When Illumination Entertainment released The Secret Life of Pets in 2016, it wasn't just another animated film about cute animals. It was a comedic heist movie wrapped in fur, exploring the hilarious paranoia of what our four-legged friends actually do when we leave for work. For Indonesian audiences, however, the film became a cultural phenomenon for a different reason: the The Secret Life of Pets dubbing Indonesia project.
While many Hollywood films are simply subtitled in Indonesia, The Secret Life of Pets received a full Indonesian-language dubbing (pengalihan suara) that was so sharp, so locally relevant, and so comedically timed that it arguably surpassed the original English version in popularity. This article dives deep into how that dub was made, who voiced the iconic characters, and why it remains a gold standard for animated dubbing in Southeast Asia.
Humor is widely considered the most difficult element to translate. In The Secret Life of Pets, humor often relies on wordplay, puns, and pop culture references that do not have direct equivalents in Indonesian.
While the dubbing was largely successful commercially, it faced challenges common to the industry.
In the era of globalization, animated films have become a transnational commodity. While originally produced in English, these films reach global audiences largely through the process of dubbing. The Secret Life of Pets, a 3D computer-animated comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment, was a massive commercial success in Indonesia. A significant portion of its success can be attributed to the quality of its Indonesian dubbing.
Dubbing is not merely a linguistic translation; it is an act of cultural adaptation (Chaume, 2004). It involves replacing the source language (English) with the target language (Indonesian) while maintaining lip-sync synchronization and preserving the narrative flow. This paper analyzes the Indonesian dubbing of The Secret Life of Pets, focusing on how the dubbing team tackled linguistic jokes, cultural references, and the "star power" of the voice cast to make the film relatable to Indonesian audiences. The Secret Life Of Pets Dubbing Indonesia
The biggest hurdle for the localization team at Iyuno (formerly Burbah) was translating the puns. English animal jokes do not always land in Bahasa Indonesia.
Conclusion The Indonesian dubbing of The Secret Life of Pets is a microcosm of globalization’s cultural negotiations: it translates words and recreates personality, humor, and identity for new audiences. Rather than a lesser copy, a thoughtful dub is an alternate cultural performance—one that tells us as much about Indonesian linguistic life and audience values as it does about the original film.
The Indonesian dub of The Secret Life of Pets premiered on June 25, 2017 HBO Indonesia . It was strategically released to coincide with the Eid al-Fitr (Idulfitri) Production & Distribution Recording Studio : The dubbing process was handled by Crossfade Audio Post Broadcasting Channels
: In addition to HBO, the film has also been dubbed for local Indonesian television networks, including RCTI and Trans7 , as well as various Video on Demand (VOD) platforms. Availability
: The dub is available across major streaming services in Indonesia, including , Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV. Cast Overview When Illumination Entertainment released The Secret Life of
Following a common practice for major animated releases in Southeast Asia, the Indonesian version features a mix of professional voice actors and local celebrities to enhance its appeal. Original Voice Actor Dubbing Feature Louis C.K. / Patton Oswalt Professional Indonesian Dubber Kevin Hart Indonesian Celebrity/Professional Voice Professional Indonesian Dubber Dana Carvey Professional Indonesian Dubber
: Specific celebrity names for the HBO Indonesian dub are often part of limited promotional campaigns; while the Malay HBO dub
explicitly features Nabil Ahmad as Snowball, the Indonesian celebrity cast typically follows a similar high-profile marketing structure. The Dubbing Database celebrity names used for the Indonesian theatrical or TV release?
The Dubbing of "The Secret Life of Pets" into Indonesian: A Cultural and Linguistic Adaptation
The globalization of cinema has made dubbing a critical tool for making international content accessible to local audiences. When Universal Pictures' "The Secret Life of Pets" was released in Indonesia, the dubbing process went beyond simple translation. It involved a complex process of localization to ensure that the humor, character personalities, and emotional beats resonated with the Indonesian public while maintaining the film's original charm. While many Hollywood films are simply subtitled in
The primary objective of the Indonesian dubbing for "The Secret Life of Pets" was to bridge the linguistic gap for younger viewers while preserving the comedic timing of the original voice cast. Since the film relies heavily on fast-paced dialogue and slapstick humor, the translators faced the challenge of "lip-syncing"—matching Indonesian words to the mouth movements of the animated characters. This often required creative paraphrasing, as Indonesian sentences tend to be longer than English ones.
Cultural adaptation played a significant role in the script’s success. The Indonesian version often utilized "bahasa gaul" (informal slang) to make characters like Snowball the rabbit feel more relatable to a local urban audience. By incorporating contemporary Indonesian expressions, the dubbing team managed to replicate the high-energy, irreverent tone set by Kevin Hart in the original version. This approach ensures that the jokes do not feel "translated," but rather "re-authored" for the local context.
The selection of voice talent was equally vital. In Indonesia, the industry often utilizes a mix of professional voice actors and "celebrity dubbing" to boost marketing efforts. For "The Secret Life of Pets," the focus remained on high-quality vocal performance to ensure the distinct personalities of Max, Duke, and Gidget were maintained. The actors had to convey a wide range of emotions—from Max’s neuroticism to Duke’s boisterous nature—using only their voices to match the expressive animation.
In conclusion, the Indonesian dubbing of "The Secret Life of Pets" serves as a successful case study in animation localization. By balancing technical precision with cultural nuance, the project successfully brought the secret world of Manhattan’s pets to life for an Indonesian audience. This process highlights that effective dubbing is not just about changing the language, but about translating the "spirit" of the film to create a seamless viewing experience.