Cats and dogs: paws unite! (PG)

Ten years after the release of lacklustre sequel Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore, a long-running interspecies feud threatens to reignite in director Sean McNamara’s family-friendly caper.

Animal cast of Cats & Dogs: Paws Unite! repeatedly hit their marks, performing tricks on command such as pushing a big red button on a flashing control panel or crawling along the ground to evade detection.

Unfortunately, other aspects of McNamara’s film are in urgent need of house-training including Scott Bindley’s unruly script, which fails to contrive a ramshackle plot capable of filling a meagre 84 minutes.

The central sermon – stop staring at your mobile phone screen and enjoy invigorating exercise with a pet – is preached loud and clear by adorable animals including a risk-averse Collie, who lives by the motto “boring is good”.

Judged on that basis, the third chapter of the franchise is good.

Rating: Two stars