History Film / ADogsPurpose

* ReincarnationIdentifyingTrait: Bear tries to invoke this. He remembers all his lives and finds himself back with one of his previous owners, Ethan. Bear tries to show Ethan that he's his childhood dog Bailey by doing the same tail trick Bailey did, but it takes a while for Ethan to understand its anything but a coincidence.

!!This film provides examples of:

* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Not outright abuse, but every bad character in both films dislikes the incarnation of Bailey that is present. Even Brady who already has a dog.

** Nearly all incarnations of Bailey in the sequel pick up on someone who's no good--Buddy dislikes Gloria, Molly dislikes Gloria and Sean, and Max hates Brady--he even gets ''his'' dog to hate him!

* JerkassHasAPoint: CJ's boyfriend Brady is made out to be a jerk because of his complaining about Max. But she got the dog without even asking him about it or discussing it with him and the dog almost immediately sets about terrorizing him--chewing up his things, peeing on them, etc. He had every right to be annoyed.

* RomanticFalseLead: Sean when CJ and Trent are teenagers, Liesl and Brady when they're adults. True to form, they're [[{{Jerkass}} jerkassess]]--Sean gets CJ arrested and almost kills her, Brady. . .[[DesignatedVillain actually doesn't do anything wrong]] except not want another dog around and make a few snide comments about CJ's non-existent musical career, and Liesl dumps Trent after he's diagnosed with cancer.

** As Molly, he learns how to sniff out cancer. Two incarnations later as Max, he realizes that CJ's friend Trent is sick.

* BabiesEverAfter: CJ has her baby during the montage that concludes the second film.

* CharacterTic: Spinning around and catching his tail in his mouth. When Hannah sees him do it as Buddy, she comments, "Didn't Bailey used to do that?", and between the trick where he jumps off Ethan's back, his tail-catching trick, and his reaction to the phrase "boss dog", it helps Ethan recognize who he is.

* DepartmentOfChildDisservices: Well, the pet version at least. An animal control officer comes to the house where Buddy has repeatedly been left outside in the cold. Kudos to whatever concerned neighbor called the cops, but the officer doesn't do anything more than give them a ticket. Buddy's bewilderment as to why she isn't taking him with her (because he remembers his life as a police dog), is [[{{Tearjerker}} wrenching]].

* ManlyTears: Carlo, as he cradles the mortally wounded Ellie:

** Tino after the death of his dog friend, showing him sadly sitting by the window, looking for her, while the seasons pass and the children grow in the background

-->"Everyone knows there's never been a game in the history of balls that can't be improved by having a dog in it."

The film was directed by Lasse Hallström, and starred Creator/DennisQuaid as Ethan and the voice of Creator/JoshGad as the main character (referred to as "Bailey" here, as that's the name he has the longest and identifies most as).

->"If I can get you licking and loving, I have my purpose."
-->-- The Aesop of Dogs.

* ActorAlussion: In the Japanese dub of ''A Dog's Journey'', Gloria is voiced by Creator/RomiPark, who already voiced another, [[spoiler:even worse abusive mother]] [[Anime/KillLaKill before]].

** In the film, his first life is particularly short. The film version just shows him playing with his littermates as a stray and then being put in an animal control van before fading out, while in the book his first life lasted a whole 54 pages: he was a stray, found by humans, and raised in a place he called "the Yard" with dozens of other dogs, and named "Toby". There was some detail about his life there, and he learned how to open gates, which would help him in his later lives. The Yard was shut down due to too many dogs in what they considered inhumane conditions, and he was put to sleep.

* RomanticFalseLead: Sean when CJ and Trent are teenagers, Liesl when they're adults. True to form, they're [[{{Jerkass}} jerkassess]]--Sean gets CJ arrested and almost kills her, Liesl dumps Trent after he's diagnosed with cancer.

* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:Ethan]] is still alive at the end of the film.

A sequel called ''Film/ADogsJourney'' (the same name as the novel) premiered in May 2019.

A sequel called ''A Dog's Journey'' (the same name as the novel) premiered in May 2019.

** The girl Ellie rescues was kidnapped by her abusive father, ** It's implied that the male half of the couple that purchases Buddy ill-treats his girlfriend.

* DomesticAbuse: Ethan's father roughs up him and his mother enough for them to order him out of the house, the girl Ellie rescues was kidnapped by her abusive father, and it's implied that the male half of the couple that purchases Buddy ill-treats his girlfriend.

* SadTimesMontage: Tino after the death of his dog friend, showing him sadly sitting by the window, looking for her, while the seasons pass and the children grow in the background, and Buddy, continually left outside in the cold, confused as to why his owner doesn't play with him or take him anywhere.

* GoOutWithASmile: Tino has some semblance of this expression as he passed away.
* HeroicDog:

* TheLostLenore: Carlos' wife, and Roxie, whose death depresses Tino so much that he stops enjoying life and passe s away himself several years later.