A Dog 's Purpose ( film ) - Wikipedia A Dog 's Purpose ( film ) A Dog 's Purpose Theatrical release poster Directed by Lasse Hallström Produced by Gavin Polone Screenplay by W. Bruce Cameron Cathryn Michon Audrey Wells Maya Forbes Wally Wolodarsky Based on A Dog 's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron Starring Britt Robertson KJ Apa Peggy Lipton Dennis Quaid Josh Gad Narrated by Josh Gad Music by Rachel Portman Cinematography Terry Stacey Edited by Robert Leighton Production company Amblin Entertainment Reliance Entertainment Walden Media Pariah Entertainment Distributed by Universal Pictures Release date January 27, 2017 ( 2017 - 01 - 27 ) Running time 98 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $22 million Box office $196.4 million A Dog 's Purpose is a 2017 American comedy - drama film directed by Lasse Hallström and written by W. Bruce Cameron, Cathryn Michon, Audrey Wells, Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Cameron. The film stars Britt Robertson, KJ Apa, Juliet Rylance, John Ortiz, Kirby Howell - Baptiste, Peggy Lipton, Dennis Quaid and Josh Gad. The film is a co-production between Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment, Walden Media and Pariah Entertainment Group. It was released by Universal Pictures on January 27, 2017, and grossed over $196 million worldwide. A week prior to the film 's release, a video surfaced on TMZ showing footage taken from the set of the film, which showed a German Shepherd dragged and dipped into rushing water while visibly resisting. After initial backlash, it was determined the video had been deliberately edited to mislead viewers. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Release 4.1 Box office 4.2 Critical response 4.3 Home media 5 Animal abuse allegations 6 Sequel 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Plot This article 's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. ( January 2018 ) In the 1950s, a feral puppy named Toby is whisked away to the dog pound and quickly euthanized, wondering if `` fun '' truly is life 's purpose. His strong spirit is reborn and reincarnated as a newborn Retriever puppy in 1961. Toby leaves his cage at a puppy mill and is found by two garbage men who plan to sell him for their own profit. They leave to drink and Toby is spotted locked inside their pick - up truck by a young boy named Ethan and his mother, who rescue him from the brink of death by heatstroke. After they convince Ethan 's father, the dog is allowed to stay and renamed Bailey. Bailey and Ethan bond quickly, especially over the summer when the family visits Ethan 's maternal grandparents ' farm, and Bailey now believes Ethan alone is his purpose. Years pass and after several attempts at advancing in his job failed, Ethan 's father has become a deadbeat alcoholic, though teenage Ethan still tries to respect him -- inviting him to a football game now that he has been named starting quarterback. Over the summer, Ethan goes to a fair with Bailey and meets Hannah, who he quickly begins dating, with Bailey referring to her as `` part of the pack ''. Ethan and Hannah spend their summer happy together though their senior years are upcoming, but they plan to go to the same school ; popular Ethan getting a football scholarship and Hannah following him on an academic one. When he goes home one night though, Ethan 's father is drunk and shouting at Ethan 's mother. He turns on Ethan then and when his mother tries to keep them separated, he shoves her to the ground. Ethan orders his father to leave and never come back, and becomes `` the leader of the pack ''. Later, at a game watched by scouts, Ethan is offered a full 4 - year scholarship to Michigan State, but that night a vindictive classmate named Todd throws a lit firecracker into Ethan 's house as a prank, which unintentionally results in a house fire. Bailey alerts Ethan, who goes to save his mother. Unable to get out of the door, they head out through his mother 's bedroom window upstair. Ethan first lowers her with her sheets to the neighbors below, then Bailey, however he drops his rope and is left with no other way to exit but to jump. But when Ethan jumps out of the window, Ethan badly fractures his leg, ending his dreams of an athletic scholarship. Bailey attacks Todd, who is apprehended and arrested by the police when firecrackers fall out of his pocket. Now, Ethan must go to an agricultural school where he will learn to take over his grandparents ' farm. Falling into depression, self - pity and bitterness, Ethan grudgingly breaks off his romance with Hannah before leaving for college. Sometime afterwards, an aged Bailey slowly expires at the veterinarian 's office after sharing an eleventh - hour teary goodbye with Ethan. Bailey reincarnates into another dog life, a female German Shepherd police dog named Ellie, sometime in the late 1970s / early 1980s, while possessing full memories and experiences of his past lives. Ellie is partnered with a widowed officer named Carlos from the Chicago