The novelist W. Bruce Cameron returns with another canine weeper, "A Dog's Journey," his third book-to-film project in as many years. Like its prequel, 2017's "A Dog's Purpose," this Universal Pictures production is a mix of sudsy drama, nondenominational religiosity and puppies _ a winning formula, though not a foolproof one. After a serious misstep with "A Dog's Way Home" _ a stand-alone episode from a different studio released earlier this year _ the Cameron machine gets back on track with this warm-and-fuzzy entry.
"Journey" begins shortly after the last chapter of "Purpose," in which Bailey, a reincarnated dog with Josh Gad's happy-go-lucky voice, finally found his way to his original owner, Ethan (Dennis Quaid). Now they're living the late-life American dream: house on a hill, big yard, farmland that doesn't actually need working. There's been tragedy, though: Ethan and his wife, Hannah (Marg Helgenberger), are helping raise their granddaughter, CJ, whose father has died and whose mother, Gloria (Betty Gilpin), seems more concerned with dating and drinking than parenting.
"Maybe you'll come back," Ethan tells Bailey when the dog breathes his last (again), "and protect CJ."
