Surprisingly Entertaining Illumination Flick

Rating: 9/10 (3 August 2016)

Ever since the release of Despicable Me back in 2010, Illumination has really stepped up from their previous animated movies. Whether it be the aforementioned film, its sequel, its spin-off Minions, or the 2012 adaptation of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, it was quite a change with their latest entry The Secret Life of Pets.
The plot centers around Max (Louis C.K.), a terrier living happily with his loving owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) in New York City, but when she adopts a bigger dog named Duke (Eric Stonestreet) to live with them, Max is overwhelmed by his new roommate. The two opposing dogs must then work together however, before Katie gets back when they are lost in the big city.
For an original story done by Illumination, it does creatively borrow off the concepts of both Toy Story as well as the 2008 film Bolt, yet it flows out well with the voice cast bringing these characters to life which include stand-up comic Louis C.K. voicing the leading dog Max, Jenny Slate (Saturday Night Live, Zootopia) as Max's potential love interest Gidget, and 'Modern Family' star Eric Stonestreet as Duke. With quick-witted, slapstick humor that feels reminiscent of Looney Tunes (even with a tendency to adlib lines in some scenes), the real scene stealer among this talented cast goes to comedian Kevin Hart voicing adorable, yet antagonistic rabbit Snowball.
While the littler ones will be kept engaged and entertained by the humorous animal characters as well as the obstacles they come across, to me personally the story feels rushed, especially the need for a little more emotional depth and better character development. I know there's a lot more to offer in this story's universe, so a sequel can't be far behind from this underrated animated flick. Nevertheless, it certainly kept me laughing nearly throughout the movie's 90-minute run time and it's something that shouldn't be taken for granted. I enjoyed it.