Strays is a 2023 American comedy film directed by Josh Greenbaum and written by Dan Perrault. The film follows an abandoned dog (voiced by Will Ferrell) who teams up with several strays (voiced by Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, and Randall Park) to get revenge on his abusive owner (Will Forte); Harvey Guillén, Rob Riggle, Brett Gelman, Jamie Demetriou, and Sofía Vergara also star. 

Strays was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on August 18, 2023. It has grossed $23 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot
Reggie is a gullible Border Terrier living with his owner Doug, a drug addict and sex offender. Despite the fact that Doug only keeps him around to spite an ex-girlfriend he himself cheated on, Reggie is under the impression that Doug loves him and does everything he can to make him happy, much to Doug's chagrin.

When Reggie inadvertently destroys Doug's bong following an eviction notice, Doug makes several attempts to ditch Reggie in the wild, which Reggie views as a game. Losing track of Doug in a nearby city, Reggie runs into a street-wise Boston Terrier named Bug, who takes him under his wing. After a night with an Australian Shepherd named Maggie and a therapy Great Dane named Hunter, it slowly dawns on Reggie that Doug was not the nice owner he made him out to be and decided to get revenge by ripping Doug's penis off, with the other strays accompanying him for support. However, he barely knows the way back, his only clues being a "hamster-less ball" (a county fair Ferris wheel), a "giant cone" (a hill), and "a devil floating in the sky" (a billboard with a picture of a mailman).

During the journey, the group begin to bond as they get into several crazy situations, culminating in them getting caught by Animal Control after a mushroom-induced high causes them to maul a family of bunnies. During their captivity, Bug admits that he used to have a family of his own, but was forced to escape when they tried to put him down after he bit the daughter (though he fails to see what he did wrong). After escaping the pound, Reggie's bad habits from Doug's abuse resurface when a hallucination of Doug from the high convinces him that his mistreatment was somehow his fault, leading to the group to separate.

Reggie eventually makes his way back to Doug, but Doug, tired of having to put up with the dog, attempts to outright slaughter him. Fortunately, the other strays intervene and, with their help, Reggie successfully rips Doug's penis off, which a doctor later states can't be re-attached. In the aftermath, the strays begin to move on: Maggie begins training as a police dog and starts a relationship with Hunter, Bug is adopted by a missing Girl Scout he helped rescue, and Reggie resigns himself to being a stray and helps other new strays adjust to it.

Cast
 Will Forte as Doug, Reggie's former owner
 Brett Gelman as Willy, an Animal Control officer
 Greta Lee as Brenda
 Dan Perrault as Dr. Hagen
 Dennis Quaid as Himself

Voices
 Will Ferrell as Reggie, a Border Terrier
 Jamie Foxx as Bug, a stray Boston Terrier
 Isla Fisher as Maggie, an Australian Shepherd
 Randall Park as Hunter, a Great Dane
 Rob Riggle as Rolf, a German Shepherd police dog
 Sofía Vergara as Deliliah, a couch
 Jamie Demetriou as Chester, a bulldog
 Josh Gad as Gus, a Golden Retriever. 
 Jimmy Tatro as Finn, a stray Rottweiler
 Jack De Sanz as Munchkin 
 Harvey Guillén as Shitstain 
 David Herman as underbite pound dog
 Phil Morris as  Bubsy

Production
In August 2019, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller signed a first-look deal with Universal Pictures. In May 2021, Universal acquired the rights to Strays, an adult comedy about dogs written by Dan Perrault, with Lord and Miller attached to produce alongside Erik Feig and Louis Leterrier. The film is a co-production between Picturestart and Rabbit Hole Productions. Filming began in September 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Production concluded by December 2021.

Release
Strays was released in the United States on August 18, 2023, after being delayed from its original June 9, 2023 date.

Reception

Box office  
, Strays has grossed $17.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $23.9 million.

In the United States and Canada, Strays was released alongside Blue Beetle, and was initially projected to gross $15–17 million from 3,223 theaters in its opening weekend. After making $3.4 million on its first day (including $1.1 million from Thursday night previews), weekend estimates were lowered to $8.5 million. It went on to debut to $8.3 million, finishing in fourth. The film made $4.9 million in its second weekend (a drop of 40%), finishing in sixth.

Critical response 
  Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

References

External links
 
 

2023 films
2023 comedy films
2023 computer-animated films
2020s American animated films
2020s English-language films
American adult animated films
American computer-animated films
American animated comedy films
Adult animated comedy films
American films with live action and animation
Puppet films
Upcoming English-language films
Animated films about dogs
Films about pets
Animated films about revenge
Films shot in Atlanta
Films set in amusement parks
Films set in forests
Films set in 2023
Films directed by Josh Greenbaum
Films produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Universal Pictures films
Universal Pictures animated films