Pets Rule The Roost
BY JONATHAN KANE
What do pets do all day when their owners take off for work, and what are they truly thinking and feeling? Such is the conceit behind the entertaining new kids’ animated feature, “The Secret Life of Pets.”
If it sounds a little familiar, think “Toy Story,” but the creators of “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment – have come up with a cute picture that will please animal lovers both young and old.
The story comes from Chris Meledandri, who also produced the film. Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney direct the movie from a screenplay by Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch.
That story begins in a New York City apartment building as everyone goes off to work and the pets start their day of play. At the center of the story is an adopted terrier, Max, voiced by Louis C.K., whose owner returns with a big sloppy mutt voiced by Eric Stonestreet that turns Max’s world upside down.
On a walk in Washington Square Park, the two are mistakenly set free and must now rely on each other to get home. Along the way they discover an underground world of abandoned pets (called The Flushed Pets) led by a street-smart bunny voiced by a funny Kevin Hart. After a failed initiation, Hart’s crew is after Max and friend.
Off to the rescue is another group of pets from the apartment house that want to save them and bring them home. Notable among them is Dana Carvey as a paralyzed old Basset hound and Albert Brooks as a hawk that has to control his impulses not to eat his compatriots.
With a beautifully imagined New York City and an array of quirky personalities, “The Secret Life of Pets” is good entertainment, especially for the kiddies.