50 Fun Facts About The Secret Life of Pets

What breed of dog is Max?

Max is a Jack Russell Terrier, a small wiry breed; he narrates the opening tour of the Manhattan apartment building where the pets run loose while their owners are out.

What is the name of Max's owner?

Katie, voiced by Ellie Kemper, is Max's owner; in the 2019 sequel she has married Chuck and has a toddler son, Liam.

What breed is Duke, the big shaggy dog who becomes Max's unwanted housemate?

Duke is a big shaggy Newfoundland; his arrival is the film's inciting incident, since Max's jealousy is what gets both dogs lost in the city.

Who voices Duke?

Eric Stonestreet, best known as Cameron on Modern Family, voices Duke and returned to the role for the 2019 sequel.

Which comedian voices Snowball, the white rabbit?

Kevin Hart voices Snowball, the manic white bunny; he reprised the role in the 2019 sequel, where Snowball fancies himself a caped superhero.

What is the name of the gang of abandoned animals that Snowball leads?

The Flushed Pets live in the sewers; abandoned by their owners, they hate humans, and the filmmakers used them to hint at the darker side of pet ownership.

What kind of animal does Snowball's gang want Max and Duke to be bitten by to prove their loyalty?

The gang's initiation is a bite from its one-fanged viper; Max and Duke accidentally kill the snake while escaping, which makes Snowball their sworn enemy.

Which cat, a Sphynx, leads the alley cats that steal Max and Duke's collars?

Steve Coogan voices him with a Cockney accent, and also voices Reginald, the Himalayan cat in Brooklyn.

What breed of dog is Gidget, who is in love with Max?

Gidget is a white Pomeranian; fluffy and telenovela-obsessed, she turns out to be the most fearsome fighter in the building.

Who voices Gidget?

Jenny Slate voices Gidget, the lovesick neighbour who organises the search for Max; the same year she voiced Bellwether in Zootopia.

What kind of bird is Tiberius, whom Gidget recruits to help find Max?

Tiberius is a red-tailed hawk; the curmudgeonly bird of prey has to promise Gidget he will not eat any of the pets he is helping.

Which Finding Nemo actor voices Tiberius?

Brooks, who voiced Marlin the clownfish, plays a bird of prey this time.

What breed of dog is Pops, the elderly dog who helps Gidget's search party?

Pops is an elderly Basset Hound; his back legs are paralysed, so he rolls around on a wheeled cart and hosts a wild party in his owner's apartment.

Which Saturday Night Live alumnus voices Pops?

Dana Carvey, an SNL cast member from 1986 to 1993 famed for the Church Lady and Garth, voices Pops, the elderly dog on a wheeled cart.

What kind of animal is Norman, who keeps getting lost in the building's vents?

Norman is a guinea pig who wanders the building's vents looking for his own apartment; he is voiced by the film's director.

Chloe, the lazy grey tabby, is voiced by whom?

Lake Bell voices Chloe, the fat grey tabby; her big moment in the sequel is coaching Gidget on how to act like a cat.

Which character is a hyperactive pug?

Mel is the hyperactive pug, voiced by Bobby Moynihan; his friend Buddy, by contrast, is a laid-back dachshund, and the two are usually seen together.

What kind of animal is Sweet Pea?

Sweet Pea is a budgerigar, the little green-and-yellow parakeet; left alone, he hovers in front of a fan pretending to be a fighter jet.

What was the name of Duke's previous owner?

Duke's old owner was Fred; Duke got lost chasing a butterfly, was picked up by animal control, and when he finally returns he learns Fred has died.

Where do Max and Duke go after escaping Snowball's gang in the sewers?

They end up on a ferry to Brooklyn; the detour is where they go looking for Duke's old home.

Max and Snowball crash a bus into the animal control van while crossing what?

The crash happens on the Brooklyn Bridge; the van ends up in the East River, and Snowball dives in with the keys to free Duke from his cage.

What kind of animal drives the taxi that takes the pets home at the end?

Tattoo, a slow-witted tattooed pig from Snowball's gang, is voiced by Michael Beattie.

What is the name of the little girl who adopts Snowball at the end of the first film?

Molly is the little girl who takes Snowball home at the end; she returns as his owner in the 2019 sequel.

Who directed The Secret Life of Pets?

Chris Renaud directed, with Yarrow Cheney as co-director; Renaud had co-directed Despicable Me and its sequel, and returned for The Secret Life of Pets 2.

Which animation studio, best known for the Minions, made the film?

