The Secret Life of Pets 2

It seems that the animation studio Illumination has embraced the fact that story isn't their strongpoint, especially when it come to their sequels. While their visuals are always amazing, the characters adorable, the facial expressions captivating and the allusions to various genres endlessly witty, all these things en masse sidetrack story and the sentiment.

The 3D computer animated comedy "The Secret Life of Pets 2" is a perfect example. It sets itself up for some genuinely heartfelt feelings as our hero, a Jack Russell terrier Max (Patton Oswalt), encounters a new addition to his household, a baby boy named Liam. But it's a good setup that never delivers, because the story becomes entangled in a forest of subplots.

These subplots include a Pomeranian named Gidget (Jenny Slate) losing and then attempting to regain Max's favorite toy from a crazy cat lady's apartment, a Shih Tzu know as Daisy (Tiffany Haddish) rescuing a tiger from a menacing circus, and some mentorship from a Welsh Sheepdog (Harrison Ford). The best these subplot is the adventures of Kevin Hart as a fluffy little bunny named Snowball who becomes convinced that he is a superhero after his owner dresses him in a pair of fantasy pajamas.

This a manic m�lange of adorable animal humor, not the kind of movie that improves your concentration, manages your ADHD or quells your compulsion to tap and swipe. So the heartfelt storyline seems out of place, tacked on the beginning and end of the film with voice over narration.

That being said, this DVD and Blu-ray combo pack is great for digging through and clicking on, with a plethora of additional content, mini-movies, deleted scenes, "making of" featurettes, lyric videos and so much more. Young people (and those with an interest in animation) will reel in lessons on drawing and animation, follow-a-long activities, animal documentaries and interviews with the cast and crew and their own pets. There is even a feature that attempts to explain the film's frantic story structure.

"The Secret Life of Pets 2"
Blu-ray Combo Pack $39.97
www.thesecretlifeofpets.com/