Netflix is kicking off its annual month off of new original Christmas movies with A Dog’s Perfect Christmas, a new adorable holiday movie from the author of A Dog’s Purpose, which began streaming today.
Directed by Cathryn Michon, with a screenplay written by W. Bruce Cameron (who also wrote the novel of the same name, as well as the 2010 novel and subsequent movie A Dog’s Purpose), A Dog’s Perfect Christmas stars Dennis Quaid as aging widower named Sander, still grieving the loss of his wife. He’s living with his son Hunter (Milo Ventimiglia) and his family, along with his old basset hound, Winstead (voiced by Thomas Haden Church). Winstead is our narrator, and is very excited about it being “Merry Christmas Time,” aka the most joyous time of the year.
But the joy is hard to come by at first, when Hunter’s wife Julianna (Kathleen Rose Perkins) is rushed to the hospital with a worrying health problem. But with the help of Winstead and a new furry friend, this family will find a way to make the holidays happy.
Look, we all know Hollywood loves to make us cry, especially when it comes to movies about sweet, sweet doggies. I know the question on your mind before watching this film is: “Does the dog die?” Allow me to answer for you if the dog dies in A Dog’s Perfect Christmas.
Does the dog die in A Dog’s Perfect Christmas movie on Netflix?
Let’s cut to the chase: No, the dog does not die in A Dog’s Perfect Christmas. Or rather, I should say, neither of the dogs in A Dog’s Perfect Christmas die, because there are two dogs in the movie. There’s the old hound dog, Winstead, voiced by Thomas Haden Church. And then there’s the new corgi puppy, Ruby, who gets by adopted Ello (Brooke Lena Johnson), the family’s eldest daughter.
I’m happy to report that by the end of the movie, both dogs are still very much alive, happy, and healthy. There is one close call in the movie, in which the corgi puppy dashes out of a car into parking lot, where’s she’s very nearly hit by an incoming car. For a split second, I thought the movie was going to go there. But don’t worry, it does not: The car slams on the brakes just in time. Ruby is shaken up, but totally fine.
That said, my heart did ache for the dog actor that had go through that traumatic, almost-getting-hit-by-a-car ordeal! Let’s hope the film used some movie magic, and the car didn’t actually get that close to the poor corgi.
If you’re worried about Winstead, given that he’s an elderly dog, don’t be. The old hound doesn’t have so much as a health scare in this movie. Netflix knows you’re not tuning into these Christmas movies to feel sad! So go ahead and watch A Dog’s Perfect Christmas worry-free.
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas is now streaming on Netflix.
