First Hit: Made me think about what our dog might be doing while I was watching this film.
Pi in hat
There are moments in this film where the animators and voice artists get dogs and cats perfectly right: Watch the dogs circle to lie down. Other times they were represented as we might want them to be or the way we think they are.
The voice acting in this film is very strong; among them are: Jenny Slate as Gidget. Louis C.K. as Max. Lake Bell as Chloe. Albert Brooks as Tiberius and the fully engaging Kevin Hart as Snowball the bunny.
Pi Smile Carpet edit
The overall story is that Max and Duke get lost and their friends come to help them find their way home. The animation was very strong and did an excellent job of catching their behaviors. Listening to the children in the theater react to this animated film was the signal telling me the writers and directors were spot on. They captured the young demographic perfectly.
The film did feel a little long and I would have cut the entire sequence in the sausage factory, thought it was unnecessary and didn't move the real story along.
Slate, C. K., Bell, Brooks and Hart’s voices were fully engaging and wonderful. Cino Paul and Ken Daurio wrote a very strong and fun screenplay. Yarrow Cheney and Chris Renaud did a great job of directing this animated feature and getting the most out of the voice actors.
Overall: This film was fun and I left the theater happy.