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A Dog's Journey - Full Cast & Crew

  • 43   Metascore
  • 1 hr 49 mins
  • Drama, Fantasy, Family, Comedy
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Bailey is a dog that has grown old through the years who makes a promise to his owner that he will find and protect his granddaughter no matter what. As Bailey's soul jumps through multiple lives, he always finds his way to her as she goes through the highs and lows of life.

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Executive producer, cinematographer, production company, art director, set decorator, costumes supervisor, sound effects editor, sound mixer, sound/sound designer, makeup special effects, special effects coordinator, visual effects supervisor, production manager, unit production manager, exec. in charge of production, production supervisor, second assistant director, production designer, re-recording mixer.

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A Dog's Journey (2019) Cast and Crew

A Dog's Journey

A Dog's Purpose Collection

A dog goes on quest to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes with multiple owners.

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A Dog's Journey

2019, Kids & family/Comedy, 1h 48m

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Critics Consensus

A Dog's Journey is as sentimental as one might expect, but even cynical viewers may find their ability to resist shedding a tear stretched to the puppermost limit. Read critic reviews

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Bailey is living the good life on the Michigan farm of his boy, Ethan and Ethan's wife Hannah. He even has a new playmate: Ethan and Hannah's baby granddaughter, CJ. The problem is that CJ's mom, Gloria, decides to take CJ away. As Bailey's soul prepares to leave this life for a new one, he makes a promise to Ethan to find CJ and protect her at any cost. Thus begins Bailey's adventure through many lives filled with love, friendship, and devotion.

Rating: PG (Some Peril|Rude Humor|Thematic Content)

Genre: Kids & family, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Adventure

Original Language: English

Director: Gail Mancuso

Producer: Gavin Polone

Writer: W. Bruce Cameron , Cathryn Michon , Maya Forbes , Wallace Wolodarsky

Release Date (Theaters): May 17, 2019  wide

Release Date (Streaming): Aug 6, 2019

Box Office (Gross USA): $22.5M

Runtime: 1h 48m

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Production Co: Pariah, Walden Media, Alibaba Pictures Group

Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

Bailey Voice

Kathryn Prescott

Betty Gilpin

Dennis Quaid

Marg Helgenberger

Abby Ryder Fortson

Young Trent

Conrad Coates

Jake Manley

Daniela Barbosa

Kevin Claydon

Johnny Galecki

Gail Mancuso

W. Bruce Cameron

Screenwriter

Cathryn Michon

Maya Forbes

Wallace Wolodarsky

Gavin Polone

Seth William Meier

Executive Producer

Lasse Hallström

Rogier Stoffers

Cinematographer

Robert Komatsu

Film Editing

Original Music

Eric Fraser

Production Design

Patti Henderson

Costume Design

John Papsidera

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  • Cast & crew

The full cast of A Dog's Journey

Here you will find an overview of the cast of the movie A Dog's Journey from the year 2019, including all the actors, actresses and the director. When you click on the name of an actor, actress or director from the movie A Dog's Journey-cast you can watch more movies and/or series by him or her. Click here for more infomation about the movie.

We have made an overview that includes: actors , directors , the production team , the camera team , writers and other crew members .

Gail Mancuso

Gail Mancuso

W. Bruce Cameron

W. Bruce Cameron

Wallace Wolodarsky

Wallace Wolodarsky

Maya Forbes

Maya Forbes

Cathryn Michon

Cathryn Michon

Actors & actresses.

Kathryn Prescott

Kathryn Prescott

Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid

Josh Gad

Marg Helgenberger

Betty Gilpin

Betty Gilpin

Henry Lau

Abby Ryder Fortson

Emma Volk

Jake Manley

Johnny Galecki

Johnny Galecki

Tyler Asher Xin-Qin

Tyler Asher Xin-Qin

Beckett Richard Pin

Beckett Richard Pin

Daniela Barbosa

Daniela Barbosa

Kevin Claydon

Kevin Claydon

Arlene Duncan

Arlene Duncan

Cherissa Richards

Cherissa Richards

Kenneth Liu

Kenneth Liu

Stefanie Wiens

Stefanie Wiens

Angela Narth

Angela Narth

Sally Shepard

Sally Shepard

Conrad Coates

Conrad Coates

Artistic design.

Larry Spittle

Larry Spittle

Eric Fraser

Eric Fraser

Rogier Stoffers

Rogier Stoffers

Costume & makeup.

