roommates with your best friend, but in reality he's more like a child who when the parents go away, he and the other children cause mischief when they are all unsupervised. Max's life gets turned upside down when his owner brings home yet another dog named Duke (awesome name for a dog by the way). I understand how Max feels. I'm sure it does happen with dog lovers, but me personally, I've never known a person who already owned a dog in New York City to go out and get another dog three times the size of the tiny dog you have for your above average sized New York Apartment (that she gets to live in alone cause whenever she leaves to the place Max does not know and does not understand why she leaves, she must be making a lot of money from it (She does have a T-shirt from a college I could not read, but it must have been a good one). Two cats, Yes, but two dogs!?

Anyway, in both Max and Duke's attempts to get rid of one another they end up getting captured by animal control and escape with the help of a psychopath bunny name Snowball who leads a rebellion of animals that were "flushed" away by their owners (Apart of the crew is two Crocodile who live in the sewer confirming the urban legend). This is where the adventure begins as Max and Duke go on adventure from Central Park to Brooklyn and back again in an attempt to find home and their friends from the apartment complex lead by Gidget, who has a huge crush on Max (but Max barely knows she's alive) plan a rescue attempt when they find him missing.

The animation is just OK, nothing mind blowing about the character designs, but the back ground layouts were actually pretty cool to look at. The animation is used more so as a tool for what is an excellent story of adventure and odd friendships.

The pets where as unique in personality as any resident filled Manhattan apartment complex.

Louis CK was almost out shined by Kevin Hart as a tiny bunny called Snowball, a psychotic animal who was abandoned by his owner to become leader of a rebellion for abandon pets. Hart was at his funniest in this movie, Just so on point. Kevin Hart also had a starring role in the movie Central Intelligence this summer, and he was nowhere near as funny in that one as he was in this. If you are a fan of Hart's, you better off watching him play a voice in this movie.

Another character I really liked (other than that poodle whose a huge fan of System of a Down) was Tiberius, a hawk trying to hold back his predator urge in order to help his new (and only) friend, Gidget find Max. It was kinda odd hearing Albert Brooks voice come out of the character. Not odd like his role in Drive, but odd in the fact that I just saw (herd) him in as Marlin in Finding Dory that came out a few weeks before.

The Secret Life of Pets has a lot of cool charters I should mention, but that's a long list. However, I got to give a shout out to Chloe. If you are a cat lover ( I am) than you are going to love her, she is the absolute best.

The 3D was worth it. Items came popping out but not for no reason like most 3D movies. Basically, it feels like they planed the 3D from day one rather than adding it on afterwards to try to milk extra dollars out of us. Once again pointing out a great story happening in the movie, that does not need 3D as a gimmick for you to go out and see it.

Plus, like most animated blockbusters, you get a short at the beginning before the feature. This short stars the Minions in a funny tale of the crew trying to raise money to buy something needlessly sold to them on TV.

So, Yeah, if you have kids take them, If you don't, It's still a worth wild movie to checkout, but I think you'll have to leave your pets at home (although after seeing this movie you might not want to)

http://cinemagardens.com/

Not much here

[stageneral · 4/10 · 26 June 2017]

Unlike some of the better Pixar animated feature length films (like Finding Nemo and Toy Story) there's really not much here. (In spite of the fact that it borrows liberally from these movies, and certain Disney classics.) Don't know if it was just a "me too" money grab, or if the writers/producers intended to convey more depth, and just missed. The gags are cliché, the characters are very flat and rehashed at best, boring at worst. It drew laughs at a couple of points, but mostly my reaction was "yeah, that was much funnier when (fill in movie here) did it". The movie clocked in at less than an hour-and-a-half, but seemed much longer. That's not a compliment - it dragged. Maybe it was targeted only at young kids, and maybe young kids will enjoy it more. It actually did seem to have more of a Saturday morning cartoon feel than a feature-length film feel.

Maybe you'll enjoy it - there certainly are more than a few positive reviews here - but it's not one that I'll watch again (unlike some of those Pixar and Disney movies which stand up to repeated re- viewing).