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The Secret Life of Pets 2
In a golden age of sophisticated, multi-layered and technically dazzling animations, which provoke debate, tug heartstrings or simply deliver an adrenaline-rush of pleasure, The Secret Life Of Pets 2 is neither the cat's meow nor the dog's... nether regions. Chris Renaud and Jonathan de Val co-direct a tail-wagging sequel to the award-winning 2016 computer-animated comedy, which imagined what our four-legged, feathered and finned friends get up to when our backs are turned. There were flashes of animal magic in the original and the second film has its moments too like a pampered Eskimo dog using a dishwater as a sauna (replete with cucumber slices over her eyes) or a litter of cats elevating one pooch to god-like status because she can resist the urge to chase a skittering red dot from a laser pen. In many respects, screenwriter Brian Lynch teaches new dogs old tricks, replaying creature discomforts from the first film for gentle laughs as fluffy protagonists learn that you can't always gambol away from your fears. The narrative splinters into three loosely entwined threads, only one of which delivers satisfying character journeys, a wholesome life lesson and generous smatterings of suspense and giggles. Mischievous terrier Max (voiced by Patton Oswalt) and lolloping mongrel Duke (Eric Stonestreet) are happily settled in Manhattan with owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) and her boyfriend Chuck (Pete Holmes). The couple marries and raises a baby boy Liam, who Max vows to protect. The family visits Chuck's uncle on a farm, where worrywart Max nervously encounters canine-intolerant cows, lackadaisical sheep and vicious foxes. Thankfully, veteran farm dog Rooster (Harrison Ford) helps the neurotic terrier to overcome insecurities and unleash the hero within. Back in New York, Max's sweetheart Gidget (Jenny Slate) loses his favourite toy, Busy Bee, in the downstairs apartment owned by a crazy cat lady. She turns to sardonic house feline Chloe (Lake Bell) for tips on how to retrieve the rubber plaything. Also, maniacal white rabbit Snowball (Kevin Hart) promises to uphold "paw and order" in his blue and yellow superhero costume by helping a fearless Shih Tzu called Daisy (Tiffany Haddish) to rescue a caged white tiger from Happy Sergei's Circus Of Fun. "If tiger not do trick, tiger will become rug!" the sadistic ringmaster (Nick Kroll) snarls to his pack of hench-wolves. The Secret Life Of Pets 2 is fully house-trained to keep young audiences engaged with slapstick and cartoon violence for 86 undemanding minutes. Max's story is the most rewarding and Ford's first vocal performance in an animated film strikes a pleasing balance between sardonic and avuncular. Hart and Haddish compete to steal the spotlight in an outlandish and largely superfluous subplot. Visuals are polished with impressive detail to characters' fur, wool and plumes even during the film's most hare-brained interludes.
