Movie: The Secret Life of Pets Director: Chris Renaud Cast: Louis C K, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Lake Bell Rating: 4/5 |
If you've got a dog/cat/pigeon/rabbit/cockatoo/hamster/whatever, watching The Secret Life of Pets will make you go all sappy. If you're not a pet owner, you may be compelled to give the next stray you come across, a warm pat. Or a hastily bought biscuit, at least.
Heartwarmingly honest, funny to a fault and written by a man who clearly loves his animals, The Secret Life... is this season's best animated feature so far. And that's saying something, considering we just inched past Finding Dory and are on the cusp of knocking into Ice Age: Collision Course.
In a lot of ways, it's a simple enough film. Dog loves owner. Owner gets new dog. New dog and old dog tussle. They get lost in the Big Apple. They have plenty of weird animalistic (the non-macabre kind) adventures, that involve a group of castaway pets who scheme and plot against their ex-owners, while down in the sewers. There's a rescue party made up of other pets in the building, including a pomeranian who's in love with Dog Number 1.
There are overtones of love, friendship, danger, death, loss and bravery. Lest we forget, there's some great music. And before you ask, no this isn't a long overdue reboot of Stuart Little. (Footnote: All the animals can talk to each other, but you already knew that already, right?)
Spoiler alert: There's a happy ending (Like duh!).
Louis C.K, who voices the dapper, domesticated terrier Max, pulls no stops (or is it barks?) in keeping Max in the thick of things — but not once overshadowing any of the other gazillion animals he comes into contact with during the film's 86-minute runtime. Kevin Hart, who voices wisecracking, evil, embittered rabbit Snowball, is the perfect villain — turning out a performance that is genuinely funny and doesn't require parents to cover their kids' ears periodically.
There is a host of other characters who make you smile, laugh and go 'awwww' in tandem. Watch out for Gidget, a pomeranian who is crazily in love with Max, Tiberius, an ageing Red-Tailed Hawk who's constantly salivating over 'edible' members of their rescue party and As brief as their appearances are, very few of them fail to make an impact.
Perfect for kids and a delight for people who don't mind fur on their couches, this one from Minions co-creator Chris Renaud is a treat and a half.
Verdict: If this doesn't get you to spend more time with your pets, nothing will!