A Dog’s Way Home(2019)

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)

PG
Rated PG for thematic elements, some peril and language
1h 36m

Release Date: Jan 11, 2019 | Wide

59%
71%
A-
6.7

A female dog travels four hundred miles in search of her owner throughout a Colorado wilderness.

Official Website

Releases

Original Release | Jan 11, 2019

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Box Office Results

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$11,251,263
Total US & Canada:
$42,004,346
Total International
$38,703,788
Total Worldwide:
$80,708,134

Current Showtimes

orround

Wed May 6
Thu May 7
Fri May 8
Sat May 9
Sun May 10
Mon May 11
Tue May 12

Director & Top Cast

Charles Martin Smith
Director

Ashley Judd
Actor

Jonah Hauer-King
Lucas

Edward James Olmos
Axel

Alexandra Shipp
Actor

Chris Bauer
Kurch

Barry Watson

Gavin

Motell Gyn Foster

Taylor

Wes Studi

Captain Mica

Bryce Dallas Howard

Actor

John Cassini

Chuck

Brian Markinson

Gunter

Patrick Gallagher

Teo

Broadus Mattison

Mack

Rolando Boyce

Drew

Cesar De León

Steve

Arielle Tuliao

VA Receptionist

Ben Immanuel

Dr. Gann

Gallery

Technical Specifications

Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: China,United States

Language: English

Summaries

Plot Summary

A puppy lives in the basement of an old home with its mother (who is a full-grown Pitbull) and siblings, and a mother cat and her kittens. Eventually, their presence was reported to Officer Leon of Animal Control by Gunter. Gunter and Leon manage to impound all the dogs, but one puppy manages to escape when the cat guides it to safety. The mother cat, the kittens and the puppy return to the basement and the mother cat feeds the puppy. The mother car became the puppy's mother.Lucas (Jonah Hauer-King) and his girlfriend Olivia (Alexandra Shipp), two residents of Denver, Colorado, find a puppy in a construction site along with many kittens and a mother cat. The puppy's mother and siblings had already been taken away by the city's impound team. Lucas and Olivia had heard that the builder wanted to tear down the entire block, and they wanted to save the cats before this happened. Lucas names the dog Bella (Shelby) and takes her home to live with him and his mother Terri (Ashley Judd). With time Bella grows up quickly and Bella has the best time with Lucas. Lucas and Bella continue to take care of the cats who lived at the basement. Terri's lease doesn't allow pets at home, so to avoid Bella being detected at home inspections, they start taking Bella to Terri's VA meets (she was in the Army). Bella proves very popular with veterans suffering from PTSD and makes many new friends who love her. Lucas and Olivia continue to get closer.Lucas continues to feed the cats at the old house, which puts him in the cross-hairs of Gunter Beckenbauer (Brian Markinson), the man who wants to demolish the house. Lucas even calls the city about the cats who live there, which delays the demolition. Terri and Lucas live right across the street from Gunter's houses, and he asks Terri to tell Lucas to back off, but he is squarely rebuffed. Gunter gets a permit to demolish the houses, and claims there are no cats on his property. But Lucas and Olivia record evidence to the contrary and have Gunter's demolition permit revoked. To get revenge, Gunter arranges for Bella to be declared a pit bull (All it takes for an animal to be declared a Pitbull is for 3 animal control officers to certify that it is), because Denver has outlawed Pitbull as a dangerous breed. Officer Leon (Tammy Gillis), working for Gunter, confronts Lucas and threatens that if Bella is found on the streets she will be impounded. Lucas and Terri train Bella to return home from any location in the city.When Bella is eventually captured, Lucas picks her up, pays a fine, and is allowed to take her home. However, he is warned that if Bella is picked up again, she will be put down. To avoid this, Lucas sends Bella to live with Olivia's aunt and uncle in Farmington, New Mexico, until he and his mother can find another home outside of Denver's urban limits. However, Bella misses Lucas so much that she leaves Farmington and begins a 400-mile journey home, which will take more than two years to complete. Bella did not know that Lucas and Terri had found a new place just outside Denver city limits and were coming to get Bella the very next day. Bella travels through the Colorado mountains going through towns such as Durango (The towns along the way had missing posters for Bella, indicating that Lucas was making every effort to try and find her) and surviving by eating trash leftovers and handouts from kind strangers.She encounters a pack of coyotes (Looks like a cat, but smells like a dog), befriends a cougar cub, whose mother had been shot dead by poachers and would have been captured if Bella had not taken him to safety. Bella resorted to stealing food from barbecues to feed the cougar cub. Bella knew that she was the cougar cub's mother now and needed to take care of it. With time, the cougar cub got bigger. Bella even protects the cougar cub from a coyote attack. While with the cub, Bella runs into 2 humans who find her collar and call Lucas (whose number is on the collar), but they get scared by the cougar cub and run away before Lucas could answer the phone. Bella loses her collar due to this incident. She helps rescue a man buried in an avalanche during her journey. She is taken in by 2 guys who help her with the rescue. One of the guys guesses Bella's name correctly and gets her a new collar. After staying there for a few weeks, Bella picks up familiar smells and decides to resume her journey back to Lucas. At each place she goes, she learns that each of her new friends has its own home, and how she must keep moving to get back to her family.In the next town, she is picked up by a homeless guy names Axel (Edward James Olmos), who uses Bella to get alms on the streets. Axel dies a few months later, but has tied Bella to a steel chain, which she can't chew her way out of. She is trapped in an isolated spot near the riverbed. She is rescued by 2 boys who are exploring the countryside and resumes her journey. She is again attacked by a pack of coyotes that she encountered earlier in her journey, but this time is saved by the Cougar cub who comes to her rescue. The cougar cub is a full-grown cat now and escorts her to the Denver City limits. Bella wants the cat to come with her, but she goes on her own path.Bella is stuck down on the highway by a car and breaks her leg bone. She limps her way to Lucas's house, only to find that a different family lives there. The new owners call animal control who send Officer Leon. Bella recognizes him and runs again and reaches Terri's VA center. Bella has a tearful reunion with Lucas, but Leon gets there and threatens to confiscate Bella. Terri reminds her the VA center is federal property and Denver city laws don't apply and as such Bella is safe. She also complains to Leon's superior, who has him suspended on charges of corruption and animal cruelty.

Storyline

As a puppy, Bella finds her way into the arms of Lucas, a young man who gives her a good home. When Bella becomes separated from Lucas, she soon finds herself on an epic 400-mile journey to reunite with her beloved owner. Along the way, the lost but spirited dog meets a series of new friends and manages to bring a little bit of comfort and joy to their lives. — Santhosh A stray puppy, Bella, is taken in by young man, Lucas. Everything seems to be going fine but Lucas has annoyed a property developer who uses his connections to have Bella impounded. In order for Lucas to prevent Bella from being permanently locked up, Lucas sends her to live with another family over 600 kms away. However, Bella is determined to find her way home. — grantss

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