The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)

Films that have stories surrounding animals aren't anything new. It seems like we get an animated film centering around animals every other year or so. From the studio that brought us "Despicable Me", comes the second "Secret Life of Pets". This film is just as delightful as the first film, but it does get a little over the top sometimes and it's too much handle. All that to say, this film is good, but lacks the potential to be better.

I feel like I've already seen movies like this. Movies like "All Dogs Go To Heaven" & "Zootopia" have set the standard for animal based films, but this film tries to top all others but barely succeeds in doing that. It's an okay film frankly. Being based on animals, you'd think the filmmakers would have more to showcase it's primarily young audience.

Director Chris Renaud tries to top the first film by adding a new story, when it's really not. It's the same as the first one but with more characters and lively sets. I give him props however at least for trying to improve upon the first film. But ultimately, the only thing that this film improved was the animal based action and that's about it.

Not even the voice cast could save this film. With big name talents like: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart & Eric Stonestreet, you think this film would be even funnier than the first film but I was wrong. They only bring the same energy from the first film. Even with the voice talent of Harrison Ford, this film still lacks depth.

One of the other few positives of this film is the score. With Alexandre Desplat returning from the original film to bring yet another film a upbeat and jazzy composition. Desplat crafts the score where it balances well into the film overall.

This film may be all cute and adorable, but it's kind of messy around the edges. This film is another entertaining film, mostly for its young audience. Parents and older audiences might want to skip this movie. Though it had potential, it doesn't offer any new and fresh ideas that are worth seeing.

Rate: C- 

Director: Chris Renaud 

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate & Harrison Ford

MPAA Rating: PG (for mild action and some rude humor) 

Runtime: 1 Hour & 26 Minutes 

Synopsis: Max the terrier must cope with some major life changes when his owner gets married and has a baby. When the family takes a trip to the countryside, nervous Max has numerous run-ins with canine-intolerant cows, hostile foxes and a scary turkey. Luckily for Max, he soon catches a break when he meets Rooster, a gruff farm dog who tries to cure the lovable pooch of his neuroses.

Photo courtesy of Illumination & Universal