We've been spoilt this year when it comes to animal-centric animations; films such as Zootopia, Finding Dory, The Jungle Book and even Kung Fu Panda 3 have charmed young and old.
So when it comes to highly anticipated The Secret Life of Pets, it's hard not to feel a little let down. It's cute and perfectly good fun for younger kids, who are less inclined to compare it to their last cinema outing, but for a more discerning audience (i.e. the paying parent) it's an adventure you've likely been on before.
There's no messing around as the story begins - we're quickly introduced to a group of neighbourhood mates, including our lead canine Max (Louis C.K.) and his best friend, a cat called Chloe (voiced to perfection by Lake Bell).
Max believes he has a special relationship with his roommate (owner) Katie and is devastated when she brings home another rescue dog, Duke (Eric Stonestreet). In an attempt by Max to get rid of the new competition, he and Duke get lost in Manhattan, and end up on an action-packed adventure as the try to get home - a classic Woody versus Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story situation.
Max's friends, led by the fluff-ball Gidget (Jenny Slate), attempt to save Max and Duke; who after being rescued from an animal control van by a strange gang of gangster animals, find themselves in the sewers where the underbelly of "flushed pets" live, planning revenge on their human owners.
