The Secret Life of Pets

The quiet life of a terrier named Max is upended when his owner takes in Duke, a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.

The Secret Life of Pets lands as a cheerful, well-animated family film that most critics found enjoyable enough on its own terms, though the divide is sharp: supporters saw breezy fun with a strong voice cast, while detractors argued it borrows so heavily from Toy Story — rival pets forced to bond, one feeling displaced by the other — that it barely qualifies as its own film. Audience enthusiasm ran considerably warmer than critical opinion.