They are cute, fluffy and our home's special babies. They come in different kinds and sizes but their love are all equally big and the purest. Who are they?
Our pets!
Just like humans, our pets has emotions, rights and secrets! Yes, secrets! Just because they're animals and are tamed or trained by us, their owners, doesn't mean they will let us see them like an open book. This is proven in a recent animated movie called The Secret Life of Pets which I will be sharing with everyone today.
(image source: Google.com)
The Secret Life of Pets movie poster.
The Secret Life of Pets movie is a 3D animated comedy/adventure movie which centers about the story of a dog named Max and how his sweet peaceful life was ruined when his owner Katie adopted a huge dog named Duke in her apartment. The two dogs didn't get along well resulting to chaos and Max getting terrified being dominated by Duke followed his feline friend's suggestion to become the alpha dog. Their crazy adventure started when Duke tried to get rid of Max by throwing him on a garbage can. Being chased by the Animal Control, meeting the Flushed Pets from the sewers, getting lost and eating sausages. Getting into a lot of mess, Max's friends rescue Katie's pets. The movie also highlights the pets' activities and behaviors when their owners are out of their homes. Definitely, being a pet isn't boring at all!
The 3D animated movie was directed by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney; written by Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch; produced by Illumination Entertainment.(Illumination Entertainment is also the company who produced the Despicable Me and Minions movie that is why a sneak peek of its next movie is being played before the film The Secret Life of Pets starts. If you had already seen The Secret Life of Pets movie in the theaters, you'll see a minion at the beginning shouting "Illumination!!!".) The movie runs for an hour and a half.
(video source: Youtube.com)
The Secret Life of Pets official trailer.
The movie first hit the theaters last July 08, 2016 in United States of America and to the rest of the countries in the next coming days. The fluff-filled movie landed in Philippine cinemas last August 24, 2016 and grossed around a million dollars. According to Box Office Mojo, The Secret Life of Pets movie as of September 07, 2016 grossed of a whopping $767,257,510 even kicking down the phenomenal monster Godzilla of Shin Godzilla from its first spot in Japan. This just proves that fluff is more superior over monsters. These irresistible pets are small but indeed terrible!
If you can't get enough of this movie then good news! A sequel will be released sometime in July 2018. Patience is a virtue, everyone!
CHARACTERS
▪ Max
(image source: Google.com)
Max, the main character of the movie.
Max, the main character, is a Jack Russell Terrier dog adopted by Katie. He loves spending moments with his owner and said that the best part of the day was standing infront of the door while waiting for their owners to return home. He loves Katie very much. Considering Duke as a threat to his freedom and rival to Katie's love, he aimed to become the alpha dog and planned things to show his superiority over the new dog. Even though he despised the additional furry dog in his owner's apartment, he later became friends with him after all the adventures and chasing they have went through. The two even spent a fun time in Weiner Kingdom, a sausage factory in Brooklyn, after getting hungry and lost. Max has a bunch of furry friends who were also his neighbors.
Max was voiced by Louis C.K.
▪ Duke
(image source: Google.com)
Duke, Max's rival and friend.
Duke is a dog rescued by Katie at the animal shelter and is the sole reason of the whole commotion in the neighborhood. He is the newly adopted dog of Katie and was once owned by an old man living in Brooklyn. The huge brown dog appears very kind and friendly to his new owner but is actually a very selfish dog depriving Max from his usual life even using Max's bed and eating foods which were not his. One day, he felt insulted when the Terrier dog displayed his superiority in the apartment. When he finally lost his temper, he schemed a plan and dumped Max in a garbage can. Eventually, they both got in trouble and accidentally reached Brooklyn where Duke with the help of Max tried to return to the old man's house only to find out that his owner was already gone. The broken-hearted dog became less aware of his surroundings and was again captured by the Animal Control but was saved by his rival Max. The two dogs became close friends at the end.
Duke's breed was still a mystery to everyone but most of them could compare him to a Newfoundland dog. Duke was voiced by Eric Stonestreet.
▪ Gidget
(image source: Google.com)
The fluff princess, Gidget.
