The Secret Life of Pets 2
Universal Pictures | Release Date: June 7, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
15
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
The Associated PressMark KennedyJun 7, 2019
If the knock on “The Secret Life of Pets” was that it was a rip-off of “Toy Story,” then the second film better grounds itself in its own universe. Like its main three characters, it has learned to be comfortable in its own animated skin. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerJun 6, 2019
The message of the film is that life throws surprises. While that is true, this predictable film itself is not one of them. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicSamantha IncorvaiaJun 6, 2019
The animation is clean and colorful, and punchlines hit their mark with adults and children under director Chris Renaud's guidance for a second time. But they also heavily hit audiences with action from three loosely tied story lines, making many "meanwhile" breaks between stories. It is a movie for kids, after all. Read full review
70
VarietyCourtney HowardMay 23, 2019
It’s unusual for a typical Illumination broad comedy to include a heartrending message that makes parents feel less alone in their very real, visceral struggles. It’s just cloaked in a shenanigans-soaked romp about what pets do when humans aren’t looking. Read full review
67
IndieWireJude DryMay 23, 2019
The sequel remains charming, beautifully animated, and often incredibly funny, but there’s a sense that writer Brian Lynch realized Max’s story needed a lot more padding this time around. Read full review
65
IGNWilliam BibbianiJun 6, 2019
he Secret Life of Pets 2 is a fast-paced string of mostly mediocre jokes that younger audiences will enjoy, but aside from a few centerpieces, there's not much here to capture the attention if you're older than the intended audience. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 7, 2019
Although not “bad” in a conventional sense, it’s a disappointingly mediocre effort that doesn’t have a lot to offer potential viewers over age 10. It’s a perfect example of what can happen when a sequel exists simply because its predecessor made a lot of money. Read full review
63
Washington PostKristen Page-KirbyJun 6, 2019
See the problem here? There are so many subplots, it’s like herding cats. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshJun 5, 2019
We want to watch pets behave exactly as we expect them to, and sometimes in a completely incongruous manner. Like the original, “Pets 2” delivers just that, nothing more. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 5, 2019
The Secret Life of Pets 2 offers up more giddy giggles for the little kiddies, a dog-wise/cat-savvy comedy that aims squarely at the youngest common denominator — and scores. Read full review
60
The New York TimesBilge EbiriJun 5, 2019
Too scattered narratively to cohere, and yet somehow still funny enough to justify its existence, The Secret Life of Pets 2 makes for an entertaining trifle. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Simran HansMay 29, 2019
[A] charming sequel. Read full review
60
Screen DailyStephen Whitty May 28, 2019
Like the first film, The Secret Life of Pets 2 is at its best when it concentrates on the unconditional love offered by mankind’s best friends, or gently mocks familiar situations. Read full review
60
ScreenCrushMatt SingerMay 28, 2019
The writing as well as the sprightly character animation captures the spirit of these creatures at their absolute best and hilarious worst in a way every dog owner can recognize and relate to. When the film sticks to that, it works. Read full review
60
EmpireOlly RichardsMay 23, 2019
A sequel that feels less necessary than willed into being, but that doesn’t mean it’s not pleasantly entertaining. There are more fluffy animals than in the first movie, more set-pieces and about the same number of laughs. Read full review
60
The GuardianCath ClarkeMay 23, 2019
Here’s that Hollywood rarity – a sequel that’s better than the original. It’s wittier, less frenetic and introduces fresh characters and a nice scene of strategic furball vomming. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJun 5, 2019
As 86-minute kids’ movies go, The Secret Life of Pets 2 is shockingly padded. It’s the same old dogs with no new tricks. Read full review
58
The Film StageJared MobarakJun 5, 2019
I do think it’s improved upon the original insofar as relying on narrative cohesion (episodic or not) above random acts of pandemonium. I still believe having three episodes of television to focus on one character at a time is the better way to go, but their convergence upon Snowball and Daisy’s adventure is authentically drawn regardless of convenience. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartJun 6, 2019
It has no real reason to exist, other than to be a passable option for parents whose children are too young to handle PG-13 fare and feels like it. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireJun 6, 2019
The Secret Life of Pets 2 proves the old adage that you can go to the well — or in this case, the dog bowl — one time too many. And that’s saying something, given that this is only the second film in the series. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerJun 5, 2019
Rather than building to a full, fun film, each subplot seems like the pilot to a spin-off animated TV show. No film has felt so desperate to make the jump to the small screen since the best-forgotten "Barnyard: The Original Party Animals," but then The Secret Life of Pets 2 never disguises what it is. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter TraversJun 5, 2019
Sad to say, the bloom is off the rose. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleCarla MeyerJun 5, 2019
There is simply too much going on, in these separate storylines, for too long. There is a literal “meanwhile, back at the farm” quality to the movie, because it becomes so involved with subplots that you only remember Max and Rooster at the farm when the action shifts back to it. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerMay 28, 2019
Actual kids will probably enjoy The Secret Life Of Pets 2, just as they probably enjoy whatever mini-movies Illumination churns out to supplement its hyper-successful home-entertainment releases. But they might also start to sense just how mini this sequel feels, and start fidgeting after 15 or 20 minutes. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenMay 23, 2019
It isn’t that the sequel, directed by the returning Chris Renaud and again boosted by an energetic voice cast, doesn’t deliver on the genially amusing, if disposable, fluff — it’s just that the shtick-heavy storytelling proves even more undernourished than it was for the first outing. Read full review
30
TheWrapCarlos AguilarMay 23, 2019
Effectively acts as an animated ode to heteronormativity, toxic masculinity and patriarchal worldviews, passed off as harmless plot points to entertain young audiences. Read full review
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