I guess it's not unfair to think of 'The Secret Life of Pets' as a mash-up of 'Toy Story' and 'Zootopia'. In both of those 2016 films, a couple of anthropomorphic animals (among many others living in a big city) form a partnership which develops into a mutually beneficial friendship. (Think, 'Pet Story', or 'The Secret Life of Toys'.) But considering that the 2016 film is about animals rather than toys, maybe the better comparison is to another 2016 animated feature (also from Disney) by the name of 'Zootopia'. That set-up fits Illumination Entertainment's 2016 'The Secret Life of Pets' as well as it does the 1995 Pixar/Disney classic film 'Toy Story'. This struggle results in both of the rivals being thrust out of the comforts of home into the little-understood big, bad world, a situation which requires their compadres to venture out of their own comfort zones to mount a rescue. When a newer version of the original is brought into the group, jealousy emerges and the original tries to get rid of the interloper. These anthropomorphic possessions relate to each other and form friendships. Tell me if this sounds familiar: Someone's possessions (as he or she views them) actually have secret lives of their own which are only really apparent when the owner is not around. The animated adventure comedy 'The Secret Life of Pets' (PG, 1:30) reminds me very much of two other animated features but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Other times, it's just to help explain what the new movie is like. Sometimes I note similarities between movies to say that the more recent film is unoriginal. In my reviews, I often note those parallels, using them to comment on the movie I'm reviewing.

When you see as many movies as I do (and you start writing reviews in your head while you're watching them), certain movies, parts of movies, plot points or characters remind you of other movies.

The secret life of pets movie 2016