Mckenzie Sussman
Staff Writer
Heart-wrenching and emotional, “A Dog’s Way Home” is a must-see story about a dog’s journey to make it back home to her best friend.
“A Dog’s Way Home” is both touching and extremely heartfelt, reminding viewers of the unwavering loyalty shared between humans and dogs and of the importance of a man’s best friend. The dog named Bella, traveling hundreds of miles to find her owner, faces many challenges and makes genuine friendships along the way, taking the viewer on an emotional roller coaster filled with endless laughs and tears.
“A Dog’s Way Home” stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Bella, Jonah Hauer-King as Lucas, Ashley Judd as Lucas’s mom Terri and Alexandra Shipp as Lucas’s friend, Olivia. Charles Martin Smith directed the film, and W. Bruce Cameron and Cathryn Michon wrote the screenplay.
Based on the best selling novel by W. Bruce Cameron, “A Dog’s Way Home” illustrates the incredible and special bond between Bella and her owner, Lucas. Lucas finds Bella on a street in Colorado as a puppy and takes her to live with him at his house. Soon after, Bella is separated from Lucas because of the state’s zero tolerance policy on pit bulls and finds herself on an ambitious 400-mile journey to make it back to her safe, loving home with Lucas.
The film tackles serious issues such as the abandonment of animals, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in veterans and homelessness. It perfectly addresses the significance and seriousness of these topics, making the film valuable to viewers. The movie shows how dogs can positively affect war veterans and the lives of homeless people. It also depicts how dogs play an emotional and important role in veterans’ recovery and life improvement.
Each friendship Bella makes along her challenging journey is so pure and precious and allows viewers to form an attachment to the dog. Every time Bella has to leave her newest animal friend behind, it creates a painful separation for the two characters and the audience, keeping the viewer emotionally engaged and on the edge of their seats.
The vibrant and picturesque scenery immediately captivates viewers. Bella’s journey takes her through the breathtaking Rocky Mountains and unique forests along the way, and the film captures the extraordinary views. Filmed in locations across western Canada, including Vancouver and Ladner, British Columbia, “A Dog’s Way Home” impresses viewers with the quality of the outdoor scenes.
Along Bella’s journey, she encounters a baby cougar who becomes her companion. The baby cougar is entirely computer generated, yet still looks extremely authentic and real. The special effects are highly impressive and give the illusion that a real cougar was used to film the movie.
The bond that Bella and Lucas share from when they first meet acts as the motivation for the story. Many viewers share an amazing and unique bond with their dog and the relationship between Lucas and Bella is no exception. The sensational and sentimental relationship included in the film allows viewers to relate to Bella and Lucas and have empathy for their heartbreaking situation.
Contrary to what some viewers believe, “A Dog’s Way Home” is not related to the similar movie “A Dog’s Purpose,” which was released in 2017. This movie, however, is superior to “A Dog’s Purpose” due to the cinematography and overall better plot.
“A Dog’s Way Home” is a touching, memorable film portraying unconditional love and compassion. The story illustrates the adventures of owning a dog and all the humor, drama and emotion that come with Bella’s monumental and action-packed journey.
“A Dog’s Way Home” is rated PG and was released on Jan. 11 in theaters nationwide.
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