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By Michael Lomax

Watching a blockbuster bomb is incredible for all the wrong reasons. Sometimes the plot is stagey or the acting is bad, but the end result is the same nonetheless: a bad movie that cost too much to make. So when studio films defy this trend, it’s always a little refreshing. “The Secret Life of Pets,” from the outset, looked like a middling animated studio picture. In fact, it’s genuinely good entertainment and a nice selection for a night out with the kids.

Max, a loyal little terrier voiced by comedian Louis C.K., lives an idyllic city life with his adorable owner Katie (Ellie Kemper). He has a collection of friends in the neighboring buildings and more or less spends his time waiting for Katie to come home. This is all thrown for a loop when Katie comes home with a burly Newfoundland named Duke (Eric Stonestreet), Max’s roommate.

While trying to get Duke evicted back to the pound, the two dogs lose their collars and, in an attempt to get home and evade local animal control, the two run afoul of throwaway bunny Snowball (Kevin Hart). Now, the two unlikely allies must band together if they hope to survive, let alone get home to Katie.

And you can probably figure out how the rest goes.

On paper, “Secret Life of Pets” is a pretty simple to understand film, and that’s exactly what you get with the price of admission. And there’s nothing wrong with that here. The real treat is in the animation and level of detail that went into the interactions. That’s where most of the humor comes from, and it’s honestly cute and wonderful.

You don’t check out “Secret Life” to get invested in deep philosophical questions, and if you are trying to start a discussion on something serious like animal rights, you won’t find a lot of ammunition at your disposal.

Instead, this is a film about love and friendship, and just because it’s tailored directly for kids doesn’t mean it can’t still be profound in its simplicity.

I enjoyed “Secret Life of Pets,” and if you have children, it is definitely a movie you should consider.

Michael Lomax is a writer-filmmaker currently at work on a film script to be set and shot in Albany.