[2] In an interview to Entertainment Weekly, Desplat said that "[Director] Chris Renaud showed me some excerpts of the film and they were so funny and beautifully shot that I was already excited, and then we had a chat about music and very quickly we realized that we could go to a territory which I’ve not really explored in movies in America, which is jazz meeting orchestra.

"[1] Despite being a jazz-music lover, he did not find the right project for using jazz music, which he admitted: "I haven't really had an opportunity to really use it in a big scope for cinema, and this was a great option for me to do that.

[1] On October 14, 2016, Desplat conducted the live concert performance of the film's premiere,[6] held at the Hollywood in Vienna annual music gala,[7] in Vienna Concert Hall, Austria, where he would also receive the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award.

[8][9][10] Jonathan Broxton wrote "To get anything out of The Secret Life of Pets you have to have a high tolerance for jazz, a liking for certain world music rhythms, and not be put off by numerous blatant homages to other composers, irrespective of how well they filter through Desplat's own musical sensibility.

Switches from light comedy to romance to full on action and back again are frequent, and unapologetic, and if that sort of emotional musical schizophrenia bothers you, you might want to take a sedative before hitting the play button.

"[12] Marcy Donelson of Allmusic wrote "Desplat's musical agility is on full display.

[15] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter praised the score and attributed that "it takes notes from Breakfast at Tiffany's and other classic Manhattan-set movies, offering up a playful accompaniment to what ultimately feels like a smart but overindulgent exercise in computer-generated puppy love.

"[16] All music is composed by Alexandre Desplat, except where notedThe theme song for the Japanese version of the film is "Brand New Tomorrow" by Leo Ieiri.