Gidget is a white Pomeranian dog living the posh life in her owner's apartment. This dainty dog with a cute little pink bow on her head is a fluff of ball with overflowing cuteness. She loves sitting infront of the window to catch a glimpse of Max. She has a crush on Max and even broadcasts that he is her boyfriend. Gidget was the first among Max's friends to notice their friend's absence in the neighborhood. Getting frustrated of what to do, her favorite show La Pasion de la Pasion gave her the answer to her questions. She asked help from a Red-tailed Hawk named Tiberius and gathered her friends to set out a mission of finding Max and Duke. Despite her size, she is a warrior and saved Max from the Flushed Pets. Do not underestimate her cuteness and size because she's a real beast and can take down bigger species all for the name of love. Oh, the power of love!
Gidget was voice by Jenny Slate.
(She is my favorite character in the movie! Oh how I love Pomeranians even more! The best scene in the movie was Gidget putting down all the enemies. It's really funny, cool and full of action!)
▪ Chloe
(image source: Google.com)
Chloe the lazy and peace-loving cat.
Chloe is a chubby Tabby cat whom Max often talks for some pieces of advice. She was the one who suggested the idea to her friend Max to be the superior dog over Duke. She loves lying around and has a hobby of sneaking to eat something on the fridge.(I guess you have seen that a lot on the trailers.) Chloe also did lend a hand when she found out that their friends were missing by seeking help to the handicapped dog named Pops to lead them the way to the sewers where they believed their friends were in. Despite being a cat, she is always mistaken as a dog by Pops which then she would correct after.
Chloe is voiced by Lake Bell.
▪ Snowball
(image source: Google.com)
A ball of cuteness and evil, Snowball.
Snowball is a white fluffy rabbit who was once owned by a magician but was later on dumped by his owner. He has a huge hatred towards humans and has an underground group in the sewers called the Flushed Pets who stand against humans. Leash-loving pets is what despises him most. After Snowball found out that Max and Duke were domesticated pets, he ordered his friend snake Viper to eat the two dogs. Due to some unfortunate events, Viper was smashed by rocks adding more to Snowball's anger. He ordered everyone in his group to come after the two but later on teamed with Max when his friend pig Tattoo was captured by the Animal Control. On the last part of the movie, he was adopted by a little girl. His fierce persona was then gone when the little girl started to pet her.(Snowball was indeed just a rabbit looking for a human's love and care.)
Snowball is voiced by Kevin Hart.
▪ Mel and Buddy
(image source: Google.com; collage by Katsanslimites)
The best friends Mel and Buddy.
Mel is a Pug while Buddy is a Dachshund. These dog best friends have a very short attention span and gets distracted really easy. If only their attention wasn't caught by the butterfly flying infront of them, they could've saved Max who was then being dragged by Duke. They also have a short memory even having Chloe remind them of the good things Max had done for them just to be convinced to join their expedition to save Max and Duke. During an animal party at one of the apartments in the neighborhood, the two was seen wearing costumes; Mel wearing a Minion costume while Buddy wearing a bear costume.(They are best friends and were both seen together most of the time in the movie that's why I'd chosen to put them together here as well.)
Mel was voiced by Bobby Moynihan while Buddy was voiced by Hannibal Buress.
▪ Sweet Pea
(image source: Google.com)
Little mighty Sweet Pea.
Sweet Pea is a Budgerigar bird who often wears a serious face. He is also one of Max's friends. When his owner leaves the apartment, he turns on the electric fan and television while pretending to be flying against the wind from a very high altitude. Indeed, a little bird with big dreams! And even though small, he is one tough bird and can let huge Tiberius obey him just by giving him a stare! Sweet Pea's personality is totally an opposite of his appearance. Meanwhile, his owner and he looks contrasting as well for his owner is a huge bald guy.(I was surprised when I saw Sweet Pea's owner because they were completely opposite to each other. Imagine a huge guy with a cute pet Budgerigar or Parakeet. So, it's probably true then that opposites attract.)
Sweet Pea is voiced by Tara Strong.
▪ Leonard
(image source: Google.com)
Metal dog, Leonard.
