Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Starring: Don Ameche (voice), Michael J. Fox (voice), Sally Field (voice), Robert Hays, Jean Smart, Kim Greist, Veronica Lauren, Kit McDonough, Frank Welker (voice)
Directed by: Duwayne Dunham
Rating: G
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
1993

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: Three pets are devastated when their family leaves them to move to San Francisco. They break free and begin a perilous journey through the mountains to get back home.

Review:

Tim: I was probably 11 years-old the first time I saw Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and I loved it. It had enough humor to seem cool, a lot of good adventure, and some nice heartwarming moments. Disney made a really good film that appeals to younger viewers (as they do). I recently watched this again for the first time in probably a quarter century (this time with my own kids) and the movie really does hold up. This is a very good movie and a big success for Disney.

This film is a remake of 1963's The Incredible Journey, a movie I sadly still haven't seen. I'll remedy that sooner or later. It does feel like the story is a comfortable one, so it's not surprising that they had a strong source material. It's obvious that they adapted the story to fit the early 1990s. A lot of the humor and dialogue absolutely reflects that time period. Much of it feels a bit dated by 2021 standards, but the intent and the goodwill comes through.

The story is a good one- we learn to care about these three animals (hearing them communicate with each other certainly helps) and we watch as they embark on a perilous journey. There's quite a few dangers they face- waterfalls, bears, mountain lions, porcupines, forest rangers, the elements. It's legitimately thrilling to see these domesticated animals fighting for their lives in the wilderness. Director Duwayne Dunham does a fantastic job of telling a compelling story that feels like it always has momentum, is always moving forward.

One comment on Dunham's directing- this had to be an extremely difficult movie to film. By using real animals, it complicates things immensely. I did some reading on how they filmed a number of these scenes- the editing was outstanding to pull all these different shots together to tell a compelling story. They had to use fake animals at times, they needed the animals to do certain things on cue, they had a number of animal mistakes that they incorporated into the film (Chance is a bit clumsy, which is an endearing quality). Dunham and the crew had to painstakingly work through many details to tell a story that was believable. Now, there were more than a few moments where it's obvious how they pulled off the shot (the fake mountain lion, some of the edits are glaring), but this is okay. It comes across as a seamless film to young viewers and more discernible viewers can forgive these moments given the overall challenges presented to the filmmakers. This aspect of the film is one that I didn't appreciate at 11 (I just loved the story), but really admired as an adult.

The cast is really excellent. Don Ameche was fantastic as the voice of Shadow. This was the penultimate film of his career (he died in 1993) and it's an exceptionally strong one. His voice has gravity and it's memorable. I really enjoyed how he brought wisdom and class to Shadow. Michael J. Fox was wonderful as Chance. Whereas Ameche projected wisdom and experience, Fox delivered high comedy with a ton of energy. Fox was excellent at that kind of humorous, high energy acting and he makes Chance so memorable. It was wise giving Fox the job of narrating the film as well, because it allows him to shift approaches and do something different with his voice. Fox is definitely the all star of the cast. Sally Field does a great job, too. Sassy doesn't quite get the same love that Shadow and Chance do from the script, but she's a critical member of the trio and Field was a fantastic choice to bring her to life. On the live action side, Robert Hays and Jean Smart both did excellent supporting work. I really enjoyed both of them. The whole cast is good.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is a thoroughly exciting, excellently made film. I enjoyed it as a child and I enjoyed it as an adult. My five year-old (almost six) son really loved the movie as well. I appreciated Disney delivering a film that pushed him slightly out of his comfort zone, but one that he could enjoy and learn from. My two year-old daughter really enjoyed watching the animals as well. This is a very good movie and one I would be happy to watch again and again.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Incredible Journey, Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco