We watched “A Dog’s Purpose” tonight thinking it was “A Dog’s Journey”. We watched “A Dog’s Journey” several weeks ago, and then watched it again with Haylie and Connor when they were here, so you’d think I would have known. We were all a bit confused. Haylie and Kevin insisted wasn’t the right movie, but I pressed on, insisting otherwise. It had Josh Gad as the dogs’ voice and the dog went through many different reincarnations, but halfway through the movie I realized Dennis Quaid hadn’t shown up yet, and I thought he had been in it really early on. But then I thought about and knew the little boy would grow up to be the Dennis Quaid character, but MAN, it was taking a lot longer than I remembered. Then Dennis Quaid appears and the movie just starts looking like I remembered it…and the credits roll.

Holy crap, “A Dog’s Journey” is a SEQUEL! Couldn’t someone have mentioned that when I previously posted on my site and on Facebook that I watched that movie?! A Dog’s Journey picks up immediately after A Dog’s Purpose. I never knew.

I didn’t enjoy A Dog’s Purpose as much as I enjoyed A Dog’s Journey though, I must say. I think this is one of the rare times that a sequel is better than the first movie. I did enjoy it though, and knowing I’m not completely losing my mind now, it’s pretty satisfying knowing the “whole” story, even though I experienced it backwards. I bet it probably would have been more satisfying having watched them in the proper order, but totally not knowing A Dog’s Journey was a sequel and not even thinking “something is missing” at any point says even more about how good it was. It stands on it’s own pretty well.

Now don’t even get me started on “A Dog’s Way Home”. THAT movie wasn’t even in the same league as either of these two.