Snowball curiously looks exactly like the bunny from Pixar's short film 'Presto.' Another coincidence, I'm sure. The bunny, who is ironically given the cute name of Snowball (Kevin Hart) leads a band of unwanted pets on a crusade against humankind. Subsequently, this provides for less than satisfying conflict resolution.Īt one point during their misadventures Max and Duke meet a homicidal bunny who fantasizes about a world in which pets kill their owners. Even then the conflict between the two never feels all that terribly important to begin with. Instead it relies on predictable dramatic beats to keep it going. The whole relationship between Max and Duke never approaches genuine feeling. Sadly, this movie, which is overrun with forgettable characters, never harnesses even the slightest hint of 'Toy Story'-esque emotion. Max feels threatened by Katie's new pet, becomes jealous…and stop me if you've heard this before.Ī remix of the same basic plot for 'Toy Story' wouldn't be that big of a deal if 'The Secret Life of Pets' had anything new to add. A large hairy dog named Duke (Eric Stonestreet). Katie brings home a rescue from the pound. Max's idyllic life is upended by a new house guest.

He reveres his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper). 'The Secret Life of Pets' is virtually the Woody and Buzz tale in dog form. It's entirely possible – likely even – that the brains behind the 'Despicable Me' franchise didn't set out to create a ' Toy Story' clone, but that's essentially what happened with 'The Secret Life of Pets.' It's not only the premise (what do animals do when people aren't around?) that mirrors the secret sentient toy idea, but it's the entire structure of the plot.

The secret life of pets movie cast