Review: The Secret Life of Pets (2016) While pets are not an uncommon theme to Hollywood, Chris Renaud's the Secret Life of Pets lends a refreshing touch to animated movies. Fast-paced, light-hearted and painted in a vibrant autumn palette, it indeed provides moviegoers a welcome cure for blockbuster blues. Viewers may find themselves quickly pulled into a storyline about a terrier named Max in New York. After his owner brings home Duke, a large, shabby dog, a scuffle breaks out between the two, which ends up with both of them confronting Snowball in the sewers. It turns out that Snowball leads "the Flushed Pets", a gang of abandoned pets that harbour a deep hatred for humans and domesticated animals. Finding out that Max and Duke are adopted, Snowball is incensed and vows to have them killed. Here, the narrative branches into two subplots. One follows the chase of Snowball about the New York metropolitan area; the other focuses on Gidget, a white Pomeranian infatuated with Max. On discovering Max is missing, Gidget leads a rescue squad to seek him. The story then reconvenes and culminates in a final showdown between both factions at the Brooklyn Bridge. Featuring from Instagram-filtered, sun-washed hazy dawns to skyscrapers with dazzling neon signboards at dusk, the Secret Life of Pets is a sumptuous treat to the eyes that none would regret overindulging in. New York's cityscape is exquisitely captured through the bold, vigorous and generous application of autumn colours. The city is a dithering blaze of red-brick neighborhoods, mottled by chocolate and maroon foliage that bestrews its quaint alleys. Besides the visual feast, the conversations in the movie are full of quips and witticism, albeit at times hysterical. Snowball may be seen as a megalomaniac version of Bugs Bunny, whereas Gidget a damsel-in-distress of Mexican soap operas. Though the voice acting is superb, character development is somewhat lacking. Gidget's venture out of her comfort zone is praiseworthy, but the main characters fall flat and feel underdeveloped. In the end, Max remains an egoistic, self-righteous dog, while Duke's remorse on his visit to his previous owner may easily drift off to oblivion. The Secret Life of Pets is quite short, lasting exactly 90 minutes. Yet, its cheerfulness and hilariously crafted conversations together with a mesmerising setting of New York will definitely appeal to moviegoers of all ages and leave them wanting more. It is premiered on 25 August 2016 in Singapore.