Patricia J. Henderson

Patricia J. Henderson

Todd Tucker

Todd Tucker

Marny Eng

Movie Editing

Robert Komatsu

Robert Komatsu

Holly Bario

Holly Bario

Chrussy Byrd

Chrussy Byrd

Gavin Polone

Gavin Polone

Mark Isham

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A Dog's Journey

MPAA Rating

A dog's journey (2019), directed by gail mancuso.

  • AllMovie Rating 8
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Synopsis by Marvin Royce Moreno

Characteristics, related movies.

A Dog's Purpose

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, a dog's journey.

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Is “A Dog’s Journey” one of the sweetest canine films out there, or one of the meanest? While I generally favor the latter reading, the gentle sniffling mixed with occasional awws and chuckles that broke out during my screening suggests the majority of the audiences will understandably lean otherwise, as they did with the film’s 2017 predecessor, “A Dog’s Purpose.” In theory, this unconditional affection seems mighty unjust for a shameless family franchise that kills an average of four to five dogs per movie, sometimes, in unspeakably wretched fashions—seriously, where is John Wick when you need him? And yet, as visually uninspired and ideologically conservative as it may be, there seems to be something beguiling about the series that keeps one (including myself, admittedly) on a short leash. Turns out, very few are immune to the sneaky suggestion that certain dogs and humans are meant for each other for life.   

This is indeed the philosophy behind TV veteran Gail Mancuso ’s “A Dog’s Journey,” which follows in the paw prints of its Lasse Hallström-directed ancestor with its assembly line of doggie fatalities. (Every dog-loving cinephile’s most cherished website “DoesTheDogDie.com” must be having a field trip with these films.) And before you cry out “spoiler alert,” know that spelling out the mounting corpses of our four-legged furry pals in these tearjerkers is not exactly a wrongdoing. Adapted from W. Bruce Cameron’s best-selling novels, the pair of syrupy films follows a Buddhist philosophy, imagining a world in which a dog’s spirit reincarnates in the body of a new adorable puppy (somehow, voiced by Josh Gad even when it’s a female) and pursues its original human to eternity.

“Journey” picks up where “Purpose” had left off, dropping us on a tranquil Midwestern farm ran by the impossibly wholesome couple Ethan ( Dennis Quaid ) and his wife Hannah ( Marg Helgenberger ). Their carefree “Boss Dog” Bailey, a handsome Great Pyrenees Bernese Mountain Dog, runs around the picturesque fields and happily chases his own tail, while keeping a watchful eye on Ethan and Hannah’s baby granddaughter CJ (affably played by Abby Ryder and Kathryn Presscott in later ages), parented by the couple’s heavy-drinking widowed daughter-in-law Gloria ( Betty Gilpin ). Bailey exits the picture soon enough—poor Boss Dog has a cancerous lump—but returns promptly in the body of Molly the mischievous Beagle, reuniting with the 11-year-old CJ to keep a promise he’s made to Ethan. Now living away from her grandparents with the negligent Gloria, CJ finds the kind of comfort and support every child needs in Molly.

Our determined pooch returns again and again as Bailey drops dead in a continuous loop: once, as the African Boerboel Big Dog living on a roadside convenience store (or, “a house made of snacks,” as he calls it), and then as the snippy Terrier Max. Meanwhile, CJ goes through her own transformation and finds herself in the unforgiving streets of New York City as a budding musician with a severe case of stage fright. A series of mean boyfriends—one, a dangerous stalker responsible for Molly’s horrific death—doesn’t help with her insecurity, until she stumbles upon her beloved childhood friend Trent ( Henry Lau ) and falls in love. (Guess what wet-nosed character masterminds the reunion with a paw shake and tail wag?)

Rest assured, there is sufficient amount of cuteness to go around in “Journey,” complete with dutiful canine humor around pooping, face licking, and the perpetual pursuit of food. But while the film engages with the sadness and despair of certain life crises head-on—an unexpected case of terminal illness is especially well-conceived in that regard—it strangely falls short of treating others with the empathy and seriousness they deserve. Written by Cameron, Maya Forbes , Cathryn Michon and Wallace Wolodarsky , the story is outright hostile to Gloria, a paper-thin character whose mourning and alcoholism receives a cruel one-dimensional treatment. A gold-digging ex-girlfriend of Trent suffers in the hands of a similar caricaturized vision. And yet, no one comes to a film like this, where the world is divided into absolute goods and evils, for nuance or subtlety. If you can look behind the flat visuals and prescriptive pleasantries of “Journey,” you might just get on board with its compelling-enough tale of lost souls, found and lifted up by their forever-loyal pooches. On this earth and beyond.

