The Secret Life of Pets 2 review – Splendid lesson for kids
A whole bag of tricks with new creatures opens up in this film.
The Secret Life of Pets 2. Photo: Universal Pictures
It’s not often a sequel is better than the original but in the case of The Secret Life of Pets 2, it is.
The appeal of the first is enhanced here by stronger sentiments and greater hijinks which elevate this production to new levels.
Head hound Max (voiced by Patton Oswalt) is now wrestling with his protective instincts as a new addition joins the ranks.
This Illumination studio feature is different from other animated films in that it encourages younger audiences to explore their feelings about new life experiences.
The Secret Life of Pets 2. Photo: Universal Pictures
Its message is that it’s perfectly acceptable to be frustrated about a new sibling (a baby boy) joining the family. This is what happens when loyal terrier Max is no longer the centre of attention.
His owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) disrupted his world when she first brought home big, shaggy mutt Duke (Eric Stonestreet). An even more dramatic shift occurs when she marries and has her first child, Liam.
Max’s entire being changes. He feels he must now be Liam’s protector but in so doing, he develops bad anxiety habits, such as nervous tics and perpetual scratching, forcing a behaviour specialist to encase his head in a plastic cone.
Humiliated, Max has to work through this neurosis while the family are enjoying a visit to an uncle who owns a farm.
A whole bag of tricks with new creatures opens up on the farm and while this change of atmosphere should lift his mood, it only serves to terrify him further.
The Secret Life of Pets 2. Photo: Universal Pictures
He meets a terrorising turkey and has intimidating encounters with a grizzled, gruff, gravel-voiced herding dog, Rooster (Harrison Ford).
The narrative’s second and third threads unfold in New York, but when the three stories finally intersect and the filmmakers connect all these disparate elements, the execution is not totally seamless.
Nevertheless, the production adds up to splendid lessons for children!
Info
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Voices: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart, Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate, Tiffany Haddish, Lake Bell, Nick Kroll, Ellie Kemper, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Harrison Ford.
Director: Chris Renaud.
Classification: PG.
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