‘A Dog’s Purpose’ beset by controversy
Video raises questions of how animal was treated on the set
A Dog’s Purpose is headed into theaters nationwide Friday with a heartwarming, family-friendly tale about the power of dog love in human lives.
But a disturbing video that appears to show a dog being mistreated on the film’s set in 2015 surfaced last week, bringing a storm of outrage from concerned animal lovers and a call for a boycott from the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The impact of the viral video on TMZ.com was immediate and powerful on the Lasse Hallström-directed film. Distributor Universal Pictures canceled a Hollywood premiere amid the outcry.
“This is about as bad as it gets,” says Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. “This is the worst thing to happen to a film a week before it hits theaters. A Dog’s Purpose was set up as the perfect family film, wrapped up in a message around people’s love of dogs. And this video instantly sabotaged everything the movie promotes.”
Even the film’s voice star, Josh Gad, who recorded the dog narration in a sound studio and was not on the set, said he was “shaken and sad.” The video shows a German Shepherd, identified later as Hercules, during a rescue scene standing nervously next to a pool filled with churning water.
Hercules resists, clawing to stay out, as a trainer appears to force the dog into the water. The edited video then shows what appears to be Hercules paddling and sinking as crewmembers yell “Cut it!” and rush over to help.
The American Humane Association, which monitors animal treatment on movie sets, has placed the set safety representative on administrative leave after being “disturbed and concerned by the footage,” according to a statement released to USA TODAY.
“When the dog showed signs of resistance to jumping in the water, the scene should have been stopped,” the statement read, adding that an independent third party would conduct an inquiry.
The movie’s director tweeted that he “did not witness” the upsetting actions. “Any wrongdoing will be reported and punished,” Hallström tweeted.
A Dog’s Purpose’s production company, the Steven Spielberg-founded Amblin Entertainment, tried to quell the growing storm, releasing a statement with distributor Universal Studios saying it was continuing to investigate the events around the “edited footage.” The statement said Her- cules “is happy and healthy.”
Amblin said it was “confident that great care and concern was shown” for Hercules and the rest of the dogs in the film.
W. Bruce Cameron, co-screenwriter and author of the best-selling book A Dog’s Purpose, took to Facebook after reviewing the full footage to defend the filmmaker’s actions. “The dog was not terrified and not thrown in the water — I’ve seen footage of Hercules earlier that day joyfully jumping into the pool,” Cameron wrote.
He said the issue came when Hercules was asked to jump into a different section of the pool.
The fallout appears overwhelming. More than 25 petitions have sprung up on Change.org calling for a film boycott or further investigation. Bock says A Dog’s Purpose could have filled a movie market void for family films.
“But now it’s anyone’s guess how this movie is going to do,” Bock says. “I’ve never seen anything like this so close to a movie’s release. I don’t know if audiences can get their head around all of this.”