[5][6] The film stars the voices of Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan, and Albert Brooks.
The Secret Life of Pets premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 16, 2016, and was released in theaters in the United States on July 8.
A sequel, The Secret Life of Pets 2, was released on June 7, 2019, with Patton Oswalt taking over the role of Max from Louis C.K.
A Jack Russell Terrier named Max lives with his owner Katie in a New York City apartment.
While she is away, he socializes with other pets in the building: tabby cat Chloe, pug Mel, dachshund Buddy, and budgerigar Sweet Pea.
Max and Duke are rescued by a white rabbit named Snowball, the leader of "the Flushed Pets", a gang of drain-dwelling animals who hate humans because their owners abandoned them.
After Max and Duke pretend to despise humans by saying they “killed” their owners, the Flushed Pets invite them to join.
With their cover blown, Max and Duke escape the drains and board a ferry to Brooklyn, inadvertently killing the viper in the process.
In the meantime, Duke tells Max about his previous owner Fred, who adopted him as a puppy and loved spending time with him.
One day, Duke got lost while chasing a butterfly and was caught by Animal Control, but Fred never came to claim him.
Heartbroken, Duke accuses Max of attempting to get rid of him and barks at the new homeowners who have just returned to the house and called Animal Control.
The other pets return to their homes and embrace their owners, while Max and Duke finally reunite with Katie.
[12] At that time, Illumination's CEO Chris Meledandri pitched him an idea on a film about what pets do when their caretakers are away.
[17][better source needed] The Secret Life of Pets premiered at the 2016 Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 16 and was screened at VidCon.
[38] It also set the record for the largest opening for an original animated film, eclipsing the $90.4 million debut of Inside Out.
[39][40] In its second weekend, the film made $50.8 million (-51.3%) while maintaining the top spot, despite facing stiff competition with newcomer Ghostbusters.
[41] Although it slipped into second place when overtaken by Star Trek Beyond in its third weekend, it was still able to fend off the two other new releases—Lights Out and Ice Age: Collision Course—by earning another $29.6 million.
[24][50] It topped the international box office in its ninth weekend after earning $43.8 million in 53 markets (dethroning Suicide Squad).
1, it posted the biggest original animated opening of all time with $7.6 million, surpassing the studio's own previous record holder Inside Out.
The website's critical consensus reads: "Fast-paced, funny, and blessed with a talented voice cast, The Secret Life of Pets offers a beautifully animated, cheerfully undemanding family-friendly diversion.
[75] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three out of four stars and called it "an animated fluffball—a sort of Toy Story with pets does everything to drive you crazy and ends up being totally irresistible.
[77] Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film three out of four stars and said "In much the same way that the smash Zootopia demonstrated that creatures of different culture and class and species are better off when they come together, The Secret Life of Pets is a testament to teamwork and friendship and fixing the rifts that divide us.
[79] Matthew Parkinson of The Escapist compared the plots of both films and wrote that "The Secret Life of Pets feels like one of those hour-long ripoffs you'd see on a children's television network.
"[80] Ethan Anderton of the website /Film criticized the film's characterization, and noted that the relationship between Max and Duke was akin to "Woody and Buzz Lightyear all over again.