The Secret Life Of Pets Best Scenes
Crispina Blomker
While there's a lot of anger/revenge going on, the messages about perseverance, teamwork, and empathy are ultimately positive (if not as clearly stated as in some kids' movies). To wit: never stop trying, and you can get a lot more done with the right team than you can by yourself. Be open to new friends and the experiences that life brings -- change can be hard but also rewarding (especially when it comes to new "siblings"). Loyalty and friendship are key to success. Think about others' feelings.
Max initially fears and dislikes Duke; he doesn't want to share Katie (or anything else) with his new "brother." But over the course of the movie, he comes to value Duke and learns that he can live with change. Duke starts out impulsive and pushy but also grows and changes to become more helpful and less defensive. Snowball is very angry; he hates humans because he was abandoned and dreams of revenge -- but he also steps up when circumstances demand. Gidget is loyal, determined, and fearless; she refuses to give up on Max, no matter what stands in her way. Tiberius manages to control his impulses to help his new friend.
Frequent danger and peril. Chase scenes on foot and in vehicles (driven erratically and dangerously by animals); cars/buses crash into other vehicles, buildings, bridges, and more (sometimes catching on fire), and characters are pursued through dank, gloomy sewers. At one point it looks like a main character may not survive. Some scary/intimidating animals, including mangy alley cats, a huge viper, an alligator, a hungry hawk, and other predators; one unsympathetic character dies in an altercation. Human Animal Control officers go after several characters on multiple occasions and sometimes succeed in grabbing them and locking them up in cages. Some animal characters want all humans to die; a couple lie and say they've killed their owners (and go into detail about how the supposedly did it). Animals yell/growl/hiss/bark/yowl at and threaten each other and wreak havoc in human living spaces (messes, broken decor, etc.). Pratfalls and physical humor.
Parents need to know that The Secret Life of Pets is a clever, engaging adventure about what our dogs, cats, birds, and other domesticated creatures get up to when we're not around. In the movie's case, it involves quite a bit of danger and peril -- which isn't what was showcased in the movie's promotional campaign. Main characters Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) and Duke (Eric Stonestreet) are frequently chased, sometimes on foot and sometimes in cars/vans/buses, which bang into things, crash, and catch on fire. They also dodge Animal Control officers; navigate dank, gloomy sewers; face off against an enormous viper and other predators/angry animals; and confront each other via barking, growling, yelling, and more. Animals discuss killing people (one anti-human animal character is impressed when others claim to have offed their former owners and detail how they did it). At one point it looks like a main character may not survive, and one bad guy dies in an altercation. There's some bodily function humor (a Chihuahua pees on the floor in excitement, dogs sniff each other's rear ends, etc.), a fair bit of insult language ("dumb," "stupid," "weirdo," "idiots," "cry baby," etc.), and one use of swear stand-in "holy schnitzel." But underlying all this are positive messages about friendship, teamwork, perseverance, and empathy -- as well as the futility of revenge and the importance of being open to new friends and the experiences that life brings. Max and Duke's relationship could particularly resonate with blended families and/or those dealing with sibling issues. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Living the good life in a New York City apartment, Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) considers himself the luckiest dog in the world at the start of THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS. But he gets upset when his beloved human, Katie (Ellie Kemper), brings home his giant, shaggy new "brother," Duke (Eric Stonestreet), from the shelter. Things get even worse for Max when he and Duke end up lost and collarless. After getting nabbed by Animal Control, they find themselves at the mercy of Snowball (Kevin Hart), a maniacal bunny with a grudge against humanity who leads an underground army of unwanted former pets. Max and Duke do their best to make it back to Katie, but it will take help from a group of Max's friends -- led by determined Pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate) -- for them to successfully elude Snowball and his goons.
Funny and engaging, with an excellent voice cast, this animated animal adventure will entertain audiences of all ages, with perhaps an extra dollop of appeal for devoted pet owners. It's amusing to see what Max and his buddies get up to when their people are gone for the day, from watching telenovelas to raiding the fridge to rocking out to heavy metal music. And the plot, while not exactly unique (it's hard to miss the parallels to Toy Story, for instance), moves at a good clip, with enough twists and imaginative details to keep you fully engaged.
While meaningful messages aren't quite as front-and-center in The Secret Life of Pets as they were in, say Zootopia, the movie has clear themes of perseverance and teamwork. And Max and Duke's sibling-like relationship could particularly resonate with blended families or those dealing with rivalry/resentment issues. The characters have an appealing depth, too, aided by the talented actors providing their voices. Somewhere in the midst of Snowball's many motor-mouthed blasts, Hart conveys the bunny's underlying loneliness and sadness; this is a rabbit who truly thinks of his fellow cast-offs as family, not just minions. And Slate's Gidget proves that she's so much more than a pampered puffball; her loyalty to Max is unwavering, and she stretches far beyond her comfort zone to help him. It's easy to imagine a sequel focused on her getting the gang back together to help another one of their own; meanwhile, here's hoping they all have cozy laps to curl up on.
Illumination Entertainment is best known for the Despicable Me franchise, but with the new movie The Secret Life of Pets, the studio is expanding its reach into new territory. Its new family film, in theaters July 8, uses computer animation techniques to tell the story of a group of NYC pets who end up on an unexpected adventure. But even after the adventure ends, the story isn't over, because The Secret Life of Pets has a post-credits scene that is as charming as the rest of the movie.
It's not too shocking that the comedy has a post-credits scene, given that all of the Despicable Me movies had one, as did Illumination Entertainment's Easter-themed movie Hop. But the Secret Life of Pets post-credits scene is still a fun surprise, and definitely worth sticking around for after the movie ends. The scene, which shows all of the pets at a rockin' party, recalls a few specific jokes from the narrative and also makes a few new ones. It also has a tongue-in-cheek reference to Despicable Me. It's super cute while also being self-aware, and may even make you wonder if there could be a Secret Life of Pets 2 . So without further ado, here's everything you need to know about the scene. Spoilers ahead!
There is dance music playing, but Leonard (who, we have learned, loves to listen to System of a Down when his prim and proper owner is gone) changes the channel to headbanging music. Suddenly, the animals hear Leonard's owners keys in the door, and they all scatter. Leonard quickly straightens up as his owner enters, but just then a chandelier falls with several of the animals still attached to it. The scene cuts out before viewers can see Leonard's owner's reaction, but it's clear that the jig is up.
The scene is clearly intended to be a cute, funny extra, but could it also imply that there will be a Secret Life of Pets sequel? After all, it's the only time in the movie that a human becomes aware of what the animals have really been up to while all their owners were at work. It makes you wonder if there could be a follow-up movie in which the secret lives of the pets become not-to-secret.
It is worth noting, though, that there is one extra line after the movie that implies the story is done. Once all the credits have scrolled through, we hear the voice of the curmudgeonly old dog Pops say "All right, party's over!" But is he referring to the party in the post-credits scene, or does he mean that the "party" of watching the movie is over? The meaning isn't clear, but maybe it's best not to overthink it. Instead, you can just appreciate the absurdity of two little costumed dogs walking into a rager where animals are swinging from chandeliers. It's as delightfully ridiculous as the rest of The Secret Life of Pets, and a great way to wrap up the movie.
Behind the Scenes,
or,Thirty years a Slave, and
Four Years in the White House:
Electronic Edition.Elizabeth Keckley, ca. 1818-1907 Funding from the NationalEndowment for the Humanities
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First edition, 1999
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Academic Affairs Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
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