Illumination, the studio behind Despicable Me and the Minions, made the film; its founder Chris Meledandri pitched the idea of what pets do while their owners are away.

In which country was the film's animation entirely produced?

The animation was done entirely in France by Mac Guff, the Paris studio that also animates the Despicable Me films.

What genre did the filmmakers briefly consider before settling on a buddy story?

The director said the team liked the premise but did not at first know what form the story should take.

Which comedian voices Buddy, the laid-back dachshund?

Hannibal Buress voices Buddy, the mellow dachshund usually seen alongside his pug friend; Buress returned for the 2019 sequel.

Who composed the score for both Secret Life of Pets films?

Alexandre Desplat, who won Oscars for The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shape of Water, composed the score for both films.

Which Despicable Me short played in cinemas before the film?

Mower Minions, in which the Minions do yard work to raise money, ran before the film in cinemas; Minion Scouts came later, with the sequel's home release.

The film premiered on June 16, 2016 at the animation festival held in which French town?

Annecy, in the French Alps, is the world's biggest animation festival; the film opened in U.S. theaters three weeks later.

Roughly how much did the first film gross worldwide?

The first film grossed roughly $886 million worldwide on a modest budget, finishing among the ten highest-grossing films of 2016 globally.

What was the first film's production budget?

The first film cost $75 million, a low budget that is the studio's trademark; Pixar and Disney features of the era routinely cost twice as much.

The Secret Life of Pets broke whose record for the biggest original animated film opening?

Inside Out had opened to $90.4 million in June 2015; Pets topped it the following July and also set a record opening day for an original film.

Which film pushed The Secret Life of Pets out of the number one spot in its third weekend?

Star Trek Beyond opened on July 22, 2016 and ended Pets' two-week run at number one; Pets had held off the Ghostbusters reboot the weekend before.

Which was the first film's biggest overseas market?

In Russia it became the third-highest-grossing film ever at the time, behind only Avatar and Zootopia.

Which Japanese monster film did The Secret Life of Pets knock off the top spot when it opened in Japan?

Shin Godzilla, Toho's 2016 reboot, had held the top spot in Japan before Pets opened there on August 11, 2016, the country's first-ever Mountain Day holiday.

Critics repeatedly compared the film to which Pixar movie?

Reviewers saw Toy Story all over again in Max and Duke: Woody and Buzz as a jealous favourite and a big new arrival, lost together in the city.

What grade did CinemaScore audiences give both Secret Life of Pets films?

Critics were cooler: 70% on Rotten Tomatoes for the first film and 60% for the second.

Who took over the voice of Max for The Secret Life of Pets 2?

Louis C.K. was dropped from the sequel in the wake of his 2017 misconduct admission; Oswalt was announced in April 2018.

Which Hollywood star voices Rooster, the farm dog who mentors Max in the sequel?

Rooster is a Welsh Sheepdog, and the part was widely reported as Ford's first-ever animated film role.

In the sequel, Snowball teams up with Daisy to rescue what kind of animal from a circus?

The white tiger is called Hu; after the circus rescue he ends up living with the neighbourhood cat lady.

Who voices Daisy, the Shih Tzu, in the sequel?

Tiffany Haddish, fresh off Girls Trip, voices Daisy, the fearless Shih Tzu who recruits Snowball for the circus rescue.

What is the name of Max's favourite toy, which Gidget loses in the sequel?

Busy Bee is the toy Max leaves in Gidget's care; retrieving it from a cat-filled apartment is how Gidget accidentally becomes queen of the cats.

Who voices Sergei, the circus ringmaster villain of the sequel?

Nick Kroll voices Sergei, the Russian-accented ringmaster who keeps a pack of wolves and a pet monkey that Snowball fires out of a cannon.

Which webcomic creator worked on The Secret Life of Pets 2 as a creative consultant?

Inman's own comics about cats and dogs made him a natural fit for a film about pets behaving badly.

What was the sequel's opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada?

The sequel opened to $46.7 million in June 2019, enough to finish first ahead of the X-Men film Dark Phoenix, which debuted the same weekend.

What was the film's original release date before it was pushed back to early July?

Universal first dated the film for February 12, 2016, then moved it to July 8, 2016; the summer slot paid off with a $104.4 million opening weekend.

Which two original short films were added to the film's home-media release?

The home release added two original shorts, Norman Television and Weenie, alongside the Minions short that had run in cinemas.

In which country did the film set a record for the biggest animated opening weekend ever?

Its $4 million debut there was also the second-biggest opening for any film, behind Furious 7; in Spain it became 2016's top-grossing film.