Stuff I Grew Up With/Disney: Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

If there was ever a movie that deserved my tag of, "Stuff I Grew Up With," it's Homeward Bound. I mentioned in my review of The Incredible Journey that this was one of the movies I watched again and again and again when I was very young, especially when I was around six or seven years old. I didn't see it in the theater (although I vaguely remember some TV spots), but my parents rented it on video around the time it first hit the shelves and I immediately fell in love with it, mainly because of the "talking" animals, the comedy, and the adventure. I watched it so many times that I would've been able to recite it to you verbatim, which I actually did, both to people who had and hadn't seen it, and like I said in that previous review, I wanted two dogs and a cat just like Shadow, Chance, and Sassy so much that I couldn't stand it. Also, unlike many of the things that were major parts of my childhood, my love for Homeward Bound never wavered as I got older, as I continued watching it on a regular basis even when I reached my teens. Granted, I hadn't seen it in quite a while when I decided to finally review on it here but, when I did re-watch it recently, it held up perfectly. To me, this is a classic Disney flick, the kind of movie that kids and adults can both watch and enjoy, with a great balance of comedy and excitement for young kids and a great story and characters that adults can get into. That's also why I think this is a rare instance of a remake outshining the original. While The Incredible Journey is a fair enough movie for its time, Homeward Bound takes everything it did and improves upon it tenfold. Not only do the voiceovers give the animals much more personality and make them feel like characters, but the main one, Chance the bulldog, goes through a real arc over the course of the story, and the other two animals have their own conflicts as well. Moreover, the human characters are far more fleshed out than they were in the original, making you care about them just as much as the animals. But above everything else, it's one of those movies that leaves you with a smile on your face and makes you feel good when it's over.

Chance is a young, American bulldog who, after spending much of his life living on the streets, has been adopted from the pound by the Burnford family, who live in the country near Fresno, California. Though Chance is grateful to be out of the pound, he really has no interest in being part of the family or belonging to Jamie, the youngest of the three children. He shares his new home with Sassy, a Himalayan cat who lives up to her name, and Shadow, a wise, old Golden Retriever, both of whom he tends to butt heads with. Bob Seaver marries Laura Burnford and, following the wedding, the family has to move temporarily to San Francisco due to Bob's job. While they're gone, Laura's old college friend, Kate, offers to keep their pets at her ranch near Bishop. Though none of the kids are happy about this, Peter, the oldest and Shadow's owner, is especially upset, exacerbating his already kind of strained relationship with Bob. When the animals are left at the ranch, Shadow and Sassy don't understand what's happening, while Chance believes he's been abandoned again, along with them. But while Shadow and Sassy miss their owners, Chance decides to enjoy everything the ranch has to offer. Several days later, Kate has to leave on a stock drive, counting on her neighbor, Frank, to take care of the animals in her absence. The pets are both puzzled and disturbed when she suddenly leaves, and Shadow, worried that something has happened to Peter, decides to go home. Sassy and Chance reluctantly follow, with Shadow confident that he knows the way. The animals make their way through the wilderness across the Sierra Nevada range, getting into a number of misadventures with the various animals and other natural obstacles they come across. Meanwhile, because half of Kate's note was lost when she left, Frank believes she took the animals with her, and they only realize they're missing when she returns. Upon being notified, Bob, feeling guilty after Peter tells him it's his fault, makes up a number of fliers with a photo of the pets, hoping it will aid in finding and bringing them home.

Homeward Bound was the first of a small handful of theatrical films directed by Duwayne Dunham, who started out as an editor, assisting on Apocalypse Now, Star Wars, and The Empire Strikes Back, before becoming the main editor on Return of the Jedi and David Lynch's Blue Velvet. Speaking of Lynch, Dunham made his directorial debut on Twin Peaks, directing three episodes, one of which won an Emmy. Unfortunately, even though Homeward Bound was a substantial hit and got really good reviews, his theatrical follow-up, Little Giants, which was a pretty major flop. Since then, Dunham has worked mostly in television, directing episodes of JAG, 7th Heaven, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He's also directed a handful of Disney Channel original movies, notably Halloweentown, The Thirteenth Year, and Double Teamed. And when Lynch revived Twin Peaks in 2017, Dunham returned as well as an editor, netting himself another Emmy nomination in the process.

Chance the bulldog (voiced by Michael J. Fox) is both our protagonist and narrator, telling us the story of this adventure that changed him completely. As he says when the film begins, "I was abandoned when I was very young. I lived on the streets, scrounging for food, sleeping wherever I could. That seemed like fun at first but, pretty soon it landed me behind bars. But I don't like to talk about that. Let's talk about after that, when I got my second chance... and my name. You see, this family came along, and I guess you can say they rescued me, because they adopted me and brought me to live with them at their house. But it was their home, not mine. Still, it was an improvement over... that other place..." That's where we pick up when the story begins. While the wedding between Bob and Laura is taking place outside, Chance is busy ripping up some clothes, much to Sassy's consternation. Immediately, we see that the two of them don't exactly get along, as Sassy is annoyed by Chance's mischievousness and devil may care attitude, while Chance doesn't care for her insults and criticism. He also, as he said, doesn't think much of the family, including Jamie, his supposed owner, as he says, "I didn't need anyone else. I was a loner." And as for Shadow, the older dog: "Shadow was faithful. Shadow was loyal. Shadow was a chump." During the wedding reception, Chance gets up to all sorts of mischief: trying to steal food (Shadow puts a stop to him attempting to get at the roast turkey), begging the guests for scraps, eating much of the wedding cake in front of the guests, and jumping on the opposite end of a seesaw and sending Sassy flying through the air. But, despite his initial dismissal of them, he admits to warming to the Burnfords, saying, "They weren't so bad... for people. They were all so happy together, and Shadow and even Sassy seemed happy. I was beginning to think that maybe this time, with this family, things were gonna be different. Better." But Chance's cynicism returns when they're dropped off at Kate's ranch and the family leaves without them. Not understanding, and feeling that all three of them have been abandoned, he sadly groans, "Oh, no. Not this."

