What is The Secret Life of Pets about?
The quiet life of a terrier named Max is upended when his owner takes in Duke, a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.
Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)
Yes. It lands on a happy note.
Mischievous pets embark on a brisk, wholesome adventure through New York City, finding heartwarming friendship along the way.
Feel-good and crowd-pleasing, with big broad humor. A family watch at a brisk pace. Emotionally it carries some weight.
Not on a US subscription service as of Oct 25, 2026.
The Secret Life of Pets parents guide
It stays inside its PG, with mild language and nothing scary.
Our estimate: fine from about 7. Rated PG.
- Scare
- Not scary
- Jump scares
- A couple
- One or two sudden jolts.
- Gore
- No gore
- Violence
- Some violence
- Some fighting or peril.
- Sex and nudity
- None noted
- Language
- Mild
- Mild words like damn, hell or crap.
How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.
Cast and crew
Directed byChris Renaud
StarringLouis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks
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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.