movie reviews for kids secret life of pets

Problem is, there is no story cohesion, no semblance of structure holding one strand of the narrative together with the one strung alongside next to it. What they appear to be going for is some sort of crazy, over the top reworking of ideas present in animated efforts as diverse as The Aristocats, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Oliver & Company and A Bug’s Life. The group, I imagine emboldened by the success of Minions, take things in increasingly outlandish and annoyingly violent directions, allowing the film to descend into madness and chaos seemingly because they all collectively believe that’s what kids will find entertaining. Writers Ken Daurio ( Despicable Me 2), Brian Lynch ( Minions) and Cinco Paul ( The Lorax), director Chris Renaud ( Despicable Me) and co-director Yarrow Cheney do a wonderful job setting things up, and for my part after the first ten minutes I was incredibly excited to discover where the lot of them were going to take things next. More to the point, this initial sequence of events is instantly endearing, piquing my interest while also capturing my heart. It’s all sounds very Toy Story, this opening not all that different in its way from how Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear make one another’s acquaintance at the beginning of that 1995 Pixar classic. But when Katie brings home gigantic mutt Duke ( Eric Stonestreet) to live with them Max’s world is shattered, and the only thing he can think about now is the best way to get rid of the beast so things can go back to normal.

Things are perfect, the adorable canine spending the hours she’s away at work chatting with fellow pets living in the complex, including lazy, self-centered cat Chloe ( Lake Bell) and perky white puffball Pomeranian Gidget ( Jenny Slate) who can barely contain her romantic longings for her furry brown neighbor. It’s here we meet Max (voiced by Louis C.K.), a terrier who lives with his perky owner Katie ( Ellie Kemper) in a gigantic apartment building deep in the heart of New York City. As such, the opening introduction to this particular film is just about perfect.

Movie reviews for kids secret life of pets