Police Department, and works hard at `` seeking '' and `` finding '', now seeing the job as life 's purpose. The two form a close relationship which ends after Ellie jumps into a rushing river and saves a kidnapped girl from drowning, and is then fatally shot during a struggle with the armed kidnapper who was a moment away from killing an unsuspecting Carlos. Reborn again in the mid-1980s as a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, he forms a bond with an Atlanta college student named Maya who names him Tino. Maya is lonely, which Tino, having bonded closely with the girl, realizes, and makes his purpose to find her some happiness. She starts a relationship with another classmate named Al who she begins seeing after Tino falls for Al 's dog, a black and white Landseer named Roxie, and allows her to open up to him. Maya and Al marry and have 3 children who all love the Corgi. In love with Roxie ( though she does not seem to reciprocate the romance ), Tino is permanently heartbroken when one day she does not return from the vet. As he lies dying of old age in the late 1990s, Tino thanks Maya for giving him one of his best lives. Bailey is again reborn and reincarnated, this time, as a St. Bernard - Australian Shepherd mix, sometime during the next decade, only to be taken in by an abusive and neglectful urban couple who name him Waffles. Waffles is eventually dumped in an abandoned lot and reluctantly sets off in search of a new life. Walking past a dog park and remembering how long it had been since he played, Waffles meets a dog and her human who hold a familiar scent to him, though he knows neither of them. He gradually makes his way to the country area where he spent summers as Bailey without even realizing at first where he is headed. He joyfully reunites with his old master Ethan, who is now somewhere in his 50s, living a lonely life and apparently broken in spirit at his grandparents ' old farm, which he now owns and runs. Ethan, of course, initially has no idea who this wandering dog really is and hands him over to the local animal shelter. But he soon has a change of heart and reclaims him, naming him Buddy. Buddy, sensing that he has finally found the true purpose of life that has long evaded him, finds a way to reunite Ethan with a widowed Hannah, and they eventually get married. Buddy finally convinces Ethan that he is his beloved childhood pet by performing some tricks and responding to key phrases that were known only to the two of them all those many, many long years ago. The dog in voiceover tells the viewer that life is about having fun ; saving others ; not getting caught in the past or regrets ; finding someone to be with ; and living for today. Cast Josh Gad as the voice of Toby, Bailey, Ellie, Tino, Waffles and Buddy. Dennis Quaid as Ethan Montgomery ( adult ) KJ Apa as teenage Ethan Montgomery Bryce Gheisar as eight - year old Ethan Montgomery Juliet Rylance as Elizabeth Montgomery, Ethan 's mother. Peggy Lipton as older Hannah Britt Robertson as teenage Hannah John Ortiz as Carlos Ruiz Kirby Howell - Baptiste as Maya Pooch Hall as Al Luke Kirby as Jim Montgomery, Ethan 's father Michael Bofshever as Bill, Ethan 's grandfather Gabrielle Rose as Fran, Ethan 's grandmother Logan Miller as Todd, the vindictive classmate Production In 2015, DreamWorks acquired the film rights for Cameron 's novel. On May 8, 2015, it was announced Lasse Hallström would direct the film. On August 5, 2015, Britt Robertson and Dennis Quaid joined the cast. On September 18, 2015, Pooch Hall was cast in the film. On October 15, 2015, Bradley Cooper joined the cast to play the dog 's inner voice. He was eventually replaced by Josh Gad. Principal photography began on August 17, 2015. Release In December 2015, the film switched from a DreamWorks Pictures release to under the Amblin Entertainment banner as per Amblin Partners ' newly enacted branded strategy. The film was released by Universal Pictures on January 27, 2017. Universal also distributed it overseas, except for countries where Mister Smith Entertainment handled international sales. Box office A Dog 's Purpose has grossed $64.5 million in the United States and Canada and $131.9 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $196.4 million, against a production budget of $22 million. In North America it was released alongside Resident Evil : The Final Chapter and Gold, and was projected to gross $18 -- 22 million from 3,050 theaters in its opening weekend, slightly lower than initial $27 million tracking had the film debuting to before boycotts against the film were called for. It made $466,000 from Thursday night previews and $5.3 million on its first day. It ended up debuting to $18.2 million, finishing second at the box office behind the second weekend of Universal 's own Split. The film dropped 40.6 % in its second weekend, grossing $10.8 million and finishing third at the box office. Critical response On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 33 % based on 133 reviews, and an average rating of 4.7 / 10. The site 's critical consensus reads, `` A Dog 's Purpose offers an awkward blend of sugary sentiment and canine suffering that tugs at animal - loving audiences ' heartstrings with shameless abandon. '' On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 43 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating `` mixed or average reviews ''. