Toy Story has been rewritten with pets for this hyperactive animation that’s nowhere near as good, but is cute and funny enough to keep the whole audience smiling throughout.
Ever wondered what your pet does all day whilst you are at work?
Well the latest animation from Illumination Entertainment, the film production company responsible for bringing those darn endearing minions into our lives, has revealed all.
Max’s (Louis C.K.) life is turned upside down when his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) brings home a new dog to be his brother, Duke (Eric Stonestreet).
However, they have to put their arguing aside as they get lost in the city and get caught up in a cult of abandoned animals called ‘The Flushed Pets’ which is led by Snowball, an adorable bunny (Kevin Hart).
The plot may sound like it was thought up in a weed-infused dream but this is an animation after all and so is the place to let imaginations run wild.
Not that once the story gets going there is much creativity there.
In fact the plot is rather simplistic and cliché and although it does mostly run smoothly there are a few moments that do drag along the way.
However, the storyline does allow the audience to meet a whole range of colourful and amusing characters which are crucial to the film’s success.
We are firstly introduced to comedian Louis C.K.’s Max, a proud terrier outraged when his owner brings Eric Stonestreet’s loveable mongrel Duke into the house.
Considering Louis C.K. is meant to be a comedian his character is not the funniest animal by many miles but Max works well as our protagonist who, in a neat twist, turns out to be the damsel in distress needing to be saved by the girl after his heart.
That would be Gidget; a pretty but slightly crazy ball of fluff, voiced wonderfully by Jenny Slate, whose hyperactivity allows for plenty of physical jokes to be played out leaving you chuckling in your seats.
Everyone will have their favourite character from a great ensemble that features all the classic characters including the sarcastic cat Chloe, the frantic guinea pig Norman and of course Kevin Hart’s hilarious Snowball, a raving rabbit who definitely has a screw or two loose.
Hart provides most of the laughs but surprisingly so does the little quirks that the characters have that are true to their animals’ natures in real life.
Chloe the cat still gets distracted by a moving light, Buddy the dachshund loves chasing butterflies and all dogs, of course, just love to sniff each other’s arses!
The animation itself is as bright and vivid as the characters and with a funky soundtrack the gleeful vibe the film gives off is strangely quite addictive.
It is a long way from being Toy Story but it will undoubtedly cheer up your week. Oh, and don’t forget; RIP Ricky.
