By: Keaton Marcus

The thing about animated films, or even children targeted pictures in general, is that their mass-produced, all claiming to be the original one. Well, it requires a lot of digging to find the right pic, and there are many kids and family tagged films that work, and then the majority don't. "The Secret Life of Pets 2" isn't a terrible film, but it's one of those distractions, one of those rip-offs that may get your children entertained, but it's a waste of time. However, this sequel does have the right template, if a basic template for a run-of-the-mill animated picture. The 80 million productions have bright animation, gags, and easy-to-follow plot lines, there's just nothing else, no heart, or ambition. The voice cast is talented, and there's plenty of adorable shout-outs, but it's lost of the soul of the original film.

Coming back to the whole easy-to-follow plot lines idea and all, "The Secret Life of Pets 2" actually never lives up to that individual criteria. You"ll see what I mean. Max (voiced suitably by Patton Oswalt) and Duke (Eric Stonestreet) are living happily with Katie, their owner. However, when Katie means a portly man named Chuck, they have a child called Liam--after that, everything changes. Meanwhile, Snowball (voiced energetically by Kevin Hart) has taken in his superhero identity, dubbed Captain Snowball by himself. Max and Duke are then told that they're going on a road trip to the countryside for a quick visit. The two buds meet a big and husky dog named Rooster (a grumpy, old Harrison Ford) who then teaches Max how to be tough like him, "how to find my inner rooster" Max calls it. Back in the city, Captain Snowball meets a dog named Katie (a salty Tiffany Haddish) who tells him that they must go save a tiger from an abusive, Russian circus led by Sergei (Nick Kroll with an accent).

I told you, just those two plot lines are a little too complicated to follow, and there's more. Rooster's advice isn't enough to entertain the audiences, so we head back to the city once again for another subplot. This time following the Pomeranian dog dubbed Gidget voiced by Jenny Slate. Max has trusted his furry pal in watching his squeaky toy Busy Bee. However, when Gidget loses the cutie in a house full of cats--she goes to overweight feline Chloe (Lake Bell) for help. Some parts work in this doggy-cat duo, but overall, this additional narrative still feels unnecessary. Overall really, the plot lines are just too intricate for the younger audiences--and you"ve lost the adults' limited attention span by the moment they change characters.

The first film in this couplet had the fresh idea of the whole what are your pets doing when you are away shenanigan, in the sequel, they differ up the storytelling well enough, but it never hits the right bars frequently enough, only sporadically. If you're a five-year-old kid, begging to see an 86-minute colorful diversion be my guest--but anyone maturer may not be in for the same doggy treat. However, mentioned a couple of times before, this sequel does have enough, if not a sufficient amount of excellent scenes. A remarkably hysterical instant is when Max is taken to the vet's office cause of his scratching issue. Directors Chris Renaud and Jonathon del Val expertly focus on the little narratives of each animal in the uncomfortable waiting room. Another is Snowball, who Kevin Hart brings to the spotlight of the picture as one of the main characters. Hart and Haddish have terrific chemistry, and that's all you need, despite the ludicrous sub-plot their involved in. So yes, "The Secret Life of Pets 2" does have its moments, but those sporadic pieces are only occasionally enough to bog the chaotic subplots and the lack of new narrative tricks.

The final opinion is: "The Secret Life of Pets 2" has enough colorful gags, and a talented voice-cast suitable for younger audiences, but its turbulent storytelling and its lack of narrative strength limit the film to a mildly entertaining sequel...$KIP IT

By: Keaton Marcus

Box Office Info:

Opening Weekend: 46.6m

Domestic Total: 157.4m (still in release)

Worldwide Total: 413.3m (still in release)