Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

A Dog's Way Home Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 2, 2019

W. Bruce Cameron's A Dog's Purpose was brought to the screen in 2016, six years after that breakthrough novel took the literary world by storm. Cameron has since made quite a name for himself writing books about man's best friend. In 2017 he published A Dog's Way Home, which Sony Pictures has translated for the screen. The picture follows in the tradition of classics such as The Adventures of Milo & Otis and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, though this film takes a more realistic, contemporary, and sometimes darker and less approachable path towards bringing its four-legged hero home. The film's forays into more mature themes ultimately gives way to several heartfelt moments, but it's good-hearted human and canine nature, not so much contrived cinema circumstance, that bring about most of the emotional responses to the story.

A journey begins.

Humans Lucas (Jonah Hauer-King) and Olivia (Alexandra Shipp) rescue a little pup that was separated from its mother at a young age and raised by a well-meaning feral mother cat. Lucas and the dog he names Bella bond instantly, but their relationship is fraught with hardship. Lucas' mother Terri (Ashley Judd) at first disapproves because their lease says they cannot have a dog in the house. But Lucas insists and Bella becomes part of the family. She also plays a critical role at the VA where Lucas works and his mother receives therapy. But when the dog is caught loose on the streets by an overzealous, mean-streaked animal control officer (John Cassini) who declares her a Pitbull and therefore in violation of city ordinance, she is hauled into custody. Lucas works out Bella's release and decides to move to Golden, Colorado where Bella will be welcome. But the dog is temporarily housed in New Mexico, some 400 miles away, while Lucas and Olivia finalize the details of their new home. Bella's pull to reunite with Lucas is strong, and the animal escapes from its temporary home -- on the very day Lucas was going to pick her up and take her home -- and begins a two-and-a-half year journey back to him, fraught with peril, filled with new friends, and fueled by a singular determination to return to her person's missing arms.

The movie is as saccharine-sweet as one would expect, a highlight reel of emotional push and pull as Bella encounters a number of friends, and some enemies, of the two- and four-legged varieties across her two-and-a-half year journey to return home. She is driven by instinct and by love, the latter of which she feels as if the pull of a leash bringing her back towards Lucas and the life she was forced to leave behind through no fault of her own. But her journey is filled with dangers, including bouts of starvation and dehydration, animal attacks, and even an avalanche. At one point, a homeless man (Edward James Olmos), who seems more than little out of sorts, takes Bella as his companion. He dies one day, alone in an isolated area, with Bella tied to him on a chain. She cannot escape; the body is simply too much dead weight to drag and she cannot chew through the chain. She is left temptingly close to a stream, filled with fish and life-giving water, but it's just out of reach. This is Bella's closest scrape with death. Fortunately two boys discover her and the body and free her, allowing her to drink and resume her journey. It's a surprisingly macabre sequence that might disturb younger viewers in the middle of an otherwise family-friendly venture.

But Bella holds tight to hope and encounters helpful friends through much of her journey. She is taken in by several other people throughout the film, fed scraps by kindly strangers, and learns to forge when temporarily joining a pack of dogs of various shapes and sizes around one town along the way. She notably befriends a cougar cub. Thew two forge a strong bond -- much like that Bella built with "mother kitten" when still a pup -- and this animal, above all others, becomes a key part of Bella's life and journey. The film is at its best when following more family-friendly stretches of adventure and it finds its most draining heartaches when Bella is forced to go somewhere without understanding how things are working or why. It's also difficult when she leaves someone or another animal behind, because her instinct tells her she must return to where her heart truly belongs, even if that means leaving a good friend or food and warmth when good samaritans take her in. It’s that perspective of instinctual love that drives the movie. Circumstances are just an obstacle, sometimes dangerous, sometimes dark, sometimes cheerful, and often hopeful. The film does not intercut Bella’s journey with scenes of Lucas trying to find his dog, allowing the entire emotional undercurrent to be defined by Bella’s own heart and soul. It’s very well done, and the animal exhibits a sincere depth of personality, thanks both to the real-life dog (credited as Shelby) and Bryce Dallas Howard’s vocalization of the animal’s inner thoughts. Props also to the digital artists who bring several key four-legged creatures to life in the movie, including the cougar, with almost seamless visuals and interactions with Bella and the various environments seen throughout the film.

A Dog's Way Home Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The digitally photographed A Dog's Way Home offers a high quality Blu-ray viewing experience. The image is resplendently clear and detailed, with pinpoint clarity that reveals every strand of animal fur, the leathery nose textures, and Bella's sparkling eyes. Environments are terrifically defined and sharp, whether interiors like Lucas' home, the VA hospital, or various examples of terrain seen through Bella's journey, from rocky shores along streams to snow-covered land. Colors are faithfully reproduced with neutral contrast the defining characteristic. Bella's fur is a lush brown while natural greens dazzle in various exteriors. Human skin tones appear true and black levels are appropriately deep. The image does reveal a fair bit of noise in lower light shots, and some shimmering can be seen during an establishing cityscape shot early in the film, but the image is otherwise in perfect shape.

A Dog's Way Home Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Dog's Way Home barks out a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is largely reserved and front-heavy through the first act, with score the most prominent component. Music presents with lively, cheerful purpose, terrific clarity, and modest surround integration. The track gains some momentum, variety, and several examples of depth during Bella's journey through the wilderness and a few cities. There's strong depth to a gunshot crack just before the 40-minute mark, at that point the most prominent effect the track has to offer. The track's most aggressive sonic moment comes during an avalanche at the 51-minute mark, with thunderous depth and full-stage push as the snow rumbles through the listening area. Lighter woodland effects, including sounds of running water from nearby streams, offer well-versed front and rear envelopment. Dialogue is clear, center-focused, and well prioritized, whether human conversation or Bella's inner voice, provided by Bryce Dallas Howard.

A Dog's Way Home Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A Dog's Way Home contains deleted scenes and a few featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 3:56 total runtime): Included are Begging at the Restaurant, Officer Rooker Meets Bella, Officer Rooker Brings Axel a Sleeping Bag, and Gavin and Taylor Argue.
• An Unforgettable Journey (1080p, 11:08): A look at the story and source novel, casting Bella and the dog's personal history, getting Bella ready for the screen, the human cast and performances, visual effects, shooting locations, the film's heart, and more.
• Dog Days: Shelby's Production Diary (1080p, 14:41): A closer look at adopting and casting Shelby to play Bella and the process of getting her screen-ready.
• DIY Doggie Treats with Shelby (1080p, 8:41): Shelby and The Dog Bakery's Rocky Kanaka make a few tasty treats every dog will love.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

A Dog's Way Home Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Dog's Way Home is a mostly family-friendly, emotionally driven, and heartfelt tale of love's pull, love that extends beyond the human soul. It's a film about connection and self-discovery but also the hardships, rigors, and realities of the way the world works. Love makes it go 'round, but as Bella learns, there's a lot more to life than just the bond that she shares with Lucas. It can be a little dark for younger viewers, but beyond a few moments it's a fairly safe and sincere movie. Sony's Blu-ray is unsurprisingly of excellent quality. Video and audio presentations are fine and a few extras are included. Recommended.