A Dog's Way Home (2019) * * *

Directed by:  Charles Martin Smith

Starring:  Shelby, Bryce Dallas Howard (voice), Ashley Judd, Jonah Hauer-King, Wes Studi, Edward James Olmos, Alexandra Shipp, John Cassini

The title, trailer, and the idea that a family movie won't end with the dog not finding her way home makes the conclusion of A Dog's Way Home a formality.    Nonetheless, it had me choked up or sobbing throughout most of its running time, so it did what it was supposed to do:   It jerked the tears right out of me.    A Dog's Way Home isn't complicated, and its mission to tug at the heartstrings is a successful one.   

We first meet Bella (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard), a sweet dog who is raised under an abandoned Denver house by a cat when Bella's mother is snatched up by animal control.    Bella soon meets a gentle young man named Lucas (Hauer-King), whom Bella instantly connects with.   Lucas takes her home to his military veteran mother (Judd) who suffers from PTSD.   But, Bella is soon part of the family, but has to keep a low profile because pets aren't allowed in the apartment and animal control is under antiquated city orders to pick up any pit bulls off the streets.    Bella doesn't look like a pit bull, but as another character explained, it is what people offhandedly call some dogs when no other name will do.

Bella sees the world simply and on her terms.   She thinks everything is a game, including "go home" and waits anxiously at home for Lucas to come home.   She wants food, a warm blanket, and her family.   Life is simple, until one day it isn't.   Because of a persistent animal control officer (Cassini)
who can't wait to arrest Bella if she is caught outside her home, Lucas temporarily sends Bella to New Mexico until he is able to find a home outside of Denver where Bella won't be pestered.    Bella escapes from her temporary home in New Mexico and wanders the wilderness for two years in her quest to go home again.

Naturally, such a journey isn't easy, and Bella battles frequent bouts of hunger, extreme weather, wild animals, and sometimes even more dangerous humans.    She befriends a young cougar cub she dubs Little Kitten, and they form a friendship despite their different species.    The CGI used for Little Kitten is less than convincing, reminding me of the lion Russell Crowe battles in Gladiator when CGI was in its infancy.    Gladiator won on Oscar for Best Visual Effects, but I don't anticipate A Dog's Way Home will follow suit.

We hear Bella's voice throughout, and Howard does a stellar job in capturing Bella's sweetness and fear of her situation.   But, she persists and when she reaches her destination, it is an emotional moment which, even though we saw it coming, still doesn't disappoint.    Surely, the humans are a bit more broadly drawn than the animals, because this is a movie told from an animal's point of view, but the story of Bella is engaging and yes, it put me through the emotional wringer in a tender way.