The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

Number Rolled: 31

Movie Name/Year: The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

Tagline: Wonder what they do all day?

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Animation

Length: 86 minutes

Rating: PG

Production Companies: Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment, Dentsu, Fuji Television Network

Producer: Janet Healy, Brett Hoffman, Christopher Meledandri, Robert Taylor

Director: Yarrow Cheney, Chris Renaud

Writer: Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Brian Lynch

Actors: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Chris Renaud, Steve Coogan, Michael Beattie, Sandra Echeverria, Jaime Camil, Kiely Renaud

Stunt Doubles: None

Blurb from Netflix: After ending up in the outside world, two squabbling pet dogs find common ground against a gang of angry animals preparing an attack on humans.

Selina’s Point of View:

I have spent the last hour and a half giggling.

Where The Secret Life of Pets is concerned, it’s not the most original film in the world, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t adorably funny. 

The pets were portrayed relatively well, actually. In fact, all the little mannerisms the animations displayed definitely helped elevate just how much giggling the film got out of me.

Was the film ground-breaking or something that would become known for breaking tropes? Nah. It was kind of recipe-ish, but it was such a cute recipe and I had a lot of fun watching it.

In the end, that’s what really matters in entertainment.

I enjoyed watching the film, I spent a lot of time giggling – though not full-on belly-laughing, and I remember the movie fondly.

There’s really not much else to say about it. It was relatively flawless.

Cat’s Point of View:

Where do I begin? I absolutely adore this movie. This wasn’t my first watch-through. I saw it closer to its release, with my family. I didn’t mind watching it again. In fact, I wouldn’t mind watching it a third time (or fourth… you get the picture).

I love how the film turns stereotypes on their head with the characters. You might expect them to behave one way because of their appearances, but don’t let that fool you. A good example of this is Leonard the white poodle. The trailers feature a scene where the owner leaves and classical music becomes thrash metal and the poodle starts head-banging.

There are quite a few little pop culture references and Pixar Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout, as well. A good bit of them are geared for an older audience, which I think is fantastic. There’s plenty in the movie to keep adults laughing and interested. This is definitely not one of those movies you just grin and bear because of the kids. It’s a blast for the whole family!

Let’s talk cast. This film is packed with quite a bit of exceptional talent. The two performances that stole the show for me were Jenny Slate (Digging for Fire, Landline, Star vs. the Forces of Evil) as Gidget and Kevin Hart (Death at a Funeral, About Last Night, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie) as Snowball. Albert Brooks (Drive, The Little Prince, Finding Dory) as Tiberius is a close runner-up. I can’t think of a single performance that dropped the ball, though. Those were just my favorites.

I mean, seriously. There are some comedy powerhouses here with the likes of Dana Carvey (Jack and Jill, Rick and Morty, Hotel Transylvania 2), Louis C.K. (The Invention of Lying, American Hustle, Gravity Falls), and Eric Stonestreet (Bad Teacher, The Loft, Sofia the First), to name a few.

All told, this movie has joined my ever-growing list of favorite movies, and I’d highly recommend it.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 74%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 62%

Metascore - 61/100

Metacritic User Score – 6.1/10

IMDB Score – 6.6/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5

P.S.  There’s a mid-credits scene.

Movie Trailer: