The Secret Life of Pets
Director: Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney
Screenwriters: Brian Lynch, Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio
Cast: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Steve Coogan, Ellie Kemper, Bobby Moynihan, Lake Bell, Hannibal Buress, Albert Brooks
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Rated PG | 98 Minutes
Release Date: July 8th, 2016

The whole idea that there is a life that humans do not know about when they live in their residence is not exactly original storytelling. We’ve seen it in The Brave Little Toaster and three Toy Story films. While those films focused on inanimate objects, we hardly ever seen a film that centers on pets, and if you’re a pet owner like myself, you often wonder what exactly goes on when you are way – unless you have cameras to watch over them.

So like those animated films, The Secret Life of Pets explores an exaggerated version of that narrative. While Illumination entertainment tells a hilarious story that is a culmination of every story of a pet trying to get back to its master mixed with Hanna Barbara cartoon vibes, it doesn’t quite reach the emotional level of tear shedding you would see in a Pixar film. Not a huge takeaway, but the film feels more like a Tom and Jerry cartoon that goes on a bit longer than it should. Read my full review below.

Back in February we saw a teaser trailer for Sing, the latest animated feature from Illumination Entertainment, the studio behind Despicable Me and its sequel, the spinoff Minions, and upcoming release The Secret Life of Pets.

Now Illumination has released the full official trailer for the movie, which follows animals getting the chance to show off their singing talents in a competition similar to the ones humans are very familiar with.

You can read more about the movie and watch the new trailer below.

In addition to the announcement that Sherlock and The Hobbit star Benedict Cumberbatch would be voicing the Grinch in a new animated take on How the Grinch Stole Christmas from the makers of Minions and the upcoming Secret Life of Pets, Illumination Entertainment also covered the trilogy-maker in the franchise that put them on the map, Despicable Me, during their CinemaCon presentation.

Despicable Me 3 is scheduled to be released on June 30, 2017, just a handful of months before the release of the above mentioned new take on The Grinch. But it’s a very interesting casting announcement that’s grabbing the headlines. Trey Parker, who co-created South Park with Matt Stone and provides the voices for many of the hit animated show’s characters such as Eric Cartman and Stan Marsh, is set to voice the third installment’s villain.

We recently saw Benedict Cumberbatch in action as Doctor Strange in the first trailer for the upcoming Marvel movie of the same name, and now comes word that the actor is set to voice a new take on a famous holiday season character.

During Despicable Me and Minions studio Illumination Entertainment’s presentation at CinemaCon today, they revealed that Cumberbatch will be playing none other than the Grinch himself in a new animated take on the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Singing competitions are where amateurs and aspiring singers go in hopes of achieving their dreams. Many of us have seen how it all plays out on shows like The Voice or American Idol. But what about the animals? They can sing too, right? Well in a new trailer released by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, Sing answers that question using more than 85 hit songs and an all-star voice cast.

The animated film will see animals of all species auditioning in a singing competition, in hopes of winning a once in a lifetime record deal.

Check out the trailer below.