By Quinn Roseboom
It’s no longer a secret how great “The Secret Life of Pets” is. I went in expecting just another cute movie, and it definitely was cute, but it also had me guessing what was gonna happen next and how the characters were going to get out of each situation. It’s a great movie for the whole family.
In the beginning of the movie, we see the great relationship between Max (Louis C.K.) a terrier, and his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper). But their seemingly perfect life has a wrench thrown in when Katie adopts a new dog named Duke (Eric Stonestreet). The two dogs are trying to eliminate each other from the picture when they both accidentally embark on a journey around New York City that involves a sausage factory, animal control and a crazy bunny named Snowball (Kevin Hart), who leads an organization of homeless and abandoned animals that want to destroy all humans. Meanwhile, a group of Max and Duke’s friends, lead by Gidget (Jenny Slate) (a dog who has a major crush on Max), go on their own adventure while searching the city for the duo.
There were quite a few references to other Universal/NBC properties, throughout the movie, such as “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and a dog dressed up as a Minion. It’s definitely a movie I would watch again just to spot as many Easter eggs as I could. The humor of the movie definitely best applies to people who own pets, have owned a pet, or are just animal lovers in general.
“The Secret Life of Pets” is rated PG and has a run time of an hour and a half. There was no end credits scene, but there was an early mid-credits scene. The movie is available in 3D and 2D, but the screening I saw wasn’t in 3D, so I can’t say if it would be worth the extra dough.
A short called “Mower Minions” plays before the movie. I really don’t like the Minions and I personally didn’t like the short at all. But my mom loves them and she said it was definitely very cute and the Minions were hilarious as always. (And then she said “banana” in a Minion voice, which I didn’t appreciate.)
In The Parks
There’s a special preview for “The Secret Life of Pets” during the Animal Actors show at Universal Studios Florida through July 10. You’ll also find a Photo Booth outside of the theater featuring the characters from the movie. Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular nighttime show also features a pre-show in which guests see a special trailer and characters from the movie in the form of water silhouettes. You can also find movie merchandise at various stores all around Universal parks.
There’s a strong rumor of a Secret Life of Pets ride in the works, which honestly seems like an amazing idea, as throughout the entire movie there were moments when I thought “Wow, this would be great for a ride”.
Here’s a look at the movie’s appearance at Universal Studios Florida so far:
Here’s the movie trailer:
