At this point, almost every animation studio has taken its turn cheating off of Pixar’s test papers – including Pixar itself. And who wouldn’t? After all, during what is almost universally agreed upon as a creative rut for the studio – with sequels disappointingly making up three of its next four features, one of which, even more disappointingly, is for "Cars" – Pixar has still delivered one of its greatest artistic triumphs in "Inside Out" and one of its greatest financial triumphs in "Finding Dory."

So can you blame Illumination Entertainment for "The Secret Life of Pets," which plays and sounds so much like it was ripped straight from the Pixar playbook of "but what if (enter noun here) had feelings?" it’s hard to believe Pixar didn’t make it first … until you flip out "pets" for "toys" in the title and realize they pretty much did make it first. Well, you could, but considering the resulting fun and fluffy 90-minute romp, you probably won’t.

In fact, for the first few minutes, as our protagonist pup Max (Louis C.K.) sets the scene in needless voiceover while the second worst track off Taylor Swift’s "1989" plays, you might wish "The Secret Life of Pets" borrowed a little bit more from Pixar, namely its timeless, calm and confident "show don’t tell" visual storytelling. Thankfully, the movie quickly rights its ship, diving into a funny, jaunty montage of physical comedy bits uncovering your pets’ shenanigans when the owners head out. Metal music is blared. Shindigs are thrown. Stand mixers are used instead as stand belly massagers.

However, Max and his cozy days as the beloved household favorite receive a shock beyond the typical electric collar jolt when his owner (Ellie Kemper, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt") brings home a new dog: a shaggy brown behemoth named Duke (Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"). The two make for unhappy roommates, their canine civil war growing overnight to the point that they plot to rid their lives of the other. In their quest to oust one another, the bickering rivals wind up far from home without collars or tags and with a whole posse of abandoned furball oddballs – led by Kevin Hart’s cuddly killer rabbit Snowball – not to mention animal control, hot on their literal tails. Will Woody and Buzz Lightyear – I mean Woofy and Bark Lightyear … I mean Max and Duke – be able to get along and get back home to their concerned friends?

Indeed, one doesn’t need to be a Disney devotee to note the similarities between "The Secret Life of Pets" and the "Toy Story" films. From the general plot outline and character beats to the "Toy Story 2"-like montage about a former owner to even its jazzy, jaunty old school art deco soundtrack and style, there’s a disappointing familiarity and predictability to the story that takes just a bit of the air out of its creative, catchy hook about pets gone wild.

It doesn’t help that the story feels not only like a mild "Toy Story" clone, but a much breezier and, as a result, shallower one at that – a Great Dane of emotional and thematic impact shrunken down to a Chihuahua. There’s some potent emotional material in "The Secret Life of Pets" – about love, about loss, about friendship – that the script simply sprints through. The bond between Max and Duke, for instance, isn’t as much grown and developed as it just happens, and the latter’s big emotional beats in the final act register as quick road bumps. The resolution of Max and Duke’s tiff with Snowball gets similarly swift, borderline chaotic treatment, less earned than simply accepted as a part of the movie’s manic forward momentum.

The result is an imitation of Pixar that short shrifts the part that really sticks with the audience, even on its lesser projects. "Finding Dory" is really just "Finding Nemo" again, but it has the emotional depth and richness of its conquering and embracing one’s handicap theme; "Monsters University" has its thoughtful lesson about accepting that a dream may not be reality. For "Toy Story But With Pets," this feels a little empty – especially when the film sneaks in Minion costumes and an ad for its upcoming "Sing" that briefly make the project seem like just a brand’s product, nothing more.

What "The Secret Life of Pets" lacks in depth, however, it compensates for in gags. This isn’t an animated movie; this plays more like a feature-length cartoon, dedicated full-tilt to laughs and craziness and the simple joy of screwy entertainment. And it goes all out, mostly with a lot of giggles and laughs to show for itself in the process.

Sure, some of the jokes skew predictable and young – there are more than a handful of poop jokes, for instance – but they’re cute, amusing and well-executed enough to score laughs from the parents in the crowd. And there are also plenty of smart, knowing gags about pets – like the silent opening montage, an equally wordless mid-movie expedition or simply a vacuum cleaner joke – and even a "Some Like It Hot" shout-out that hit their humorous marks.

Of course, it helps to have a voice cast this talented – from C.K. and especially from a manic and wild in just voice alone Hart to smaller parts like Jenny Slate, Lake Bell, Hannibal Buress, Albert Brooks, Dana Carvey and more – working with the material. All of these performers know how to wring the most laughs, and maybe add just a little bite or a delivery curveball, from even the slightest gags.

The animation also works overtime to bring the creatively cartoony visual punchlines to life – even in 3-D, where it actually adds a little pop and pizzazz – from the big set pieces, like a sausage-induced drug hallucination that plays like Busby Berkeley's pleasant, PG-rated appetizer for "Sausage Party," to even just small details like Buress’ wiener-dog slowly flopping himself up some ledges or a turtle shell knocking its way around Mario-style.

Even when it's not working toward a gag, the animation creates visually inventive details – sneaky snake jail bars, tip-toeing alley cats – and its quite lovely vision of New York City, an art deco metropolis dream world with a skyline filled to the brim with glimmering skyscrapers. Add in some lovingly rendered cute fuzzy creatures, and you’ve got a bright, beautiful world to soak in between laughs.

And even though it may not strike the deep chords of a Pixar film, the fun little cinematic fluff ball still has a sweet and charming heart at its center, tucked away under all of the gags and bunny bus driver antics. There’s a final montage, for instance, that’s sure to win over a smile from pet owners and animal allergics alike, a cute tribute to the pet-owner bond – once again, played wordlessly. It may not be a moment worthy of big tears or anything life-altering, but a simple moment of unspoken sweetness is just as worth celebrating and embracing.

By the end, viewers may not remember much specifically about "The Secret Life of Pets," but they’ll remember that it was cute, light and fun. It’s the Beggin’ Strips of the animated world: not quite as meaty or authentic as what it’s imitating, but satisfying enough for its target audience, as well as the grown-ups in charge, to enjoy. 

Oh, and lastly, there’s also a Minions short before the movie. Feel free to show up late.