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The Secret Life of Pets: Cast Q&A- In Theaters July 8th #Giveaway

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For their fifth fully animated feature-film collaboration, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures present The Secret Life of Pets, a comedy about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day.

Comedy superstars Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet and Kevin Hart make their animated feature-film debuts in The Secret Life of Pets, which co-stars Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan and Albert Brooks.  Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and his longtime collaborator Janet Healy produce the film directed by Chris Renaud (Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2), co-directed by Yarrow Cheney and written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch.  www.thesecretlifeofpets.com

Recently I was able to sit down with cast members of The Secret Life of Pets to discuss their characters in the animated film and dig a little deeper into their personalities and what they enjoyed most about the film.   For most animated films the actors rarely work together and the whole process of doing the voice overs can take a few years.  It is with such anticipation to finally see the film put together and every character comes to life.

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Eric Stonestreet plays the voice of Duke an addition to the household who wants nothing more than to be the top dog and is somewhat of a bully.  When asked if he related to his character, he absolutely agrees with it. Growing up on a farm in Kansas, he has been around animals his whole life.  But when it comes to Duke he is a little standoffish and is protecting something. We don’t know what it is yet.  Just as people are a little apprehensive so are animals. we tend to put up a front in certain situations.  Eric mentions that he relates in the kind of way where you want to protect yourself a little but and hide what’s sometimes going on behind the scenes.   But most importantly  Duke is fun and lovable just like him, more of a lap dog.  FullSizeRender

Just like Eric would prepare for scenes on Modern Family he does the same for reading his lines in The Secret Life Of Pets.  He familiarizes himself with the character and wants to know what the objectives are, what are Duke’s intentions and his wants.  As for memorizing lines he prefers to read both parts instead of just his lines.   His favorite scene which I’m sure you will love too – takes place in the sausage factory.

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Eric is so fond of pets and said such kind words about them “Make sure if you’re going to get a pet and an animal, that you have the right space for it and the right time for it.  And maybe it will inspire you to go rescue an animal or get an animal.  All dogs and all cats, whether they’re bred at breeders or found at pounds, they need homes. 

 

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Next up we were introduced to Lake Bell who plays the voice of Chloe the cat. What spoke to Lake regarding Chloe was her dry sense of humor, her sarcasm and  being part of a comedic animation movie.

Just like Chloe lives in an apartment building Lake Bell did too with an eclectic group of neighbors.  However you look out for each other because it is your mini community.  In suburbia, you have your streets but in apartment building you have your floor.  She is hoping that kids and adults enjoy the movie but as a take away they the sophisticated humor as well as the silly humor. There is a strong message of friendship and community as well as adventure.

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Check out a glimpse of Chloe’s mannerisms and her overall attitude.

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Kevin Hart’s character Snowball looks so cute and cuddly but don’t let him pull the wool over your eyes. Snowball is the leader ready to start a revolution while all about recruiting and adding to his team of the flushed pets.
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Kevin mentions that what he loves most about Snowball is the he is a variety of things – he is basically against people and fusses at them often though his anger is justified- he doesn’t like people because he was hurt.  He gave into the whole person and pet reality and then someone abandoned him- this is where his anger stems from.

When Kevin was approached for the film it was role of a “villain” and then his manager Dave Becky showed him a picture of a Bunny that was real cute.  “He’s like–his eyes are like watery.  And he was like, “What do you think?”  And I was like, “I didn’t know they are–villain.  That’s a bunny.”  Then, he sent me the next picture, and it had the bunny grabbing his ears, and his teeth were out. And I started laughing.  I started dying laughing.”

As for Kevin, being part of an animated film was on his bucket list.  The beauty of entertainment is that when you are at his level of success you can control what you want to do.

One thing that Kevin said during our interview that really stood out to me was  “You have to be secure that the decisions that you’re making are the right decisions for your character because if you at any point in time have any insecurity, then you’re going to digress.  You don’t want to doubt yourself for what you’re doing”   You don’t have to be portraying someone to think this way it should be part of our human nature.

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I was able to see a sneak peek of the movie prior to interviewing the cast. I hope you will laugh as much as I did during the movie. My nieces give The Secret Life Of Pets two thumbs up.

