The Secret Life of Pets 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2019 film of the same name, which is the sequel to The Secret Life of Pets (2016). The film's music is composed by Alexandre Desplat and the score album, featuring 22 tracks of the score, alongside three incorporated songs were released by Back Lot Music on May 31, 2019, a week ahead of the film's release. Like the first film, the score for the sequel, uses jazz and orchestral music.

Background

Alexandre Desplat was hired for the sequel in August 2018.[1] Director Chris Renaud spoke about the film's music, saying "From a scoring point of view, it was a very interesting challenge compared to the first film. In the first film, we were really talking about a jazz-infused, big band, New York, Mancini themed score."[2] The second film had several themes, including haunted house, circus scene, countryside and superhero themes, Renaud felt the score as the biggest challenging and went on to say that "There's a lot of different ideas that had to come together musically, but again, not leave the movie or the score feeling disjointed."[3]

In addition to the score, the album features cover songs from the 1980s, including Bill Withers' "Lovely Day", produced by LunchMoney Lewis and performed by Aniné, Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" produced by Jack Antonoff.[4][5] Critic Mark Kennedy opined that the song is a callback to the "original song's appearance in the first film".[5]

Reception

Filmtracks.com wrote "There is absolutely no narrative flow to any of these ideas when presented apart from the film. Not even the minor motifs for several of the specific characters, while mostly tied to instrumental flair, carries over clearly. The whole thing is overflowing with consistent antics but lacks one overarching personality with which to leave a lasting impression. Perhaps the caper tones will serve in that capacity for some listeners, but these passages occupy only a fraction of the score. In the end, The Secret Life of Pets 2 is a breezy and proficient effort from Desplat, but approach it with patience and lowered expectations."[6] The Hollywood Reporter's Michael Rechtshaffen praised Desplat's "jazz-inflected orchestrations" that pays "homage to Scott Bradley’s Tom and Jerry scores from the ’40s and ’50s" and called it as "undeniably melodic".[7] Jake Wilson of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote "The tone sought is one of faintly retro sophistication, signalled by the jazzy music of Alexandre Desplat and by a visual style which deploys the kind of “civilised” exaggeration found in New Yorker cartoons."[8] Mark Kennedy, writing for The Philadelphia Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times called the soundtrack as "lively".[4][5]

Track listing

Additional music

Film music not included in the album:[9]

• "Empire State of Mind" – Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys
• "I Was Made to Love Her" – Stevie Wonder
• "Superman Theme" – John Williams
• "Garota de Ipanema" – Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes
• "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" – The Billy Bob Banjo Band
• "White Rabbit" – Jefferson Airplane
• "Fantastic Voyage" – Coolio
• "La Marseillaise" – Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
• "La Grange" – ZZ Top
• "Ante Up (Robin Hoodz Theory)" – M.O.P.

Personnel

Credits adapted from CD liner notes:[10]

References