Patton Oswalt replaces Louis CK as the voice of neurotic jack russell terrier Max in this charming sequel to Illumination Entertainment’s animated comedy. When his human owner gives birth to a son, Max finds himself newly alert to the dangers of the world; on a family holiday at a farm, Harrison Ford’s gruff sheepdog schools the overthinker on how to trust his animal instincts. Back home in New York City, and in the film’s funniest set piece, Lake Bell’s laconic overweight tabby Chloe teaches ponytailed Pomeranian Gidgit (Jenny Slate) how to disguise herself as a cat. An elaborate scene involving a white tiger, a runaway train and a standoff with an evil circus ringmaster teams up Snowball (Kevin Hart’s voice in a fluffy rabbit’s body) with Tiffany Haddish’s plucky shih tzu, but it feels like too much of a stretch, the comedy more believable when the house pets are grounded in their domestic context.