Tomris Laffly

Tomris Laffly

Tomris Laffly is a freelance film writer and critic based in New York. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), she regularly contributes to  RogerEbert.com , Variety and Time Out New York, with bylines in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Journal International, Vulture, The Playlist and The Wrap, among other outlets.

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Film Credits

A Dog's Journey movie poster

A Dog's Journey (2019)

Rated PG for thematic content, some peril and rude humor.

120 minutes

Dennis Quaid as Ethan

Betty Gilpin as Gloria

Josh Gad as Bailey (voice)

Abby Ryder Fortson as Young CJ

Marg Helgenberger as Hannah

Kathryn Prescott as CJ

Ian Chen as Young Trent

Daniela Barbosa as Liesl

Jake Manley as Shane

  • Gail Mancuso

Writer (book)

  • W. Bruce Cameron
  • Maya Forbes
  • Cathryn Michon
  • Wallace Wolodarsky

Cinematographer

  • Rogier Stoffers
  • Robert Komatsu

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A Dog's Journey

Cast & crew.

Dennis Quaid

Betty Gilpin

Voice of Bailey

Gail Mancuso

Gavin Polone

Sequel is as sentimental and emotional as the first film.

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Movie's ratings

  • Kinorium 7.9 2923
  • IMDb 7.4 28 304
  • Critics 51% 86

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A Dog's Journey — Cast & Crew

Gail mancuso.

Gail Mancuso — Director «A Dog's Journey»

Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid — Ethan

Kathryn Prescott

Kathryn Prescott — CJ

Marg Helgenberger

Marg Helgenberger — Hannah

Betty Gilpin

Betty Gilpin — Gloria

Abby Ryder Fortson

Abby Ryder Fortson — Young CJ

Johnny Galecki

Johnny Galecki — Henry, voice

Jake Manley

Jake Manley — Shane

Daniela Barbosa

Daniela Barbosa — Liesl

Conrad Coates

Conrad Coates — Big Joe

Arlene Duncan

Arlene Duncan — Hilda

Kevin Claydon

Kevin Claydon — Barry

Victoria Sanchez

Victoria Sanchez — Andi

Cherissa Richards

Cherissa Richards — Joan

Shiong-En Chan

Shiong-En Chan — Trent's Mother

Kenneth Liu

Kenneth Liu — Trent's Father

Scott Gibson

Natalia longley.

Natalia Longley — Businesswoman

Angela Narth

Angela Narth — Elderly Woman

Ron Verwymeren

Ron Verwymeren — Doorman

Sarah-Jane Marquez-Hicks

Sarah-Jane Marquez-Hicks — Dr. Deb

Stefanie Wiens

Stefanie Wiens — Policewoman

Nancy Sorel

Nancy Sorel — Ringo's Owner

Alan Castanaga

Alan Castanaga — Man at Elevator

Peter Baykov

Peter Baykov — Trent, Bulgarian, uncredited

Glenn Odero

Jeff Roop — Richard, uncredited

Sally Shepard

Sally Shepard — Tour Bus Ticket Taker, uncredited

Charlene Tanner

Cathryn michon.

Cathryn Michon — (screenplay by)

Maya Forbes

Maya Forbes — (screenplay by)

Wallace Wolodarsky

Wallace Wolodarsky — (screenplay by)

W. Bruce Cameron

W. Bruce Cameron — (screenplay by) (based on the novel by)

Gavin Polone

Gavin Polone — Producers «A Dog's Journey»

Holly Bario

Ian dimerman.

Ian Dimerman — co-producer

Wei Zhang A.

Luyuan Fan — executive producer

Lasse Hallström

Lasse Hallström — executive producer

Seth William Meier

Seth William Meier — executive producer

Rogier Stoffers

Rogier Stoffers — Camera «A Dog's Journey»

Leon Johnson

Andy nelson.

Andy Nelson — re-recording mixer

Larry Spittle

Eric fraser, stephen arndt, patricia j. henderson.

Patricia J. Henderson — Designers «A Dog's Journey»

Robert Komatsu

A Dog

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‘a dog’s journey’: film review.

In 'A Dog's Journey,' a sequel to 'A Dog's Purpose,' Kathryn Prescott joins the ensemble as a troubled young woman whom Bailey, the frequently reincarnated canine, keeps coming back to help.

By Leslie Felperin

Leslie Felperin

Contributing Film Critic

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Centered on the soul of a loyal mutt (amiably voiced by Josh Gad ) who has the spiritual equivalent of a season ticket that keeps sending him back to earth after several deaths, A Dog’s Purpose and now its sequel,  A Dog’s Journey,  serve up a sugar-coated, bastardized form of Buddhism for pet lovers. They’re easy films to sneer and snark at, especially given that both, and the first one especially, trade in a certain kind of wholesome, backlit, wheat-field-swathed image of America (actually shot in Manitoba, Canada).

