And that one dog, the one whose voiceover is enthusiastically articulated by Josh Gad, gets reincarnated a sufficient number of times to fulfill the purpose of redeeming the existence of his former master. No, it is meant to be an inspirational tale based on the notion that dogs exist to be of service to humans. But “A Dog’s Purpose,” directed by Lasse Hallström, who also directed “My Life as a Dog” (not really a dog movie) and “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” (absolutely a dog movie), is not supposed to be a realistic depiction of the misfortune our differently-individuated fellow creatures fall into in this world. Don’t even get me started on that pig in Bertolucci’s “1900,” although I presume he was enjoyed by those who eventually ate him in the form of tasty sausage. The film opened in second place at the US box office last week, only falling to third place over the weekend.On the other hand, that girl slapping the cat around in “Satantango” was really slapping a cat around, and somehow I don’t think the horse that was standing on the platform of the wooden staircase that collapsed in “Andrei Rublev” got up and trotted away. And I think it’s a scam, to tell you the truth.”īox-office takings for A Dog’s Purpose do not appear to have been too affected by the negative publicity. First of all, it’s been edited and manipulated. That video that someone took and sold for money and held on to for a year and a half until right before the film’s coming out does not tell the whole story. If there had been, I would have walked.” He went on to say: “My experience is that the animals were treated great. “I was there,” he told Entertainment Tonight. Last week Dennis Quaid, who stars in the film, called the video “a sham”. Still, out of an abundance of caution, American Humane stopped the filming of any more scenes with the dog.” Eyewitnesses report the dog wanted to go back in the water. “During the last scene, handlers immediately assisted the dog out of the water, at which point he was placed in a warming tent and received an examination that found no signs of stress. “The dog was selected for his love of the water, and had been professionally trained and conditioned for the water scenes over the course of six weeks, using positive training techniques,” said American Humane.
The report does state that the handling of the dog on the edge of the pool “should have been gentler and signs of stress recognised earlier”, but it confirms that the two scenes were shot at different times.
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“A full spectrum of preparation and safety measures were in place,” they concluded, echoing the statement from production company Amblin and distributor Universal that the team “followed rigorous protocols to foster an ethical and safe environment for the animals”.
The dog is then forced in and becomes submerged before being hauled to safety.Īmerican Humane said the “respected animal cruelty expert” viewed additional footage and spoke to people present before drawing the conclusion that the video “mischaracterised the events on set”. Around a minute in length, it shows a German shepherd apparently unwilling to leap into a pool of churning water which simulates rapids. The video, which was leaked last month to TMZ, sparked outrage and prompted calls by Peta for audiences to boycott the movie.
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A video which appeared to show a distressed dog on the set of new family movie A Dog’s Purpose was “deliberately edited for the purpose of misleading the public and stoking public outrage”, according to an independent, third-party investigation.Īmerican Humane, an organisation which seeks to ensure the well-being of movie animals, said the investigation’s findings “confirm that no animals were harmed in those scenes and numerous preventative safety measures were in place”.