Secret Life Of Pets 3D: The

In The Secret Life Of Pets, the quiet, perfectly happy life of a terrier named Max (C.K.) is upended when his owner, Katie (Kemper), takes in Duke (Stonestreet), a big, boisterous mutt stray she finds at the shelter whom Max instantly dislikes. When Max and his unruly new “roommate” slip away from their dog walker, they find themselves lost in the urban jungle of New York City. In an attempt to stay ahead of animal control and a rebel band of abandoned pets led by an unhinged bunny named Snowball (Hart), they put aside their differences to survive the epic journey back home. (Gary Reber)

Special features include eight featurettes: How To Make An Animated Film (HD 04:13), Anatomy Of A Scene (HD 04:46), All About The Pets (HD 06:26), Animals Can Talk: Meet The Actors (HD 03:47), Hairstylist To The Dogs (HD 03:41), The Best Of Snowball (HD 01:15), The Humans That Brought You Pets (HD 08:43), and The Making Of The Mini-Movies (HD 07:23); three mini-movies: Norman Television (HD 04:01), Weenie (HD 04:05), and Mower Minions (HD 4:27); a Hot Dog Sing-Along (HD 01:12); the Sing Trailer (HD 04:02), the “Lovely Day” lyric video (HD 02:23); GoPro: The Secret Life Of Pets (HD 02:04); upfront previews; and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 1.85:1 1080p MVC 3D picture is absolutely terrific, with a vibrant and rich color palette and striking hues. Primaries are strong and well saturated. Duke’s reddish hair is wonderfully colorful. And the white rabbit superbly contrasts with all the other homeless creatures. The cityscape is colorful as well as the underground sewer scenes. Contrast is superb, with deep blacks and excellent shadow delineation. Resolution is excellent as well, with fine detail exhibited throughout in animal shapes, textures, and in exterior and interior objects. The outside world also is nicely delineated in urban building facades. The 3D rendering is wonderful, with naturally dimensional objects and animals. Depth is also rendered naturally, as is perspective. Depth is often impressively dramatic, and during the sewer scene with the viper snake the snake’s head and tongue extends far out of the screen for an exciting 3D effect. This effect also is effective in views of animal snouts throughout in close-ups. Shapes exhibit a natural volume throughout. Perspectives between foreground and background are dimensionally satisfying. This is a wonderful and exciting 3D viewing experience that ranks with the very best presentations thus far and compared to the 2D version is, without question, the preferred viewing experience. It is absolutely superior in every respect. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack delivers superb fidelity and dynamic power, with lots of atmospherics and sound effects that define the various soundscapes. Deep bass sounds natural throughout the channels, with effective enhancement provided by the .1 LFE. While the seven-channel foundation is not always activated, or for that matter the height channels, the 5.1-channel delivery is terrific, with an aggressive surround presence and engaging holosonic® impact. The orchestral score is quite dynamic and intricate, often complemented with heavy rock and a solid low-frequency foundation. Clarity and instrumental delineation is excellent. Action scenes are frequent and quite exciting. it is during these scenes that the added two channels are particularly engaged. The height channels are complementary but generally subtle when engaged. Voice dialogue is fantastic, with superb intelligibility and diction and is effectively integrated with the other sound elements. This is such a wonderful soundtrack experience that is reference quality throughout. The dialogue delivery is fun and is sure to bring joy to the entire family. (Gary Reber)