Over the course of ten days and 435 miles, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur. As the team is pushed to their outer limits of endurance in the race, Arthur redefines what victory, loyalty and friendship truly mean.
This movie contains 10 potentially triggering events.
There is no reason to bring up the real life dog subject dying. The movie does not bring this up at all. The movie however goes to great lengths to trigger you with dog whining/moaning/crying/wheezing, bleeding, starving, limping, having labored breathing etc. He is taken to a vet and they discuss in detail fighting/abuse injuries, infections, infestations, internal injuries, dental damage, pain, and needing to be put down. They show the syringe, they dwell. They have the dog go through panic attacks when trying to be lead inside a building due to past abuse, then again when he needs to be kenneled under a plane for 6 hours (on the verge of cardiac arrest due to the stress)
I cannot stress this enough - just because it's not Marley and Me doesn't mean this is a feel good movie like Beethoven. Avoid at all costs.
Ukai the dog played Arthur. Ukai was found as a stray dog when he was four months old. Mark Wahlburg tried to buy him from his owner, offering a lot of money, but his owner already very close to Ukai, refused him. A very loved dog and by no accounts that I could find (because I searched A LOT) was he abused during the filming of this movie.
No animals die in this movie at all. None. Zero. This should be 100% NO answers. People are definitely trolling this page if they put YES as an answer in any of the animal categories.
The abuse happens off screen. We only see the results of the abuse (dog has a bloody leg for the whole movie, limping, lying down in the streets to recover, etc). Only two characters kick toward the dog to shoo him away, but no one is shown hitting or kicking the dog. No feet or hands connect with any part of the dog, unless they are petting him, holding him, warming him, or keeping him clean and dry.
There is no dog fighting in this movie. No organized fighting or street fighting. Two angry stray dogs chase Arthur, but he escapes unharmed. It is the only scene to show angry dogs.
SPOILERS: No pets die during this movie. Arthur, the real life dog who inspired the movie, died 6 years after the events in the movie, due to a malignant tumor. This isn’t mentioned anywhere in the movie. Real life Arthur died just before the movie started filming.
Nothing happens to human teeth. A veterinarian mentions that a dog’s teeth are so rotten, he is probably in pain when attempting to eat. We are not shown the teeth.
Multiple rivers, some of which the characters walk through and some of which they are in a boat. There is also one short clip where the camera is underwater.
Arthur runs off to pee and Michael says something like "a bear shits in the woods" once they're out of the water and walking up the hill, Leo throws up
It was a very happy ending. It is a moving, wonderful story. Yes, dog and humans go through immense, tear-worthy trials and tribulations, but the movie finishes with plenty of petting, tail-wagging, and happiness for the dog and his people. You even get to see photos of the real Arthur during the credits, looking regal and happy. If you love dogs, I promise you will love this movie. I am extremely sensitive to animal cruelty in film (in story and on set), and this one did a fantastic job with the on-screen story, while keeping the dog actor obviously safe from harm.
The dog is bleeding constantly throughout the entire movie, and you get a look at the wound in a medical scene near the end. Additionally, you see a close up of one of the racers pulling skin off of a wound on her heel about halfway through.
I cannot stress this enough - just because it's not Marley and Me doesn't mean this is a feel good movie like Beethoven. Avoid at all costs.