If you have pets and what to see who they would love animated then check out this new app!PetMOJI

Download the new PetMOJI app to create an emoji of your favorite furry friend!  Currently available on iOS, the app features sticker packs and a custom keyboard.Customize your own PetMOJI avatar by selecting a dog or a cat, then choosing features for your pet: a body, a snout, eyes, ears, and a tail – plus patches, patterns, and colors.    Available for iOS, Android coming soon.

To celebrate The Secret Life of Pets coming to theaters, we have a prize pack for one lucky reader.

One (1) winner receives:

  • $25 Visa gift card for a day at the movies
  • T-Shirt, Tennis Ball, Buttons, and Key Chain

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Open to US mailing addresses only

Prizing and samples courtesy of Universal Pictures

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

  1. The kids would like to see it, and I suspect, I would think it is cute as well.

  2. I would like to see The Secret Life of Pets with my daughter because I think she will really enjoy it.

  3. I’d like to see it because the poodle in the commercial cracks me up. I also entered your Huggies giveaway.

  4. I would like to see this movie because I’m a huge animal lover and I think all of the characters are just adorable!

  6. Oh I would love to take the whole family to see this movie. It looks so adorable and I think it would be a great movie we could all enjoy together!

  7. I also entered the Get Summer Ready With Huggies Little Swimmers #Huggies Giveaway.

  10. I would like to see this movie because I think both my son and I would really enjoy it.

  13. I think the niece will love this , her best bud is Ollie her dog that has been with her mom and dad before she was born. She had to stay with her aunt while mom and dad were at the hospital having her twin sisters and Ollie went with her grandma and grandpa for the week. But she had a meltdown that she needed her Ollie to be with her because he would be lonely for her. She won her aunt kept her and her Ollie so he wouldn’t be lonely. He sleeps on her bed and when the twins came he now naps in front of the bassinets. Protecting all of the girls with his toenails painted pink.

  16. I would love to share this movie with my nieces and nephew. I know we would all enjoy it.

  21. I entered the tiny toy giveaway, but there isn’t anywhere to leave a comment. I couldn’t find it. I LOVE those tiny toys. I’ll be buying some of them.

  22. I would like to see it because it looks like a super funny movie. We have dogs and I wonder what antics they get into while we are at work

  26. I would like to see it because I love the expressions on their faces and love to see the wonder of my grandkids watching it

  29. We want to see this because my daughter is fascinated with it. I also think it looks pretty cute. Also, it really seems like my dogs behavior when we go out…lol.

  31. My daughters are wanting to see this. We saw a preview while seeing Finding Dory.

  32. I would love to see the secret life of pets because I am a pet sitter and it looks hilarious!

  33. I would love to see this with family. We have two dogs at home and when we see the commercials, we just laugh and laugh. It is relateable. BTW, I entered the smallest toy giveaway but could not find where to comment. I like those toys because they are classics in miniature form. Very cute!

  36. I really want to see the movie with my grandkids because they would really enjoy it. It just looks like a real cute movie

  38. This movie looks so adorable. I have always wondered what my dog does when I am gone.

  39. I would like to see this because it would remind me of the pets I’ve had over the years. My kids would love it too.

  40. This looks like a great movie for kids and adults. We are going to watch it.

  41. I would like to see this because the story line looks funny and entertaining

  43. I love animated movies and always have a great time taking the family out to watch them.

  44. We love animals and animated movies….we’ve been anticipating this for a while after seeing the previews for months. Some good voice actors in this one too!

  48. We can’t wait to see it because it looks super cute. We’ve seen the previews in theaters a few times and it looks hilarious. Thank you!

  49. I would love to watch this with my grandchildren and my 1`2 year old son. it ooks hiarious.

  50. I will see this to find out what my sweet pug doews when she’s alone. 🙂

  53. I would like to see The Secret Life of Pets because I am a huge dog lover and it it family friendly!

  55. I think my Granddaughter would love it! So I would take her for some Granddaughter time!

  62. I would like to take my grandchildren to see The Secret Life of Pets-I think they will enjoy it!

  64. This would be great! Thanks for the chance! My Kiddos would love to see this movie 🙂

  67. I would like to see The Secret Life of Pets because it looks like a great family movie.

  71. It looks like a family friendly and funny movie and all the grandkids can’t wait to go see this with us

  73. i want to see this movie because it looks so cute! I love animal based movies.

