Cameron himself is making sure the film feels like Traverse City. In a recent interview with radio station WTCM’s Ron Jolly in Traverse City, he explained that the movie team is collecting real local footage to blend into the movie, including shots of downtown in rain and snow, video of drone passes over the bay, and pictures of cozy holiday storefronts. He even gave out an email address for locals to send video clips.

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Cameron is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. His books include the A Dog’s Purpose franchise: A Dog’s Purpose, A Dog’s Journey, and A Dog’s Way Home.

A familiar pack returns.

Dennis Quaid, who appeared on-screen in A Dog’s Purpose (2017) and A Dog’s Journey (2019), is back again for this movie too – which is currently slated for a November or December 2026 release on Netflix.

Actor Milo Ventimiglia also joins Quaid in the movie, along with Mary Steenburgen and Jennifer Tilly. The film is being directed by Cameron’s wife and creative partner, Cathryn Michon.

Cameron joked with Jolly that when he’s on set, he mostly just “plays with the dogs” while everyone else, including his wife, does the hard work.

What’s the movie about?

The book A Dog’s Perfect Christmas, published in 2020, is a story about the Goss family in Traverse City, told through Winstead, a wise old basset hound who has long looked after the family. When the mother in the family is suddenly put into a coma over the holidays, the family starts to fall apart – until Winstead, a teenage family member, a grandfather and a lively corgi puppy named Ruby step in to keep everyone together.

Narrated with Cameron’s signature canine perspective, the story explores themes of family bonds, unexpected joy, and healing through the antics of a dog who turns a potentially disastrous holiday into one of renewal and connection.