Even worse, both films are ruthlessly efficient when it comes to jerking tears. Some prideful viewers are likely to feel resentful over how well the pain of losing a beloved animal companion is evoked. The tools are nothing more complicated than a likable cast (that goes for the dog and human actors); competent direction (Gail Mancuso, who oversaw episodes of Modern Family and Gilmore Girls , takes charge of the leash in Journey  from Purpose ‘s Lasse Halstrom); a surging score by Mark Isham to punch up the plangency; and some corny but hugely relatable plot devices. Ivan Pavlov himself (the original guy who taught dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell) would be impressed.

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Don’t tell anyone I said this, but the result is not only pleasingly emotionally purgative, but also has some elements worthy of genuine admiration, despite the fact that the third word in the title is one that should now be entirely banished from the English language for its precious, psychobabble connotations. Aside from that, the screenplay by W. Bruce Cameron (author of the novels on which both  Purpose and Journey are   based), Cathryn Michon, Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky navigates competently between providing bereavement-based melodrama and butt-sniffing jokes, the twin poles of the Dog’s  mini-franchise. Along the way, with a story centered on a female protagonist this time, it quietly boosts a message of resilience and self-belief to young girl audiences, advising them that it’s always a smarter move to love nice boys and dogs rather than abusive jerks and pet haters.

Purpose  left off with our canine hero Bailey, at this point living in the body of a Great Pyrenees Bernese Mountain Dog, reunited with both Ethan ( Dennis Quaid ), who was Bailey’s owner as a child back in the late 1950s, and Hannah (Marg Helgenberger), whom Ethan used to date when they were teens. As Journey  begins, sometime in the late 1980s/early 1990s, two new members of the family have moved into the Norman Rockwell-style clapboard farmhouse Ethan’s inherited: Hannah’s daughter-in-law Gloria (Betty Gilpin, from GLOW ) and her toddler Clarity (Emma Volk), also known as C.J.

Bailey is, as per usual, mostly focused on bacon falling on the floor in this period. He doesn’t truly understand what’s going on when Gloria — grieving over the off-camera death of C.J.’s father, who was Hannah’s son, and also a budding alcoholic and unconfident mother who feels jealous of Hannah and Ethan’s bond with her daughter — decides to up and leave with C.J., citing unfounded suspicions that they’re after C.J.’s inheritance money. The dog misses his small, pork-product-dispensing companion, but gets on with life in his phlegmatic, doggy way. When the time comes for Ethan to have the now-aged Bailey put to sleep permanently (arguably the film’s most sob-inducing scene), he asks Bailey to keep an eye over C.J. in his future lives.

Conveniently, the universe contrives to help him do just that, bringing Bailey back first as a female Beaglier (beagle/King Charles spaniel cross) named Molly that ends up being adopted by C.J. (Abby Ryder Fortson), now 11 years old and fending for herself as best she can while Gloria works through a variety of unsuitable men, many glasses of chardonnay and her few remaining hopes of ever having a solo singing career.

The script, Mancuso and the cast, especially the deeply watchable Gilpin and engaging up-and-comer Kathryn Prescott (who takes over as C.J. once she’s past puberty) effectively limn the layered complexities of this dysfunctional single-mom/lone girl-child menage, which scars C.J. in ways that only a loving dog can compensate for. Gloria fat shames her, cuts her off from her grandparents and neglects her horribly, which leads to her dating a skeevy guy named Shane (Jake Manley) — who might as well have a T-shirt with “Potential Stalker” blazoned across it — instead of her sweet childhood friend Trent (first Ian Chen, then later on Canadian K-pop star Henry Lau), who is always there for her. The core romantic advice from the Dog’s  films seems to be “never date anyone you haven’t known since childhood.”

It takes a few reincarnations for Bailey before his soul (now encased by a Yorkshire terrier), C.J. and Trent to all end up in New York City (playing itself with swagger), where the plot veers for a while into a young-people-face-cancer story, in the manner of The Fault in Our Stars  and the like. This extra layer of morbidity adds an interesting spin on the two films’ ongoing preoccupation with death, raising the stakes by having not just the loss of a beloved pet in the offing, but also the loss of a beloved friend. Tellingly, both potential losses are seen as equally devastating.