    Thanks for having this giveaway 🙂

  76. I would love to see The Secret Life of Pets because there is nothing better than a good laugh. From what I have seen this is a really cute movie. Thanks

  79. I just have to go see it. My Grand daughter is crazy over this movie and I want to see why.

  84. I would love to see this movie because I love Pixar and I have a bunny of my own. Love rabbit humor. 🙂

  88. I think it looks super cute. Also, my youngest son loves animals and I think he would love to see this.

  89. I would love to see it because it looks funny! Taking the whole family to see it next week for my sons birthday!

  90. The Secret Life of Pets looks like it could be fun for the whole family. I think my son might think it would be a funny movie.

  92. As a pet owner, this looks like a fun movie. Thank you for the chance to win.

  93. I would love to see the movie, The Secret Life of Pets, because I love talking pet movies. This looks like a fun family film.

  95. I’d love to, we have a house full of cats and I wonder what they’re doing even when I AM home, let alone when I’m gone.

  96. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE A GREAT FAMILY MOVIE

  97. I think this would be a fun afternoon movie with the kids….and I’ve always wondered what do the pets do when we’re away

  101. I can’t wait to see this with my daughter, because it looks hilarious!

  102. My daughter has been super excited for this movie since we saw previews for it before the Minions movie last summer. She is 4 and doesn’t really understand “not in theaters yet”. I’m so glad we can finally take her!

  103. I would love to see Secret Life of Pets because I love animals and animated movies!

  114. I would love to see The Secret Life of Pets because the previews are hilarious. I love Chloe the cat raiding the fridge in the first teaser trailer that came out months ago.

  115. I would love to see this movie, because we have pets and this looks hilarious! We are also huge Kevin Hart fans, so this will be perfect for us!

  116. I would like to see The Secret Life of Pets with my nephew. I know he would just love to see it.

  119. This movie looks like it’s going to be funny! I’m hoping that all the funny parts aren’t in the commercials!

  120. I would like to see this because it looks like an adorable movie for my children to see.

  123. I love animals, we have three dogs. Animated movies are the best too! This movie looks great!

  125. I want to see it because the actors are so funny and my daughter would enjoy it.

  126. I would love to see the Secret Life of Pets because it looks like a very cute movie. Also, the doxie “Buddy” in the movie reminds me of my doxie Shaky.

  131. This looks really cute and a great family movie..I would love to see it 🙂

  135. I would love to win this package! We saw the preview to this months ago and we’ve been waiting for it to come out. It looks hilarious!

  136. We watched a preview for this movie when we went to see Finding Dory and we’ve been excited about it ever since… We are dog lovers!

  137. I’d like to see it because it looks light and funny. Perfect for a day out with the fam.

  139. I commented on the post: MOANA – Watch the New Teaser Trailer Now!!! #Moana for an entry.

  143. I’d like to see this because I love animated films. It’s something the whole family can enjoy.

  144. I want to see it because I have pets and I know they do things when I am not around that would make me furious

  147. I would like to see this movie with my little niece. We like pets and would get a kick out of this movie.

  150. I really want to see this movie because it looks funny and I love movies that make me laugh!

  153. Because I am an animal lover, and we just got a new pooch earlier this year.

  156. The Secret Life of Pets looks like a great movie to watch with my children.They would love this movie

  158. I would like to see it because it looks like it would be a fun movie to see. We also have and love pets. I really like it when we can enjoy family-friendly movies and laugh together.

  160. I have been watching the previews and I think this will be the greatest movie of the year and so funny

  161. I think it will be fun to see the story they’ve come up with about the secret lives of pets! I love the cast and the characters, plus it’s animated! Thank you!

  162. I would like to see The Secret Life of Pets because it looks very interesting!

  165. I commented on the Celebrate the 4th with this Curry Hot Dog Recipe from #100FootJourney post.

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