I remember when the first “The Secret Life of Pets” came out I was really disappointed and felt that the film failed in emotionally capturing the audience. Although I remember coming out of it and just being in love with Kevin Hart’s ‘Snowball’.
Years later, I’m glad to say that its sequel simply titled “The Secret Life of Pets 2” is so much better, funnier and (finally) hit that emotional cue right on the spot.
Pets + Kids is a formula you can’t go wrong with and this is what “Pets 2” arms itself with to make unsuspecting adults tear up in the first few minutes of the movie.
That adorable Jack Russell Terrier Max (Patton Oswalt, replacing C.K. Louis) who was previously obsessed with his owner Katie (I mean, aren’t all dogs?) –now obsesses over little Liam, Katie’s baby! (Yes, apparently the writers took inspiration from all those awwwwww-inducing videos of pets baby sitting). The thing is, Max is so overprotective of Liam that he’s getting anxiety just thinking about all the bad things that can happen to him in the big, dangerous city that is New York.
While Max is trying to deal with his anxiety, former villain, now turned superhero Snowball, AKA Captain Snowball goes on his own adventure when the feisty shi-tzu Daisy (Tiffany Haddish) comes over with a tale involving a mistreated white tiger. She asks Captain Snowball for help and of they go on a big and crazy adventure which would later bring the rest of the pets of the city rallying in (said adventure also involves wolves, a crazy Circus owner and one crazy train sequence).
Hilarity ensues with the gang’s own side adventures, Gidget (Jenny Slate) tries to become a cat to rescue Max’s squeaky toy while Max and Duke visit the farm (which I think was a splendid idea, given that it was a fresh way to get out of the city and explore a new setting) where they meet a farm dog, voiced by none other than Harrison Ford himself, named Rooster. It’s incredible because Rooster is exactly what Harrison Ford would be if he were a dog! Its adorable and he’s my favorite character from the sequel! Rooster offers some needed advice to Max and it’s of the best parts of the film.
8/10 The Secret Life of Pets 2 is for pet lovers, fur mom and dads and is a good old family movie with lots of laughs and a lot of heart as well, bring the kids.