Chris Renaud’s rambunctious The Secret Life of Pets was such a hit that it got itself a sequel; in this case one can’t say a Part 2 was needless, because every pet character has a story. However, the high energy of the characters makes up for the inevitable lack of novelty.
The first film with its wonderfully anthropomorphised characters worked on the premises that pet owners who leave animals have no idea that they have feelings, concerns and adventures of their own. Max, the adorable mutt of the first film returns, voiced by Patton Oswalt this time, instead of Louis C K. Many of the earlier characters like Duke, Gidget and Snowball return too, and Harrison Ford voices a gruff new sheepdog called Rooster.
In The Secret Life Of Pets 2, Max’s owners Katie and Chuck have a son called Liam. In the first film, Max got anxious when a big dog called Duke (Eric Stonestreet) was brought home, so the kid causes even more neurotic symptoms. Katie takes him to a pet behaviour specialist, where he is fitted with a plastic cone.
A visit to a farm outside the city causes Max even more angst, what will all the strange animals around, till the big, avuncular Rooster takes him under his wing. While Max is getting used to the unfamiliar environment, back in the city, the cute Pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate) tasked with looking after Max’s favourite toy, Busy Bee, loses it. The toy lands up in the apartment of the ‘crazy cat lady’. Now Gidget, the snooty cat Chloe (Lake Bell), the pug Mel (Bobby Moynihan), and dachshund Buddy (Hannibal Buress) have to find a way to rescue it. Chloe teaching Gidget how to be a cat is easily the funniest sequence in the film.
Snowball (Kevin Hart) gets his own subplot in his ‘superhero’ mode, pulled by Shih Tzu, Daisy (Tiffany Haddish), into rescuing a white tiger, from the clutches of cruel circus owner Sergei (Nick Kroll) and his deadly wolves.
There is a lot more happening here, the pace is manic and the noise levels a bit too high for grown-ups, kids will enjoy the animal shenanigans. They will also subliminally get messages about loyalty, courage and kindness. The animation is outstanding, as expected, and every animal characteristic is turned into a charming quirk. An enjoyable holiday movie for children and animal lovers.
