Parents' Guide to

The Secret Life of Pets

By Betsy Bozdech, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Adventure is clever and engaging, despite animals in peril.

Movie PG 2016 90 minutes
The Secret Life of Pets Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • 1:03
  • The Secret Life of Pets: Snowball the bunny
  • The Secret Life of Pets: Max waits for Katie
  • The Secret Life of Pets: Max, Duke, and Katie
  • The Secret Life of Pets: Chloe eyes a turkey

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age 10+

Based on 161 parent reviews

jpcaulfield
jpcaulfield Parent of 7 and 8-year-old
April 30, 2022
age 13+

What a dumb movie. Who writes these things? with the underlying sense of dread at every corner ? gangs , violence , stereotypes .. stay away
Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of baby-year-old
September 6, 2018
age 8+

It's... Not exactly for little kids... But it's fine for older kids...

The animation is very well done and the animals have realistic fur texturing so the animation quality ranks pretty good with me. The writing is a mixed bag of genuinely funny at times but mostly rude humor and pop culture references and it relies too heavily on those. The music is recycled pop music and for whatever reason they randomly insert "We Go Together" from another movie called "Grease" into a scene where the dogs behave like they are drunk after eating too many sausages. The score music is also forgettable. There's a scene where the rabbit who leads the "Flushed Pets' poops while he is laughing too hard and a cat can be seen in the background starts to play with the feces by batting it around. There's some scary moments and the 2 main dog characters are terrible to each other at first but then become friends. It is just fine in my opinion but not for really small children unless you watch it with them and explain it scene by scene like I do with my little one. It has positive messages about friendship and team work but it requires explaining it to reep the benefits of it with small children.
See all 161 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Living the good life in a New York City apartment, Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) considers himself the luckiest dog in the world at the start of THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS. But he gets upset when his beloved human, Katie (Ellie Kemper), brings home his giant, shaggy new "brother," Duke (Eric Stonestreet), from the shelter. Things get even worse for Max when he and Duke end up lost and collarless. After getting nabbed by Animal Control, they find themselves at the mercy of Snowball (Kevin Hart), a maniacal bunny with a grudge against humanity who leads an underground army of unwanted former pets. Max and Duke do their best to make it back to Katie, but it will take help from a group of Max's friends -- led by determined Pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate) -- for them to successfully elude Snowball and his goons.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (161 ):
Kids say (114 ):

Funny and engaging, with an excellent voice cast, this animated animal adventure will entertain audiences of all ages, with perhaps an extra dollop of appeal for devoted pet owners. It's amusing to see what Max and his buddies get up to when their people are gone for the day, from watching telenovelas to raiding the fridge to rocking out to heavy metal music. And the plot, while not exactly unique (it's hard to miss the parallels to Toy Story, for instance), moves at a good clip, with enough twists and imaginative details to keep you fully engaged.

While meaningful messages aren't quite as front-and-center in The Secret Life of Pets as they were in, say Zootopia, the movie has clear themes of perseverance and teamwork. And Max and Duke's sibling-like relationship could particularly resonate with blended families or those dealing with rivalry/resentment issues. The characters have an appealing depth, too, aided by the talented actors providing their voices. Somewhere in the midst of Snowball's many motor-mouthed blasts, Hart conveys the bunny's underlying loneliness and sadness; this is a rabbit who truly thinks of his fellow cast-offs as family, not just minions. And Slate's Gidget proves that she's so much more than a pampered puffball; her loyalty to Max is unwavering, and she stretches far beyond her comfort zone to help him. It's easy to imagine a sequel focused on her getting the gang back together to help another one of their own; meanwhile, here's hoping they all have cozy laps to curl up on.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about which parts of The Secret Life of Pets were scary. What made them scary to you? Were you worried about the characters? How much scary stuff can young kids handle?

  • How do the characters demonstrate empathy, teamwork, and perseverance? Why are these important character strengths?

  • Why do you think Snowball is so angry? What made him hate humans so much? How else could he have handled his feelings?

  • Why is Max so upset when Katie brings Duke home? How do they learn to get along over the course of the movie? Can you think of real-life situations (between siblings, for instance) that are similar?

  • Which animal do you identify with most, and why? Do you think there's really that much difference between "dog people" and "cat people"?

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