The Secret Life of Pets
(Chris Renaud)
What happens when you leave to go to work and your pet stays at home? Those who have or have owned pets might have thought about this and SLOP wants to dive into those questions. A heartfelt and funny kids flick that will have their parents nodding their heads with acknowledgement on "My dog does that too!!! That's funny".
Max lives at home with Katie, he was abandoned as a pup and she took him in. They have been inseparable ever since. One day she brings another dog home, Duke. He's large, dirty and instantly creates conflict with Max. Enraged by Max's holier than thou attitude and his multiple attempts to get him kicked out, Duke manages to abandon Max in an alley, surrounded by feral cats. The cats steal their collars and before the dogs know it, animal control is on their tails. Now Max and Duke must put their differences aside and make their way back home through the dangerous city of New York.
With an all-star cast (don't they all), SLOP goes for talent versus name recognition. One of the things I've noticed in animation lately is the the filmmakers will grab someone famous simply for their name and not their talent. Some voices from celebrities are so generic that you might not even notice if they decided to re-cast the role in a sequel. I'm looking at your Hoodwinked. So here we have people with talent; Kevin Hart as a maniacal bunny hellbent on human suffering, Dana Carvey as the wise old dog who needs wheel assistance to move and Steve Coogan as the hairless Sphynx cat just on this side of crazy. Louie C.K. does an excellent job for Max giving off that 'better than you' vibe with a hint of innocence. Eric Stonestreet is Duke, big and lovable.
A white Pomeranian named Gidget is in love with Max and you'd think they would cast a famous female for that part, but we get Jenny Slate. While some will recognize her, she's not really a house hold name, but she does very well for herself and you'll notice she does a lot of voice work. The rest of the cast is rounded out by Albert Brooks, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan Lake Bell and Ellie Kemper.
SLOP knows its limitations and doesn't really try to overstep them. Animals loose in New York, it's simple and can be expanded upon greatly. The film's climax does go a bit overboard with an animal control van plunging into the water, but it's not as bad as Finding Dory's octopus driver. There are a few laughs to be had here and a few more "awwws". Animal lovers and pet owners will get a little something extra out of it. Look for the sequel soon because this one was a hit with the audience.