The Secret Life of Animals 2

The Secret Life of Animals 2 is an 2019 American animated adventure comedy film distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film was directed by Mike Mitchell, Steve Martino and Carlos Saldanha. The film was released by Columbia Pictures and produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Arad Productions, Lord Miller Productions, Pascal Pictures, Rideback Productions, Vertigo Entertainment and Alibaba Pictures. The film stars Ryan Potter, Seth MacFarlane, Matthew McConaughey, Gina Rodriguez, Michael J. Fox, Zendaya, Keegan-Michael Key, Channing Tatum, Bill Hader and Genesis Rodriguez. The film focuses on Ferdo the bunny rabbit who goes to San Francisco for his new home.

It is the second installment in The Secret Life of Animals franchise, following the release of The Secret Life of Animals. Animation and visual effects was provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks (replacing Animal Logic), who has provided the animation for all the films in the franchise, with Tom McGrath serving as animation director.

The Secret Life of Animals 2 was theatrically released in the United States on September 28, 2018 by Sony Pictures Releasing. It received positive reviews from critics, who commended its humor, animation, soundtrack, and voice acting, although some said it was not as "fresh" as the first film. It received a moderately positive reception from critics and grossed over $214 million worldwide.

Plot
Five years after the first film, Ferdo has a new look at its properties and was founded upon the United States and its label. Ferdo was suprised they he, his parents and his friends were now going to San Francisco for his new home.

Cast

 * Ryan Potter as Ferdo, a clumsy bunny rabbit.
 * Seth MacFarlane as Robert, a male journalist dog.
 * Matthew McConaughey as Gabriel, a male cat.
 * Gina Rodriguez as Kim, a female parakeet.
 * Michael J. Fox as Ralph, a male parrot.
 * Zendaya as Addison, a female bird.
 * Keegan-Michael Key as David, a male yeti.
 * Channing Tatum as Rico, a clumsy dog.
 * Bill Hader as Henry, a male bunny rabbit.
 * Genesis Rodriguez as Gina, a clumsy duck.
 * Harrison Ford as Ricky, a sarcastic man who had been a leader of the town.
 * Alan Tudyk as Harry, Ferdo's friend.
 * Alan Silvestri as Peter, Ferdo's father.
 * Cameron Diaz as Natalie, Ferdo's mother.
 * John C. Reilly as Nicklas, a male journalist parrot.
 * Elizabeth Banks as Alexandra, a sarcastic woman.
 * Athena Karkanis as Ariel, a female human.

Production
On December 4, 2014, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation announced a sequel to the 2014 animated film The Secret Life of Animals with Mike Mitchell, Steve Martino and Carlos Saldanha returning. Robert Rodriguez, Dan Lin, Janet Healy, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Roy Lee, Jinko Gotoh, Avi Arad, Amy Pascal would produce the film.

Casting
In October 3, 2015, it was announced that Matthew K. Miller would not be reprising his role as Ferdo after being accused of and later admitting to sexual misconduct with five women. In April 2018, it was announced that Ryan Potter will replace Miller as Ferdo, before making the holiday short film, The Bunnies in a Christmas Caper, while Seth MacFarlane, Matthew McConaughey, Gina Rodriguez, Michael J. Fox, Zendaya, Keegan-Michael Key, Channing Tatum, Bill Hader and Genesis Rodriguez will reprise their roles. Additional casting includes Harrison Ford, John C. Reilly, Elizabeth Banks and Athena Karkanis.

Animation
On June 10, 2016, it was announced that Animal Logic would not be reprising the film's animation production and visual effects after the project was canceled in May 4, 2016. In February 7, 2018, it was announced that Sony Pictures Imageworks will replace Animal Logic while Autodesk Maya will making the animation software.

Music
The score was composed by John Powell and Mark Mothersbaugh, who composed the first film's score.

Release
The film title was theatrically released on March 29, 2019 in RealD 3D. The studio spent around $40 million on promotions and advertisements for the film.

Marketing

 * The teaser trailer was released on October 5, 2018 and was shown before Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
 * The first trailer was released on December 7, 2018 and was shown before Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Mary Poppins Returns and Bumblebee

Home media
On May 5, 2019, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has officially announced that it will release the Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD for the film. The three releases will be available for purchase on June 25, 2019.

Reception
As of April 4, 2019, The Secret Life of Animals 2 was grossed over $214 million worldwide against the $100 million budget in the United States. In the United States, Canada and China, The Secret Life of Animals 2 was released on the same day as Dumbo, The Beach Bum and Unplanned, and is projected to gross $12–14 million from 3,600 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $2.5 million on its first day, including $300,000 from Thursday night previews.

Critical response
The film holds an approval rating of 89% based on 74 reviews, and an average rating of 5.95/10 on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 67 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it 4 out of 5 stars and a 70% "definite recommend".