Know that this THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS review is written by a true animal movie expert. Staci Layne Wilson (@StaciWilson) is the author of the Animal Movies Guide, available on Amazon.

Movies about pets having secret lives is not new – it was done to great effect by Disney in the 1960s with That Darn Cat! and The Three Lives of Thomasina. While it’s more believable that a canny cat could pull off espionage, it’s the dogs that take center stage in the new animated feature The Secret Life of Pets, from Illumination Entertainment, the same people who bring you all things Minion. You will be reminded of this fact frequently throughout the film, starting with the amusing Minions short at the beginning, ala Pixar.

Louis C.K.voices happy-go-lucky mutt Max, who lives with the love of his life, doting owner Katie (Ellie Kemper). Curmudgeonly, middle-aged comic Louis C.K. may not be the obvious choice to voice a perky puppy, but he gamely attempts to mix in with Max’s friends, an oddball collective of critters including pampered Pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate), dimwitted bulldog Mel (Bobby Moynihan), kitty cat Chloe (Lake Bell), wiener dog Buddy (Hannibal Buress), hawk Tiberius (Albert Brooks) and an elderly beagle named Pops (Dana Carvey).

While the owner’s away, the pets will play, and everything’s great until Katie brings home the new guy – a huge, shaggy behemoth of a dog called Duke (Eric Stonestreet). Max and Duke spar for alpha-canine status, but before boundaries can be established and territories marked, the dueling dogs disappear.

Lost on the mean streets of New York, they are quickly caught by animal control and hauled away until a revolutionary band of dissenters (think George Orwell’s Animal Farm) breaks them free, then turns on them. This gang is led by angry bunny Snowball (Kevin Hart), who most agree steals the show. The rest of the film is a wild ride for  Max and Duke, as they attempt to return to Katie and comfort, burying their bones…er…rivalries, with a little help from their friends.

There’s a lot of predictable animal humor, but there are also several harrowing moments of nail-biting suspense. The Secret Life of Pets should be equally entertaining for parents (blissfully free of song and dance save for one sausage factory fantasy) and for kids (plenty of potty humor). It’s clever and outlandish, and just long enough not to wear out its welcome before the end-credits roll. Don’t forget to stay for the zinger at the very end.

1 Hour 31 Minutes
Rated PG

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