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of `` A '' on an A+ to F scale. Home Media A Dog 's Purpose was released on digital HD on April 18, 2017, and was followed by a release on Blu - ray and DVD on May 2, 2017, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The film topped the home video sales chart for the week ending on May 7, 2017. Animal abuse allegations On January 18, 2017, a video surfaced on TMZ showing footage taken from the set of the film, which shows a German Shepherd named Hercules being dragged and dipped into rushing water while visibly resisting. After a cut in the video, the next clip shows the dog being submerged in the water at the other end of the tank while a voice on set can be heard shouting `` CUT IT ! '', and various people are then seen rushing towards the dog. The American Humane Association, which ensures that animals are not harmed in entertainment productions, announced that its representative on set had been suspended over the incident, and that the incident was under further investigation. PETA called for a boycott of the film. Actor Josh Gad, who voices the dog in the movie, was not on set during the making of the film, but stated that he was `` shaken and sad to see any animal put in a situation against its will ''. Director Lasse Hallström stated on Twitter that he `` did not witness '' the actions in the video, and was `` very disturbed '' by the footage. Due to the release of the video, Universal Pictures cancelled the film 's scheduled January 19 Los Angeles premiere. Amblin Entertainment released a statement in regards to the incident, saying that `` on the day of the shoot, Hercules did not want to perform the stunt portrayed on the tape so the Amblin production team did not proceed with filming that shot '', and that `` Hercules is happy and healthy ''. On February 4, 2017, the American Humane Association reported that an independent third - party animal - cruelty expert had concluded that safety measures on the set of the film were in place and the video had been deliberately edited to mislead the public. Sequel On June 21, 2017, CEO of Amblin Entertainment Michael Wright announced that a sequel was in development. See also Oh ! Heavenly Dog ( 1980 film ) Fluke ( 1995 film ) Quigley ( 2003 film ) References Jump up ^ `` Rachel Portman Scoring Lasse Hallstrom 's ' A Dog 's Purpose ' - Film Music Reporter ''. filmmusicreporter.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` A DOG 'S PURPOSE - British Board of Film Classification ''. www.bbfc.co.uk. ^ Jump up to : `` A Dog 's Purpose ( 2017 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 5, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Box Office : Can ' A Dog 's Purpose ' Still Win the Weekend After Canine Controversy ? ''. Variety. Retrieved January 24, 2017. Jump up ^ Scheck, Frank ( January 24, 2017 ). `` ' A Dog 's Purpose ' : Film Review ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 3, 2017. Production companies : Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment, Walden Media, Pariah Entertainment Group Distributor : Universal Pictures Jump up ^ Barker, Andrew ( January 24, 2016 ). `` Film Review : ' A Dog 's Purpose ' ''. Variety. Retrieved March 7, 2017. A Universal Pictures release of an Amblin Entertainment and Reliance Entertainment presentation in association with Walden Media of a Pariah production ^ Jump up to : `` Third Party Investigation Finds No Animal Injuries, Cruelty on Set of ' A Dog 's Purpose ' ''. The Hollywood Reporter. February 4, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Kit, Borys. `` Britt Robertson, Dennis Quaid Join DreamWorks ' ' A Dog 's Purpose ' ( Exclusive ) ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 25. ^ Jump up to : Lincoln, Ross A. ( 2015 - 09 - 18 ). `` Pooch Hall Joins ' A Dog 's Purpose ', Doug McKeon Will Run With ' LBJ ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 25. Jump up ^ Kit, Borys ( September 16, 2016 ). `` Bradley Cooper in Talks to Voice ' A Dog 's Purpose ' ( Exclusive ) ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2016. Jump up ^ Fleming, Mike ( 2015 - 05 - 08 ). `` ' A Dog 's Purpose ' Set At DreamWorks With Lasse Hallstrom To Direct ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 25. Jump up ^ Kit, Borys ( 2015 - 10 - 15 ). `` ' A Dog 's Purpose ' : Bradley Cooper in Talks to Voice ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Josh Gad is Reincarnated Over and Over in the A Dog 's Purpose Trailer ''. 2016 - 08 - 26. Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 26. Jump up ^ `` On the Set for 8 / 21 / 15 : Eddie Redmayne Starts Fantastic Beasts, Russo Brothers Wrap Up Captain America : Civil War ''. SSN Insider. 