Illumination Entertainment has accomplished a lot over its nine years of existence. The animation company has enjoyed bountiful success with the Despicable Me movies (including 2015's Minions), and they've been putting their own stamp on Dr. Seuss stories with 2012's The Lorax and the 2018 adaptation of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Now they can a new franchise to their list of accomplishments, as it's just been announced that The Secret Life of Pets is getting a sequel in 2018.
Universal and Illumination Entertainment announced today (via THR) that The Secret Life of Pets 2 will be released on July 13, 2018. Director Chris Rinaud and writer Brian Lynch will return for the sequel, but no information was released about which members of the cast will be back. This news comes right as the first movie has earned nearly $300 million domestically and $400 million worldwide, and there are still some countries it hasn't been released in yet. The Secret Life of Pets 2 will be Illumination's second release that year, with How the Grinch Stole Christmas following on November 9.
Giving The Secret Life of Pets a sequel was a no brainer, if you think about it. Besides doing financially well, it's also been well received by many fans and critics, and currently ranks at 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's also proven to be one of the few theatrical hits of the summer, and aside from Pixar's Finding Dory, it could be considered the best animated movie of the season thus far. With numbers and reception like that, it's no wonder that Universal and Illumination Entertainment wanted to continue this story. The Secret Life of Pets 2 is also currently the only movie slated for the July 13, 2018 weekend, though that's sure to change eventually. It's preceded by Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6 and Alita: Battle Angel will follow on July 20.
The Secret Life of Pets followed a group of animals in New York City getting into shenanigans while their owners are away. Used to the comfort of their own homes, they're thrown into the dangerous world of the inner city, where animals aren't always treated with love and respect. The movie's cast includes Louis C.K. as Max, Eric Stonestreet as Duke, Kevin Hart as Snowball, Ellie Kemper as Katie, Jenny Slate as Gidget, Bobby Moynihan as Mel, Dana Carvey as Pops and plenty more. Whether every main member of the cast will return for the sequel remains to be seen, but you can bet there will be a few new characters thrown in.
We'll keep you updated on how The Secret Life of Pets 2 is progressing as more information comes in. For now, click here to read our review of the first movie.
