You’ve heard the saying claiming cats have nine lives, but what about their docile companions? Introducing us to an uplifting story of canine reincarnation, the first trailer for A Dog’s Purpose has scurried online just in time for National Dog Day.
The pic, one lifted from W. Bruce Cameron’s bestseller, hails from director Lasse Hallström (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules). As the trailer above reveals, Josh Gad lends his vocal chords to the central canine, who experiences life through a variety of wildly different vignettes – and breeds – ranging from a cutesy pup to a trained German Shepherd.
The story then becomes about Gad’s interaction with each new owner, a pitch that is about as crowd-pleasing as they come. Imagine the premise of Todd Solondz’s indie pic Wiener-Dog, only spreading its heartfelt story across multiple eras, beginning with the 1940s.
Outside of Gad’s multi-faceted role, the human cast of A Dog’s Purpose comprises Dennis Quaid, Tomorrowland star Britt Robertson, Peggy Lipton, K.J. Apa, Juliet Rylance, Luke Kirby, John Ortiz, and Pooch Hall.
A Dog’s Purpose is all set up to offer a feel-good counter to the post-apocalyptic action of Screen Gems’ Resident Evil: The Final Chapter when Lasse Hallström’s family pic opens in theaters on January 27, 2017.
Based on the beloved bestselling novel by W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog’s Purpose, from director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, Dear John, The 100-Foot Journey), shares the soulful and surprising story of one devoted dog (voiced by Josh Gad) who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he teaches to laugh and love. The family film told from the dog’s perspective also stars Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton, Britt Robertson, K.J. Apa, Juilet Rylance, Luke Kirby, John Ortiz and Pooch Hall.
