CAST: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan, Albert Brooks
DIRECTION: Chris Renaud, Yarrow Cheney
GENRE: Comedy
DURATION: 1 hour 30 minutes
STORY:The story is all about what the pets are up to while their masters are away. A terrier named Max (Louis C.K.)and his owner Katie (Kemper) live a comfortable life. His neighbourhood friends Chloe (Bell), Mel (Moynihan), Buddy (Buress) and Sweet Pea also are similarly spoiled by their owners. But things change one day, when Katie adopts the large and shaggy Duke (Stonestreet) much to Max’s dismay.So Duke leaves Max was eager to take over the home.When stranded in the city, Max is pursued by gangster cat Ozone (Steve Coogan) before being rescued by the bunny Snowball (Hart). In the meanwhile, Gidget (Slate) leads a rescue party out to find Max.
REVIEW:Although the voice-over cast isn’t as liberally sprinkled with A-listers as some of the other big animated films, they do an admirably good job. Never once do their own personalities overshadow the characters they’re lending their voices too.
Co-directors Chris and Yarrow introduce us to a slew of characters, well rendered and ranking high on the cuteness scale without coming across as saccharine sweet. Created from the same animation film production company (Illumination Entertainment) that gave us Despicable Me, Pets is makes us privy to the adorable, mischievous and sprightly (in that order) activities of a bunch of animals whose owners are obviously and blissfully clueless about their shenanigans.In fact, it can easily be said that the best part about this fast-paced film is the quality of the animation.
While the plot may be simplicity in itself, it’s the humour in the film that drives it along the brisk hour-and-a-half. Apart from the suitably frantic Max and Duke, Gidget who has a huge crush on Max and Chloe the typically aloof kitty cat come across as the most endearing. And in a zone by himself, there’s Snowball the radicalized, borderline psychotic and hyper-aggressive rabbit – a clever choice of animal, considering that bunnies are usually associated with all things cute and cuddly.
It wouldn’t take much of a stretch of imagination to think that the filmmakers themselves love animals. All in all, Pets comes across as a breath of fresh air in the world of animated films.