By Ruth Ferguson, NDG Editor
The Secret Life of Pets finally answers the question: what is your dog or cat thinking and doing when you leave them everyday. Before my dog passed away in February, we had a daily routine. I would say, “I have to leave to go and earn some dog food money.” Then, she would allow me to depart. If we are to believe the premise of Secret Life then that is all your Fido and Kitty really want to know: that you love them and you will be back home! Now depending on how well Secret Life does at the box office, we will see if these furry actors will return for a sequel. I say it is worth another chapter.
Always one willing to admit when I am wrong – I have a confession: Kevin Hart steals the show. Never being his biggest fan, I often say Hart plays the same character in every movie. Obviously this is his first attempt at playing a wannabe gangster bunny rabbit, but Hart was actually toned down a little bit in this animated flick. And for a change, his yelling actually fit well into the story line. Frankly, the story was sagging a little bit until he showed up as Snowball. The movie turned up the pace and volume considerably.
The Secret Life of Pets is directed by Chris Renaud (Despicable Me) and Yarrow Cheney and it looks glorious with absolutely adorable pets such as Louis C.K. as Max who gets a new “brother” Duke (Eric Stonestreet) and believe me, Max ain’t happy about it. So of course, this eventually leads to a buddy bonding adventure. Naturally you have to include a bit of romance, so Jenny Slate fits the bill as Gidget the lovesick white Pomeranian.
The challenge with The Secret Life of Pets is the fact there are so many cute animals that we are introduced to, that it gets to be a bit overwhelming. Flicks like Shrek worked because there was really only one storyline and the primary and supporting characters were distinctly different with just enough backstory to not get in the way with the primary plot.
The Secret Life of Pets is going to be a hit with your kids and most animal lovers when it opens Friday, July 9.  Get your Christmas gift list ready, because you can expect to see Max, Duke and Snowball to show up on more than a few wishlists.
This was a lot of fun. The bunny (Kevin Hart) was by far my favorite character. I thought all the other animals were good too, but the bunny made me laugh the most.
Agreed he was the best part of the flick.