Illumination Entertainment, NBC’s animation associates, are a pure example of the saturation of marketing. Including their recent release "The Secret Life of Pets," the studio has released only six films, three of which exist under the "Despicable Me" franchise, a series built on the backs of excitable yellow house elves which, when given their own movie, proved that over-reliance on a singular gimmick can create a vortex of talent and creativity which still provides monumental profit because that’s just the world we live in. It's a lesson that Illumination tries to apply to "The Secret Life of Pets," but unfortunately fails by falling to the opposite extreme.
‘The Secret Life of Pets’ is about a terrier named Max (Louis CK) who lives in harmony with his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper), a twenty-something Dartmouth grad who can afford to support herself and a pet in a loft apartment in Manhattan without roommates, which is a joke in and of itself. Max’s life is seemingly ideal, but when Katie brings home a stray dog called Duke (Eric Stonestreet), he finds his alpha status challenged for the first time. The two dogs begin to compete to get the other kicked out of the apartment until Duke kidnaps Max and the two are inadvertently thrown into a gang of abandoned pets led by Snowball (Kevin Hart), a deliciously devious bunny. While Max and Duke struggle to maneuver the complexities of New York, the other pets from their apartment building, including love-struck bichon Gidget (Jenny Slate), self-controlling hawk Tiberius (Albert Brooks), apathetic feline Chloe (Lake Bell), over-excitable pug Mel (Bobby Moynihan), relaxed and leisurely dachshund Buddy (Hannibal Buress), and paralyzed old basset hound Pops (Dana Carvey), venture out after them so they can all be at the door waiting for their owners when they get home.
The story is one that we’ve seen more times that I can count. It’s the same one we saw in "Toy Story" and "Chicken Run". Essentially, what are things we are accustomed to seeing doing when we’re not around? Beyond that, it’s also very run of the mill in terms of action. Various chase sequences are repeated through identical locations, severely limiting all sense of tension or variety. The overall tone and feel of the film fluctuates from scene to scene with little to no segues beyond somewhat sloppy cuts. It’s very obvious that the film doesn’t want to rely on any one aspect of itself, which results in it never fully embracing anything about itself which could be enjoyable. Some jokes land perfectly but most feel a few steps away from being complete. It’s great to see the animals act like animals until they stop and start acting like humans and break the illusion.
The voice acting fluctuates wildly in a very distracting manner. Seasoned voice actors like Slate, Bell, Moynihan, and Brooks are gifted enough for their voices to feel natural coming from their characters, but most of the rest of the cast suffer from unbelievable performances. Surprisingly, Louis CK is perfectly acceptable and enthusiastic when asked to act like a dog or narrate, but he sounds forced and uncomfortable when he has to carry a dialogue. It’s always great to hear Buress’s laid back, sonorous tones, however it simply doesn’t work as a dog. He often has to sound louder than he really is and force his voice higher to match the intensity and energy of his costars. Hart is the only one who seemingly comes away unscathed. Perhaps it’s because Snowball is the only major character who doesn’t explicitly act like an animal, or maybe it’s just that Hart’s innate energy and projection sounds clear and organic emanating from an adorable little rabbit, but either way he delivers one of the most memorable performances of the movie. Minor characters all fit well with their actors, including Steve Coogan as a bald alley cat, Michael Beattie as a traumatized pig, and Sandra Echeverria and Jaime Camil as soap opera stars.
Animation has never been Illuminated’s high point, a status quo that is unfortunately maintained. It occurred to me while watching this movie that companies like Disney and Pixar have seemingly found the perfect ratio for their animated characters where they are beautiful, but have not necessarily sacrificed realism for marketability. Illuminated hasn’t quite found this formula as most characters are either hyper-realistic or purposefully over-adorable. This contrast is highly distracting and could definitely ruin the movie for some. It’s even more blatant when compared to the beauty and realism of the setting. I would need to revisit a few other movies, but I honestly don’t think New York has ever looked this good, at least in an animated movie. The skyscrapers are gleaming and the streets are so real, you can practically see the cracks in the concrete. The bridges look phenomenal and even the interior of various Manhattan apartments are fascinatingly good. It’s very peculiar why this gorgeous animation couldn’t be applied to all the characters. The action sequences range from fast and creative to cartoonish stupidity and neither carry any suspension. However, it should be noted that of all the strangely animated characters, Duke has it the worst. He looks freakish and disproportioned, too shaggy and unwieldly in movement. He barely looks like an animal, let alone a dog. The animation is so bad that Stonestreet’s performance is completely ruined by how odd it sounds coming from such a mutant-looking mouth. It’s one of the worst character designs I’ve ever seen, bar none.
Overall, this is a movie that isn’t exactly good, but I would be lying if I said it was a complete dud. It’s movies like this that remind me that animated movies are primarily for children; they can accept the suspension of disbelief in a way that an adult or critic could not. The movie itself is highly critical of New York millennials, but looks and sounds like it is aimed at attracting them to the theaters. It feels like Illumination is confused as to where it wants to go as a company. It can survive based on the "Despicable Me" franchise, but appears to aim for loftier film quality. Unfortunately, this isn’t their best foot forwards. Still, it’s not bad enough to stop me from wanting to see "Sing" in December, so I guess it’s hard for me to hate a company that does seem to be legitimately trying. 2/5.
