Illumination Entertainment can now boasttwofranchises under its banner. The animation studio hit big withDespicable Me, spawning the highly successfulDespicable Me 2andMinions, and now the studio can firmly countThe Secret Life of Petsas its second major franchise property. The talking animal-centric feature crossed $400 million worldwide at the box office today, having amassed an insane $300.3 million at the domestic box office alone after scoring the highest opening weekend for an original film ever. And Illumination is marking the occasion by officially announcingThe Secret Life of Pets 2.
The studio will release the sequel on July 25, 2025, so fans won’t have to wait too long to see the continued adventures of the titular animals. The project currently has that weekend all to itself, but will open one week afterAnt-Man and the Waspand one week beforeAlita: Battle Angel.
Directed by Illumination stalwartsChris RenaudandYarrow Cheney,The Secret Life of Petsrevolves around the life of pets while their owners are at work, boasting an impressive voice cast that includesLouis C.K.,Jenny Slate, andEric Stonestreet. Unfortunately, the film also continues the tradition of somewhat lazy storytelling from the Illumination team, as the picture boasts an incredibly formulaic narrative, easy jokes, and a plot that resemblesToy Storya littletooclosely.
But audiences ate it up, and now we’ll probably be seeingSecret Life of Petssequels every two years from here to eternity. Renaud will return to directThe Secret Life of Pets 2, which will also see the return of screenwriterBrian Lynch.
Up next on Illumination’s slate is the music competition-centricSing, opening this December and helmed byGarth Jennings(The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), as well asDespicable Me 3and two more Dr. Seuss adaptations,How the Grinch Stole ChristmasandThe Cat in the Hat.
