I really thought this movie was going to be a bit childish and cheesy because that's how I always feel going into what is meant to be a children's movie. But I am happy to report that the Secret Life of Pets did a fantastic job in keeping my attention and combining both adult and child humor into one nicely paced story package in one hour and thirty two minutes. The main character, Max, (Louis CK), really does a fantastic job portraying a spoiled dog (terrier) that lives in the city and wants everything to go his way and not understanding the human world, and why his owner leaves everyday for multiple hours, where he is able to speak with his friends and get away from spending only time with his owner. The movie doesn't only focus on dogs, but also cats, and one of Max's best friends and whom he seeks advice from is a very funny fat cat named Chloe, who really does a great job in showing the stubbornness and entitlement side of cats.

On a darker note, the movie did a great job incorporating the aspect of how pets probably feel when their owners do not take care of them or abandon them. Led by Snowball (Kevin Hart), the cute bunny in multiple trailers shown for the laugh and giggles of this movie, turns out to be the leader of this underground sewer group of abandoned pets and delinquents that end up getting one of their big friends out of the animal control truck that was carrying Max and his new companion (well eventual companion, they start out as enemies), Duke, voiced by the popular Eric Stonestreet from Modern Family, and was also a voice in the very popular summer movie, Finding Dory as well. Snowball, getting eventually betrayed from the lying Duke and Max, goes after the two into Brooklyn where a series of twists and turns ended the two working together to get Max's companion out of a desperate situation on the New York City Bridge.

I also was able to see the movie in 3D, which actually made the experience a lot better than expected, with many characters jumping out at you and pets that were so close to your eyes you could almost touch them. Illumination Entertainment, which is the animantion company that came out with Despicable Me, also premiered their first short (similar to what Pixar does at the beginning of their movies) and showed the minions hilariously trying to mow simply a lawn of grass for an elderly retirement home, which turns out to be not as easy as expected. Overall, I would give this movie a 4 out of 5 star rating for the fact that it really appeal to not only children but adults, whom I was among one of the ones laughing through the entire journey that Max and his companions go on. I have high hopes for Illumination's future films outside of the Despicable universe.