Nevertheless, it’s best not to think too much about the moral logic of Journey  and where it stands on the respective value of humans versus other mammals and animals. Or about why Bailey keeps getting reborn and coming back to these particular people and not, say, Joe (Conrad Coates), the nice man who runs a gas station near Pittsburgh, with whom Bailey lives when he comes back for a while as an African Boerboel named Big Dog. After all, Joe treats Big Dog just as well as any of the other dog owners and lives, as the inner voice of Bailey exclaims happily, in a “house made of snacks.”

Distribution: Universal Pictures Production: An Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment presentation in association with Walden Media, Alibaba Pictures of a Pariah production   Cast: Kathryn Prescott, Abby Ryder Fortson, Emma Volk, Josh Gad, Betty Gilpin, Marg Helgenberger, Henry Lau, Dennis Quaid, Ian Chen, Jake Manley, Daniela Barbosa, Conrad Coates Director: Gail Mancuso Screenwriters: W. Bruce Cameron and Cathryn Michon, Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, based on the novel by W. Bruce Cameron Producer: Gavin Polone Executive producers: Seth William Meier, Lasse Hallstrom, Luyuan Fan, Wei Zhang Director of photography: Rogier Stoffers Production designer: Eric Fraser Costume designer: Pattie Henderson Editor: Robert Komatsu Music: Mark Isham Casting: John Papsidera

Rating PG; 108 minutes

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Meet the dog thespians of 'A Dog's Journey,' a mutt method-acting masterclass

movie a dog's journey cast

Spoiler alert! What follows reveals key plot points in "A Dog's Journey," though not the ending. You might want to see the movie before reading.

The pooch ensemble in "A Dog's Journey" (in theaters Friday) has serious acting chops.

These skills are required in the saga, a continuation of 2017's "A Dog's Purpose," which follows the spirit of Bailey as he's reincarnated into pup after pup (all voiced by Josh Gad ) before eventually passing to heaven.

The circle of life requires the full spectrum of canine emotion – from cuddly to consequential. Director Gail Mancuso, who has five dogs of her own, pulls Oscar-worthy performances from her canine thespians in a movie where there's a pooch in every scene.

For your consideration, we present the leading contenders:

Buddy brought the beautiful heartbreak early.

Boss dog Buddy (a Great Pyrenees/Bernese Mountain dog mix) was played by three lookalike dogs, but mainly Odin, the film's primary star. 

Odin was tasked with dying in the lap of Buddy's beloved owner Ethan (Dennis Quaid), which happens early in the film. It was already a Kleenex moment before Odin lifted his head for a final, soulful look into Quaid's eyes and faded. "That look was pure magic," Mancuso says. "That moment resonated with me, as I have experienced my own dog looking at me during our goodbye. It's a special bond."

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Molly was more than adorable energy.

The energetic Molly, who steps in to support the movie's human heroine CJ when her mom moves her away, was played by two Beagliers (a beagle crossed with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel). Lead dog Lemy showed parkour skills, bounding through backyard obstacles (down stairs, over a gate) to jump into young CJ's arms (played by Abby Ryder Fortson). "And then started licking my face all over," Fortson says.

But Lemy had to get tough later and "bite" the leg of the film's villain (Jake Manley). Dog trainer Bonnie Judd first taught Lemy to tug with a toy, then placed a pouch of meat in Manley's pant leg. "It's kind of like a pinata," Judd says. "The more they go at it, the more they get."

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Parting is such sweet sorrow for Big Dog.

Big Dog, played by an African Boerboel named Phil, has a small role, portraying a chance meeting with his spiritual owner CJ, now an adult played by Kathryn Prescott, in a roadside store. Phil hit his marks, and gave a hearty paw-shake. But the soulful-eyed dog hit dramatic paydirt when he bid farewell forever to CJ.

"When he's saying goodbye as he's leaving, it's so sad that it made me cry," Prescott says.

Related: The 25 most heroic dogs in America

Buddy and an adorable toddler make giddy magic.

Emma Volk was 2 when she shot her screen debut as Buddy's kid friend (and Ethan's granddaughter) in "A Dog's Journey." But her giggling chemistry with Odin's Buddy is magic, with dog and toddler clearly happy together in a way that goes beyond acting. "Emma just really loved the big brute, and it looks natural," Judd says.

Max's exit scene was tough even for the dog actor.

Rescue dog Max, CJ's adulthood dog, was played by four Biewer terriers. Belle, the character's primary actor, was so invested in her death scene, she had trouble letting Prescott's CJ tearfully sing to her.

"The first time, Belle really wanted to kiss her tears away, but after that she kept her head down and closed her eyes each time," Judd says. "It's a tough scene for any dog but Belle was still a super-hyper puppy. Yet she did exactly as I asked over and over again. On each cut, she would quickly kiss CJ and play."

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