Kidzworld saw the fun, animated film The Secret Life of Pets. Will it remind you of your own pet? Is it as cute as the trailers? Check our movie review.
By: Lynn Barker
In NYC, cute terrier Max (voice of Louis C.K.) is bonded to his loving owner Katie (Ellie Kemper). When she brings home ginormous and ultra furry Duke (Eric Stonestreet) from the pound, Max’s life is turned upside down. Can these guys ever be friends?
Max meets new brother DukeCourtesy of Universal
A Huge New Addition
In a Manhattan apartment building, spoiled terrier Max dotes on owner Katie and pals around with other pets in his building. There is fat cat Chloe (Lake Bell), goofy pug Mel (Bobby Moynihan), slinky wiener dog Buddy (Hannibal Buress), fluffy Pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate) who is in love with Max, and parakeet Sweet Pea (Tara Strong). One day, Katie adopts giant, furry Duke from the pound. He’s sloppy and just takes over. Max has got to get rid of him.
Some of the gang meet PopsCourtesy of Universal
Big City Adventure
Hoping to get rid of Duke, Max leads him astray while they are out with a dog walker. A gang of stray cats headed by Ozone (Steve Coogan) attacks them and they end up in an animal control truck. Duke knows being returned to the pound will mean he will be put down. The two are “rescued” by wacky head of abandoned “Flushed Pets”, white rabbit Snowball (Kevin Hart) whom they convince that they too are abandoned strays.
Snowball busts Max and Duke out of jailCourtesy of Universal
Down in the Sewer
In the Flushed Pets sewer HQ, Max and Duke have to join the gang who despise humans and hate domesticated pets. When Snowball finds out they have an owner and have fooled him, he vows revenge when they escape him.
Big, shaggy Duke just wants love Courtesy of Universal
Gidget and Gang to the Rescue
Gidget gets the gang together to find and rescue Max. She recruits a hawk named Tiberius (Albert Brooks) who leads them to an elderly dog called Pops (Dana Carvey) and together, they prowl the town following clues to Max and Duke’s whereabouts.
Gidget meets TiberiusCourtesy of Universal
Happy Reunion?
Will Max and Duke ever learn to like each other and work together? Will Gidget and pals find and help them? Will Snowball and his abandoned pet gang get to Max and Duke first? Will there be a happy ever after for any of these pets?
Snowball and his gang on the prowlCourtesy of Universal
The Secret Life of Pets Trailer
Wrapping Up
Along with The Secret Life of Pets you’ll see a cute short film starring The Minions from the Despicable Me films. The little yellow guys try to buy a cheap blender advertised on TV with crazy complications. A fun addition!
Katie and Max before DukeCourtesy of Universal
Overall, The Secret Life of Pets is adorable and fun. What ARE our pets doing when we are out? The movie gets a little repetitive as Max and Duke get caught by Animal Control more than once and there is some chase and hide action that reminds us of a furry Toy Story but the film is loaded with pet cuteness and reminds us that most critters just want us to love and care for them.
Wiener dog Buddy gets a massageCourtesy of Universal
There are funny references that only adults will get but much more for the whole family. You will no doubt see something familiar that will remind you of family pets since the filmmakers did a great job of watching theirs and evidently writing down everything they do. I certainly recognized cat behavior (stuffing themselves into way too tiny spaces, playing with toy mice that get stuck on their claws and sooo much more).
Chloe, Max and Mel eye DukeCourtesy of Universal
All voice actors do a wonderful job. I especially like Lake Bell as kitty Chloe, Bobby Moynihan as goofy pug Mel and Kevin Hart as pissed-off bunny Snowball. Music in the film is snappy and just great. It includes “Welcome To New York” – Taylor Swift, “Bounce” – System of a Down, “Happy” – Pharrell Williams, “You’re My Best Friend” – Queen and “We Go Together” from Grease among a lot of others.
Pops meets Gidget and the gangCourtesy of Universal
Stay through some of the credits at the end for a cute added party scene. We go four stars.
The Secret Life of Pets Movie Rating:
The Secret Life of Pets PosterCourtesy of Universal
The Secret Life of Pets is in theaters now!
Have Your Say
Do you think your pets do some crazy things while you are out? Are you attracted to this film by the cute trailers? Leave a word below.
