Review of The Secret Life of Pets (2016) by Kevin P — 14 Jan 2018

Strengths: The biggest asset to this movie was the extremely talented voice cast. It features a list of people I don't think I'd typically choose for an animated kid's film, but it works. Louis CK (Max) is lovable as the lead, while Jenny Slate (Gidget) and Eric Stonestreet (Duke) are also great in their roles. However, the show stealer was Kevin Hart (Snowball). His frantic, over the top style worked perfectly for the character. As is usually the case these days, the animation is well done and the movie is bright and colorful. It's straight up fun and I can totally see kids loving it.

Weaknesses: While kids will love it, it doesn't have the wow factor that a lot of the top animated films do. That probably keeps it from appealing to most adults. That being said, a few of the jokes seem aimed towards adults. They just weren't that funny. It also borrows several things from classics like Toy Story, while not hitting on the things that make those movies special.

Overall: I think the best way to describe this movie is that it's harmless fun for kids, but not a film that really does anything to make it stand out in the crowded field of animated features.