The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
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The film explores the secret lives and adventures of pets in New York City when their owners are away.
The story
Set in New York City, the film follows the lives of various pets, specifically a Jack Russell Terrier named Max and a large, unruly dog named Duke. The story explores the secret lives and interactions of these animals while their owners are away from home. When Max's owner, Katie, adopts Duke, the two dogs must navigate their new relationship and the adventures that occur in the city's urban landscape.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Max, a Jack Russell Terrier, lives in a New York City apartment with his owner Katie. When she is away, Max interacts with other building pets like Chloe, Mel, Buddy, and Sweet Pea. The dynamic changes when Katie adopts Duke, a large Newfoundland. After an incident involving a group of cats led by Ozone, Max and Duke find themselves separated from their home and are taken in by Snowball, the leader of 'the Flushed Pets'—a group of abandoned animals living in the sewers. Max and Duke eventually escape the sewers and head toward Brooklyn, while Gidget, a Pomeranian who loves Max, leads a team of pets to find him. Meanwhile, Duke and Max attempt to reunite with Duke's previous owner, Fred, only to discover he has passed away. The two dogs eventually reunite and are rescued by Gidget's team. In the end, Snowball is adopted by a girl named Molly, and the other pets return to their homes, while Max and Duke are reunited with Katie.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 86
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chris Renaud
- Writers
- Cinco Paul · writer; Ken Daurio · writer; Brian Lynch · writer
- Cast and characters
- Louis C.K. · Max; Eric Stonestreet · Duke; Kevin Hart · Snowball; Jenny Slate · Gidget; Ellie Kemper · Katie; Lake Bell · Chloe; Dana Carvey · Pops; Hannibal Buress · Buddy; Bobby Moynihan · Mel; Steve Coogan · Ozone; Albert Brooks · Tiberius
- Genres
- animated; comedy
- Themes
- friendship; teamwork
- Tone and mood
- comedy; family-friendly
- Premise and plot tags
- animal adventure; buddy comedy
- Franchise connections
- The Secret Life of Pets
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews and was noted for being a well-animated, family-friendly comedy.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 71% · scale: percentage · review count: 242; Metacritic · score: 61 · scale: 100 · review count: 39; PostTrak · score: 85% · scale: percentage
- Awards and nominations
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award · winning films · win
- Production trivia
- The film was the most profitable release of 2016.; The film's animation was created entirely in France by Illumination Mac Guff.; The film was originally scheduled to be released on February 12, 2016, but was pushed back to July 8.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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