A Dog’s Journey is the sequel to the 2017 movie, A Dog’s Purpose. That was a movie I went to see with my son and we both enjoyed it so I was interested to see how a sequel would work. It is actually done quite well and I would say if you enjoyed the first movie, A Dog’s Journey is worth checking out.
How to Stream or Download A Dog’s Journey
The movie will be soon available for stream or for download on iTunes or Google Play. Check it out by following the Download link below the review.
The Film Review
Once again, the movie is about a dog called Bailey who is voiced by Josh Gad. The movie also has Dennis Quaid once again as Ethan and the bond that he shares with Bailey is great. However, it is really the bond between Bailey and CJ (Ethan’s granddaughter) that is at the heart of this movie.
A Bittersweet Theme
The movie is kind of sad and sweet at the same time and if you are watching this with kids who are animal lovers, I can tell you first hand there may be tears! You see Bailey, dies multiple times in this movie and is reincarnated as different dogs which is fun, but sad at the same time.
A Dog’s Journey – the Cast
Josh Gad does an awesome job in voicing Bailey and you do feel like he is talking to you directly as he narrates. CJ is played by three actresses, Kathryn Prescott, Abby Ryder Fortson, and Emma Volk. Each one representing her at a different stage of her life. Bailey made a promise to Ethan that he would take care of his granddaughter and boy does he stick to that.
The Plot
Through his reincarnations, Bailey manages to reunite with CJ on different occasions. One time, he comes to her as a young adult and that is when he really manages to take care of her as he promised. It is actually done very well and there is a fun and sadness to Bailey that I do not think the movie gets the credit it deserves for.
Some say that the movie tries way too hard to be emotionally manipulative and forces the sadness on you. I am not actually sure I would agree with that. Sure, the movie has plenty of sad moments, but the happy ones for me do outweigh the sad so by the end of the movie, while sad, it does still have the happiness to it and I think that is great.
It may from the trailers look like it is just a kid’s movie and I do think that kids will like it. However, as I said if you have kids who are pet lovers or even just a bit on the sensitive side, they might find the movie a little bit hard going. So just prepare yourself for some rather “uncomfortable” conversations after you have seen this about death.
Is A Dog’s Journey a Good Movie?
So, would I say that A Dog’s Journey is better than A Dog’s Purpose? I am not sure I would, but at the same time, I think it is just as good as A Dog’s Purpose. It has heart, sadness and it will even make you laugh in places too.
