(Some of the members of this group are shown with muzzles or cages stuck on them.) Max and Duke quickly realize their only hope for escaping from the unsavory sewer-dwellers is learning to work together. Led by a nasty bunny (voice of Kevin Hart), these scrappy survivors are intent on getting vengeance on the humans who have abandoned and/or abused them. This rivalry eventually gets the pair lost in the streets of New York City where they meet up with the Flushed Pets Gang. Jealousy starts immediately as the forced roommates attempt to establish who will be the alpha dog. But after introducing that creative premise the story sort of peters out of original ideas.įocusing mostly on Max (voice of Louis C.K.), a patchy pooch devoted to his owner Katie (voice of Ellie Kemper), things really begin the day she comes home with an unwelcomed surprise – a large scraggy stray named Duke (voice of Eric Stonestreet). Likewise, the opening few minutes of The Secret Life of Pets shows some very funny ways dogs, cats, birds and a lost guinea pig find to amuse themselves during those long, lonely hours.
For a movie that has a poster featuring a dog wearing a sign that says “Don’t Laugh,” it’s not hard to obey the command that’s given.Have you ever wondered what your pet does while you’re away? Imagining an answer to that question appears to be the inspiration for this animation. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but when it comes to The Secret Life of Pets 2, it would have been nice if someone had taught this franchise any tricks at all. Is the lesson to be brave? To depend on your friends? Or maybe even to just chill out and enjoy life? If any of those lessons are to be taken from this film, they’re written in the cinematic equivalent of trying to read a fortune cookie from a speeding bus. With such strong personalities at play, this colorfully drawn film is a total mess when it comes to trying to teaching any sort of lesson in a cohesive manner. There are just too many good cast members, and way too many characters on screen for anyone to really get to shine as often as they should. This ultimately bundles all of the problems The Secret Life of Pets 2 has into one, convenient package. If there were a story on which this film should have hung its narrative hat, it’s this one. Using his trademark deadpan gruffness, Ford gets some of the movie’s few good laughs, and even forges a solid storyline with Oswalt’s Max, who is trying to be more tough. Then there’s Harrison Ford’s Rooster, a role that amounts to basically the most supporting of supporting characters, but he still manages to make quite an impression. In particular, Patton Oswalt’s stepping into the role of Max in place of Louis CK makes for an actual improvement to the character, as his vocal acting skills are the perfect fit for the wired terrier as he riffs rather well with the entire cast.
On the more positive side, while the focus is lacking, the performances in The Secret Life of Pets 2 are actually pretty good. But with so many plot plates spinning throughout the movie, the story tends to almost always shift to another plotline just as you’re getting comfortable with one avenue or another. If they all tied together organically by the end of director Chris Renaud’s second go-around on the Secret Life of Pets train, it would all be worth the effort.
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