Animals in the Movies

On the heels of the huge success of Jungle Book earlier this year, Hollywood is banking on the animal kingdom to make even more green at the box office this summer. Here’s a preview of what’s showing:

The Secret Life of Pets (Unrated)

For anyone who’s wondered what your pets do when you leave for work or school each day – The Secret Life of Pets could be the movie you’ve been dreaming of. Taking place in a Manhattan apartment building, Max’s life as a favorite pet is turned upside down, when his owner brings home a sloppy mongrel named Duke. They have to put their quarrels behind, when they find out that an adorable white bunny named Snowball is building an army of abandoned pets determined to take revenge on all happy-owned pets and their owners.  Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures present Comedy superstars Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet and Kevin Hart in their animated feature-film debuts.

Finding Dory (PG)

Finding Dory reunites the friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few things about the true meaning of family along the way. The all-new big-screen adventure dove into theaters in June, taking moviegoers back to the extraordinary underwater world from the original film. Some of the early reviews were mixed, claiming the film couldn’t possibly live up to the classic original released in 2003. Ellen DeGeneres is back as Dory, and Albert Brooks co-stars in his original role as Marlin. Nemo will have a new voice, with Hayden Rolence replacing the original actor Alexander Gould. Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson and Ty Burrell from Modern Family round out the underwater cast.

The Angry Birds (PG)

Based on an App – The Angry Birds leaves it to you to find out why the birds are so angry.

The movie takes us to an island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds–or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red (Jason Sudeikis), a bird with a temper problem, speedy Chuck (Josh Gad), and the volatile Bomb (Danny McBride) have always been outsiders. But when the island is visited by mysterious green piggies, it’s up to these unlikely outcasts to figure out what the pigs are up to.

Critics have been mixed on the movie, with the film’s score on Rotten Tomatoes – 42%. Still, for a movie based on an App….what would you expect?

Zootopia (PG)

The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde, to solve the mystery. Released on the big screen in March, Zootopia was out on DVD in June. It could be a great way to spend a lazy summer evening with the kids. The movie stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Shakira, Idris Elba, Octavia Spencer and Bonnie Hunt among others.