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The Secret Life of Pets 2

The Secret Life of Pets 2 is a 2019 American animated comedy film produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the sequel to the 2016 film The Secret Life of Pets, and the second feature film in the franchise of the same name. It was directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Jonathan del Val (in his feature directorial debut), produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and written by Brian Lynch. The film features the voices of Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Lake Bell, Nick Kroll, Dana Carvey, Ellie Kemper, Renaud, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, and Harrison Ford.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 was theatrically released in the United States on June 7, 2019. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the animation and humor but criticized the plot. It grossed $446 million worldwide against its production budget of $80 million, making less than its predecessor, but still turning a profit. A third film is in development.

Plot

Following the events of the first film, Max and Duke's owner Katie has married a man named Chuck and had a son, Liam. Max's resentful, then overprotective, feelings for Liam develop into an itch that leads Katie to get him a humiliating dog cone from the veterinarian, but his luck changes when Duke reveals the family is going on a road trip.

Before Max leaves, he entrusts his favorite toy, Busy Bee, to his friend Gidget. However, Gidget loses Busy Bee in a cat-infested apartment owned by a cat lady, so she gets "cat lessons" from Chloe in order to sneak into the apartment. With help from Norman, she unintentionally causes the cats to hail her as their "queen", allowing her to retrieve Busy Bee.

When Max, Duke and their family reach a farm owned by Chuck's uncle, Max is initially unaccustomed to its way of life. Local Welsh Sheepdog Rooster tells him to get over his insecurities about Liam and ditches his dog cone. After Max tries and fails to emulate Rooster's herding skills, Rooster enlists him to find Cotton, a lost lamb. Rooster's advice about overcoming fear helps Max to rescue Cotton from a falling tree, earning Rooster's respect.

Meanwhile Snowball, who dreams of being a superhero, meets Shih Tzu Daisy, who explains that she needs help to rescue Hu, a white tiger being held captive by abusive circus owner Sergei. Daisy and Snowball sneak into the circus, and evade Sergei's pack of wolves to free Hu. However, during the escape, Daisy loses her flower clip, which the wolves use to track her down.

Daisy and Snowball take Hu to Pops' apartment first; Pops reluctantly lets Hu stay, but after he makes a mess, he is relocated to Max and Duke's apartment. Sergei and his wolves track Daisy there and capture her and Hu, fleeing on a train. With Duke and Max home from their trip, the latter helps Snowball and Norman go after Sergei and contacts Gidget for assistance. Gidget, Max's friends, and the cats trick the cat lady into pursuing the train in her car.

Max takes out the wolves, and Snowball fires Sergei's pet monkey out of a cannon while freeing Daisy. The monkey lands on Max, knocking him off the train; using his newfound bravery, he jumps back onto the train from the top of a tunnel. The other pets free Hu and kick Sergei out of the train but before they can escape, Sergei holds them at gunpoint. Gidget and the cats arrive just in time, knocking him out with the cat lady's car and offering the others a ride home. Life resumes as normal, with Hu finding a new home with the cat lady, and Max letting go of his anxiety for Liam while sending him off to preschool.

Cast

Patton Oswalt as Max, a Jack Russell Terrier. Oswalt replaces Louis C.K., who voiced the character in the first film
Jenny Slate as Gidget, a white Pomeranian dog
Harrison Ford as Rooster, a Welsh Sheepdog
Kevin Hart as Snowball, a white rabbit and a would-be superhero
Tiffany Haddish as Daisy, a Shih Tzu
Eric Stonestreet as Duke, a brown Newfoundland mix who lives with Max
Lake Bell as Chloe, a fat and apathetic gray tabby cat
Nick Kroll as Sergei, an abusive circus owner
Dana Carvey as Pops, an elderly Basset Hound whose back legs are paralyzed
Chris Renaud as Norman, a guinea pig
Ellie Kemper as Katie, Max and Duke's owner
Hannibal Buress as Buddy, a laid-back dachshund
Bobby Moynihan as Mel, a hyperactive pug
Pete Holmes as Chuck, Katie's husband
Henry Lynch as Liam, Katie and Chuck's toddler son
Sean Giambrone as Cotton, a young lamb who Max and Rooster save from a cliff
Meredith Salenger as a cat lady
Michael Beattie as the lead wolf of Sergei's wolf pack
- Michael Beattie also voices a skinny cat
Kiely Renaud as Molly, Snowball's owner
Tara Strong as:
- Sweetpea, a budgie parakeet
- Pickles, an English Bulldog who is one of Pops' students in Puppy School
- Baby Liam
- Additional Voices
Jessica DiCicco as:
- Princess, a Poodle who is one of Pops' students in Puppy School
- Tiny, a young basset hound who is also one of Pops' students in Puppy School
- Additional Voices
Garth Jennings as a hamster