Leonard is a white Poodle and merely had screen time in the movie. I haven't heard him spoke either. Well, even though as a side character to the story, I am adding him here on my list because he is one of the main reasons I was convinced to watch this movie and I know everyone else does too! This poodle sits straight while pretending to enjoy listening to classical music but as soon as his owner gets out of the apartment Leonard switches the music to a headbanging heavy metal song particularly that of the System Of A Down's song entitled "Bounce" and Ringworm's "Life After the End of the World". He had some friends who joins him enjoy the loud music especially that little Chihuahua who always appears stiff and shaky while jumping up and down on the couch. Just merely watching him jump to the music makes me laugh.
I first saw the trailer for this movie when I went to watch Minions movie last year and when I saw Leonard headbanged I promised myself not to miss this movie. Lol! I wish to see more of Leonard on the sequel on 2018!
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS FEVER!
The popularity of the movie was undeniable and just like other animated movies especially targeted for the young audiences, movie merchandise were openly available for everyone. Toy stores and one globally popular fast food chain in our country Philippines recently offered some characters of the movie in their toy collection.
(video source: Youtube.com)
An overview of The Secret Life of Pets Happy Meal collection.
The fast food chain's The Secret Life of Pets Happy Meal collection has the eight characters from the movie which includes Max, Duke, Gidget, Snowball, Chloe, Buddy, Sweet Pea and Croc. At some other countries though, these toys are in form of stuffed toys. Here in the Philippines(and probably at some few countries too) the toys were made from PVC(polyvinyl chloride) but in my opinion, these toys are more interactive and entertaining for the children.
To see how the toys work, you can refer on the video above for the toy demo. Aren't they so cute you just want to catch them all? Oh! That sounded like the slogan of the currently popular mobile app game where you catch cute virtual monsters! What I really meant was the toys look so lovely you just want to buy them all!(That's more appropriate!) These toys were available in their Philippine outlets from August 20, 2016 until the first week of September.
Sadly, I wasn't able to get one for myself! I never thought they will be selling it for only a short period of time. I was expecting it to be available for a month long. Gidget! I guess I'll just have to buy a real Gidget someday.
PETS ARE FAMILY AND THEY DESERVE LOVE!
Overall, I'm giving The Secret Life of Pets an 8 out of 10 score. It was fun and entertaining, the characters were all cute but I feel like there is something missing. The pets' cuteness were striking but the story felt predictable. I didn't feel Max's strong character despite being the main character on the movie. He was even rescued by a tiny fancy dog Gidget. Plus, those sausages with faces happily dancing while being eaten by the dogs really looked very creepy and inappropriate. I never thought I could have this feeling in a youth-oriented movie. It felt like the western version of the show Attack on Titan.
(image source: Google.com)
Max and Duke were finally friends and reunited with everyone.
Anyway, the animation was superb and everyone loves Gidget's voice. The movie was super nice as a whole which conveys a lot of lesson like is learning to trust each other, friends are treasures for they will always be there to help you in times of trouble, accepting each other's differences, controlling greed, revenge leads to nothing but chaos, and the power of love which can triumph all evil. And the greatest lesson of this movie is to give unconditional love and care for your pets.
Pets are family and they deserve to be loved by us. It's not that they demand it but because for them we are their only family. And for them giving their undivided unconditional love to their owners, they rightfully deserve to be loved and cared in return as well. These furry little friends in our homes is our extended family and an extended source of our joy. They should not be harmed and maltreated for we are all the same living things in this world except that we humans are just blessed to be the most superior in the ecological pyramid. So we should use this gift-given intelligence into good use and respect animals.
Before I end my blog post, I would like to ask everyone if they know a little secret of their pets. I guess for me, my dog's secret was eating her food when nobody's watching. She hates being looked at while having her delicious meal. She'll wait for you to be out of her sight before she touches her food.(Such patience and control of holding back. Lol!) I know she's been having a bunch of her favorite meal in dog heaven for five years now. I am happy for her and I will never forget all the joy and smiles she had brought in our home. What about you? What is your pet's secret? If you haven't discovered it yet, try observing them without them noticing you I'm sure you'll find out something interesting!
Thanks for reading!
✧ Katsanslimites
