Technically complete but lacking in genuine humour

Rating: 5/10 (12 June 2017)

The interviews that come with the DVD are telling in the creators talk about working through a 'idea' about what pets might do when the owners go out for the day. It's a interesting idea perhaps but not really enough to carry a feature length movie. Maybe they all act like humans? It's not exactly spell-binding. OK its fun and in YouTube sized morsels it plays very well and should be a hit for younger kids. Quality animations should be good enough to carry grown-ups. Good animated films in my book all have a hook or two that ground the story in real i.e. human world reality, society or psychology and play on that - for instance the fun & intelligent Inside Out, or deliver charisma & charm like the character Rango. Zootropolis has a few great characters. The narrative in Secret Lives of Pets is lame and inconsequential, and the seminal 'idea' lost the intrigue for me early on. This is well-rendered and colorful, credit to the production craft team, but also sadly carried a major deficit in humour and empathy. Best left on repeat in a nursery room.