REVIEW: The Secret Life of Pets (U)

The Secret Life of Pets is the latest offering from Minions/Despicable Me production team Illumination Entertainment. Proving that they don't just do Minions well, The Secret Life of Pets is a cute, funny adventure movie in a similar premise to Toy Story but with... Pets. Before the film starts we are treated to a Minions short which is quite funny. Then it's time for the movie...

Pets, as I'll now shorten it to, features main mutt Max, adored by his owner Katie and has a cushy life in a high rise flat in Manhattan, New York. When Katie goes to work, the pets get up to a variety of activities and hang out together at various places. Consisting mainly of dogs and cats - apparently they can live together - the pets also include budgies, fish, Guinea pigs and tortoises. Max's world is turned upside down though when Katie (ever the dog lover) brings home another dog she found at the pound. Looking like a doggy Chewbacca, this huge doggy soon takes over the flat, mainly because he's quite large. Duke, as he is known, is immediately on the wrong side of Max and tensions flare.

Max manages to get the better of Duke and ends up blackmailing him to behave, and when they are out for a walk with a dog walker Max asks... Nay demands Duke to get him a stick. Duke entices Max to go over with him and they get separated from the other dogs. As they do, the world of New York opens to them and sends them both on an adventure to get back home.

There is a stunning array of characterised animals in this movie, and, as Max and Duke head deeper into the city, we find stray animals that are adorable but evil, sinister and even ugly. However the movies strength is that the actions of the animals really fit with how they would probably act in real life. The scene stealer - megalomaniac, evil but oh-so-cut bunny Snowball (voices amazingly by Kevin Hart) is a joy to watch and the supporting cast do a good job too. What I found, personally, was that the movie did well at developing these animals but the least time was spent on Max and Katie themselves which felt kind of strange. It was kinda a bit at the beginning and a but at the end for them.

Featuring some amazing animation (the water looks so real I almost went to get a towel) and the furs of the animals were realistic too, this show how far computer animation has gone since the mind blowing, forward thinking of Toy Story way back when. The soundtrack is really good too with a sweet power pop tune heralding the start and an interesting interpretation of a song from Grease.  

Overall this movie was very good and I really enjoyed it. It was a little slow in places and some tweaks here and there would have made it awesome but as it is it's a really enjoyable film and will make you think twice before you leave your little fur baby at home to go to work.

POPSCORE: 8/10

What am I talking about? The Secret Life of Pets movie
Where can I find out more? http://www.thesecretlifeofpets.co.uk/
If you liked this try: Disney's Bolt, Minions, Despicable Me, All Dogs Go To Heaven

Anything else?

If you look carefully on the back of the bus towards the end of the movie (on the bridge) there is an advertisement for the next movie Sing
I can't be sure but I think that later in the movie there is a scene with a garden gnome in it - this is remarkably similar to the one that is featured in the Minions short before the movie.