Sunday, June 4, 2017

Movie review: The Secret Life of Pets

 
Max, a terrier, has his life disturbed when his owner takes in Duke, a happy go-lucky stray. When the two end up lost outside, and encounter a group of rebel pets, their friendship begins to build as they work together.

Louis C.K. (Max), Eric Stonestreet (Duke), Kevin Hart (Snowball), Jenny Slate (Gidget), Ellie Kemper (Katie), Albert Brooks (Tiberius), Lake Bell (Chloe), Dana Carvey (Pops), Hannibal Buress (Buddy), Steve Coogan (Ozone).

The Secret Life of Pets is aimed at children so as you might guess, the plot is a bit thin. That said, there is enough story to keep this one entertaining. The adventures and situations the pets find themselves in are funny in several ways. The story moves along at a good pace and holds interest well. Chloe the cat was absolutely hysterical, as was Mel the dog.

As this was animation, voice work rather than acting was the focus and from that perspective, everyone did an excellent job. Hart was perfect as Snowball, as was Brooks as Tiberius.

Animation was simple but enjoyable with a nice blend of realism and fantasy. Coloring and representation were nicely done. Dialogue was campy, silly, and just plain fun. Sound and soundtrack are solid.

While I'm not a big animation fan, The Secret Life of Pets is a lot of fun, even for adults. A lot of the humor is elementary, but there are a couple of bits tossed in that adults will see and laugh at for different reasons. Great choice for family movie night with the youngsters.

Nothing here to limit audience age.

Released: 2016
Reviewed: 5.16.17
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Animation, Family movies, Goofy, Campy

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

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