Production

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment announced a sequel to their the original The Secret Life of Pets in 2016 with director Chris Renaud and writer Brian Lynch returning, and Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy producing. The Oatmeal writer Matthew Inman worked on the film as a creative consultant.

Louis C.K. was planned to reprise his role as Max, but after being accused of and later admitting to sexual misconduct with several women in November 2017, C.K. was dropped from the sequel. Patton Oswalt took over for C.K. as Max the following year in April, while Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Eric Stonestreet, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Tara Strong, Hannibal Buress, and Bobby Moynihan reprised their roles. Additional casting includes Tiffany Haddish, Nick Kroll, Harrison Ford and Pete Holmes.

Music

Alexandre Desplat, who composed the score of the first film, returned for the sequel. The soundtrack was released by Back Lot Music on May 31, 2019, featuring two cover versions of Bill Withers' "Lovely Day" and Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard". The songs were performed by LunchMoney Lewis, Aminé, and Jack Antonoff.

Release

The Secret Life of Pets 2 was released in the United States on June 7, 2019 by Universal Pictures. It was previously set for a July 13, 2018 release, and then July 3, 2019. The film was released in the United Kingdom two weeks earlier on May 24.

Home media

The film was released on digital on August 13, 2019 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, with Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD releases following on August 27. It includes two mini-movies: Super Gidget, and Minion Scouts. The 4K Ultra HD version was also Universal's first release to use the HDR10+ format.

Reception

Box office

The Secret Life of Pets 2 grossed $159 million in the United States and Canada, and $287.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $446.2 million, against a production budget of $80 million. Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $118 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.

In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Dark Phoenix and was initially projected to gross around $60 million in its opening weekend. The film played in 4,561 theaters, the second-widest release ever at the time. After making $17.4 million on its first day (including $2.2 million from Thursday night previews, down from the first film's $5.3 million), estimates were lowered to $46 million. It went on to debut to $46.7 million, less than half the opening of the first film, but still finishing first at the weekend box office. In its second weekend, the film made $24.4 million, finishing second behind newcomer Men in Black: International, and then made $10.3 million in its third weekend, finishing in fifth place.

In the United Kingdom, the film debuted to $4.1 million from 613 theaters on the May 24 weekend. A week later, the film expanded to Russia and added a combined $17.2 million from the two countries.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 60% based on 163 reviews with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "The Secret Life of Pets 2 doesn't teach its animated stars any new narrative tricks -- but for fans of the original, this funny, energetic sequel should still satisfy." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, the same score as the first film, while those at PostTrak gave it an average 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Courtney Howard of Variety magazine wrote: "It's unusual for a typical Illumination broad comedy to include a heartrending message that makes parents feel less alone in their very real, visceral struggles. It's just cloaked in a shenanigans-soaked romp about what pets do when humans aren't looking." James Berardinelli gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars but called the film "a perfect example of what can happen when a sequel exists simply because its predecessor made a lot of money". He called it "a disappointingly mediocre effort that doesn't have a lot to offer potential viewers over age 10" saying it was unfocused and "essentially three separate shorts connected only by the presence of returning characters".

Emily Davison of UK Film Review called it "a much more enjoyable outing" and said the "voice cast is also strong all around".

Accolades

At the 47th Annie Awards, The Secret Life of Pets 2 received nominations for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a Feature Production (Slate) and Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in a Feature Production (Tiffany Hillkurtz). It was nominated in three categories at the 2021 Golden Trailer Awards: "Panda" (Inside Job) for Best Animation/Family TV Spot, "Rooftop" (Lindeman & Associates) for Best Animation/Family Movie Poster, and "Graffiti" (Lindeman & Associates) for Best Wildposts. The film, and the performances of Hart and Haddish, each received a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award and a People's Choice Award nomination.