2015 - 08 - 21. Archived from the original on 2015 - 08 - 22. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 25. Jump up ^ Busch, Anita ( December 16, 2016 ). `` It 's Official : Spielberg, DreamWorks, Participant, eOne, Others Pact For Amblin Partners ''. Deadline.com. Retrieved November 6, 2016. Jump up ^ Busch, Anita ( 2015 - 09 - 22 ). `` ' A Dog 's Purpose ' Movie Based On Best - Selling Book To Unleash In 2017 ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 27. Jump up ^ `` Is Controversy Impacting ' A Dog 's Purpose ' At The Box Office ? ''. Deadline.com. Jump up ^ `` ' Split ' Dings ' Rings ' ; Auds Keep Distance From ' Space ' ; ' Comedian ' Bombs : Sunday Update ''. Deadline.com. Jump up ^ `` A Dog 's Purpose ( 2017 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 18, 2017. Jump up ^ `` A Dog 's Purpose reviews ''. Metacritic. Retrieved February 7, 2017. Jump up ^ `` CinemaScore ''. cinemascore.com. Jump up ^ A Dog 's Purpose ( 2017 ) DVD Release Dates, Retrieved April 30, 2017 Jump up ^ A Dog 's Purpose Blu - ray Blu-ray.com, Retrieved April 30, 2017 Jump up ^ Thomas K. Arnold ( May 10, 2017 ). `` ' A Dog 's Purpose ' Leads the Pack in DVD, Blu - ray Disc Sales ''. Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2017. Jump up ^ Leigh Blickley ( 18 January 2017 ). `` Leaked Video From ' A Dog 's Purpose ' Set Calls Film 's Treatment Of Animals Into Question ''. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` ' A Dog 's Purpose ' Video Shows Terrified German Shepherd Forced to Film ''. tmz.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` ' A Dog 's Purpose ' Video Triggers Suspension ''. TMZ. January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017. Jump up ^ Catherine Garcia ( 18 January 2017 ). `` Investigation opened into ' disturbing ' treatment of German shepherd on set of A Dog 's Purpose ''. The Week. Retrieved 18 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` PETA Calls for Boycott of ' A Dog 's Purpose ' After Disturbing Video Surfaces '', Dave McNary. Variety. January 18, 2017. Accessed January 18, 2017 Jump up ^ Sandra Gondalez ( 19 January 2017 ). `` ' A Dog 's Purpose ' faces backlash after ' disturbing ' video surfaces ''. CNN.com. Retrieved 17 January 2017. Jump up ^ Bryan Alexander ( 19 January 2017 ). `` ' A Dog 's Purpose ' reels after outrage over disturbing set video ''. USA Today. Retrieved 19 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Universal Pictures cancels premiere of ' A Dog 's Purpose ' ''. 20 January 2017. Jump up ^ Karen Mizoguchi ( 19 January 2017 ). `` A Dog 's Purpose Releases Statement Following Controversial Video : We ' Foster an Ethical, Safe Environment for Animals ' ''. People. Retrieved 19 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` A Dog 's Purpose Sequel is Happening Because Of China ''. slashfilm.com. 21 June 2017. External links Official website A Dog 's Purpose on IMDb A Dog 's Purpose at Rotten Tomatoes Films directed by Lasse Hallström A Guy and a Gal ( 1975 ) ABBA : The Movie ( 1977 ) Father to Be ( 1979 ) Tuppen ( 1981 ) Happy We ( 1983 ) My Life as a Dog ( 1985 ) The Children of Noisy Village ( 1986 ) More About the Children of Noisy Village ( 1987 ) Once Around ( 1991 ) What 's Eating Gilbert Grape ( 1993 ) Something to Talk About ( 1995 ) The Cider House Rules ( 1999 ) Chocolat ( 2000 ) The Shipping News ( 2001 ) An Unfinished Life ( 2005 ) Casanova ( 2005 ) The Hoax ( 2007 ) Hachi : A Dog 's Tale ( 2009 ) Dear John ( 2010 ) Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ( 2011 ) The Hypnotist ( 2012 ) Safe Haven ( 2013 ) The Hundred - Foot Journey ( 2014 ) A Dog 's Purpose ( 2017 ) The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ( 2018 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Dog%27s_Purpose_(film)&oldid=841269504 '' Categories : 2017 films English - language films 2010s comedy - drama films 2010s fantasy films American films American comedy - drama films American fantasy films Films about dogs Films about reincarnation Films set in the 1960s Films set in the 1970s Films set in the 1980s Films set in the 1990s Films set in the 2000s Films set in Chicago Films set in Michigan Amblin Entertainment films Reliance Entertainment films Universal Pictures films Walden Media films Films directed by Lasse Hallström Films based on American novels Screenplays by Audrey Wells Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from June 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Wikipedia articles with plot summary needing attention from January 2018 All Wikipedia articles with plot summary needing attention Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Galego Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Português Русский Українська 中文 7 more Edit links This page was last edited on 14 May 2018, at 21 : 24. 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Question: who plays teenage ethan in a dog's purpose
Answer: KJ Apa