Though Chance claims not to be upset about it because it's happened so many times to him, and insists that he can get along just fine without Jamie, he is clearly hurting a little bit. However, that doesn't stop him from having fun at the ranch, be it annoying the animals, chasing after chickens and ducks, and chewing on leather shoes. The only thing he doesn't care for is the turkey, whom he calls Birdzilla, who chases after him. But when

Kate leaves for her stock drive and locks the gate to the front yard, while Shadow and Sassy are disturbed by this, Chance is really distressed, as it reminds him of the pound. Having never been on the street, Shadow and Sassy believe he's making it up to scare them, but Chance insists he knows what he's talking about. Still believing that the Burnfords abandoned them, Chance is incredulous when Shadow and then Sassy jump the fence and head

off towards the mountains to find their way home. It's only when Birdzilla shows up and gets after him again that he joins them. As they head deeper into the wilderness, Chance is unsure if Shadow really knows where he's going but decides to stay with him, so as not to be alone. He also admits, "There was more to that old boy than I'd given him credit for. I was soon to learn just how much more. But even in that moment, I had to admire his faith, wherever it might lead us." Over the course of their

journey, Chance is as free-spirited and curious as ever, barking at raccoons, sticking his head inside a log and getting chased away by a skunk, nearly getting eaten by a big grizzly bear, attempting to get a fish from the river but getting a crawdad clamped to his face instead, and getting chased, along with Shadow, by a mountain lion. He also makes the mistake of messing around with a porcupine and getting a face-full of needles, which cause him tremendous pain as they continue on.

Eventually, thanks to Shadow helping to save a little girl who's lost in the woods, and their family putting out missing pets flyers, the animals are found and taken to an animal shelter. However, Chance panics, thinking it's a pound, and scares the other two into thinking the same. While the medical staff remove the needles from his face, Shadow and Sassy help him escape back into the woods. As they continue on, Chance reflects, "Shadow and Sassy had risked their lives for me. I never knew I'd have friends like that. The feeling was all very new to me. I liked it."

Throughout the journey, Chance's respect for and relationship with Shadow grows especially strong. After Sassy seemingly dies after falling in a river and being swept over a waterfall, Shadow talks about why they, as dogs, have the instinct to protect others, human or otherwise. Chance tells us, "Looking at him that night, he seemed so wise... and ancient, like the first dog who ever walked the Earth. And I just hoped that one day, I could be like

him." Through it all, Chance grows to believe that, with Shadow leading them, they will always be okay and safe. But during the last leg of the trek home, Shadow falls into a muddy pit, badly injuring his leg, and when he's unable to climb back out, he becomes despondent, believing that he can't make it. He all but gives up, but Chance isn't having it. He goes down into the pit himself and angrily tells him, "Look! You've pushed me this

far. Now I'm pushing you the rest of the way! You know, back there in the woods, even when things looked really bad, I always believed we'd make it because I thought you were too stubborn to quit. Well, you're not gonna quit. Not now. Not when we're this close. Now, try again!" Shadow, however, tells him that he needs to go on without him but Chance, not wanting to be alone anymore, sadly tells him, "But I want you with me! I love you, Shadow." And though Shadow says all he has

left to learn is how to say goodbye, Chance tells him he's not going to let him give up. Sure enough, all three of them do make it home, and Chance, after being happily reunited with Jamie, ends his narration with, "As we turned to go inside the house, a strange, new feeling came over me: I had a family. And I had found out that sacrifice, and friendship, and even love were more than just the mushy stuff. At last, for the first time in my life, I was home."

For most people, Michael J. Fox is either Alex Keaton, Marty McFly, Mike Flaherty, or possibly Scott Howard (Teen Wolf) or Stuart Little. However, his voiceover for Chance was my first exposure to him and, while I've since become a fan of his as an actor in general, as well as an admirer of his activism for Parkinson's research, I can't help but think of Chance whenever I hear that great voice of his. Even though it is only his voice, when it's combined with the "acting" of the dog, it makes Chance a fully realized character, one with an energetic, free spirit, as well as some inner turmoil. He would bring that same energy to the sequel as well.

The exact opposite of Chance, Shadow (voiced by Don Ameche), the Golden Retriever, is old, wise, and loyal to a fault to his owner, Peter, whom he loves dearly. Because of this, he doesn't care at all for Chance's tomfoolery and rambunctiousness, growling when he hears him chasing after Sassy during the wedding and attempting to alert the humans when he tries to eat the roast turkey during the reception. Also unlike Chance, who's sure the Burnfords have abandoned them at Kate's ranch, Shadow is mostly confused as to why Peter sadly embraces him and tells him to stay before riding off without him. But his faith in him doesn't waver, as he's sure he'll come back. Thus, when several days pass and the family still doesn't return, Shadow comes to believe that something's wrong and decides to head for home. Even when they reach a peak and see nothing but untouched wilderness ahead of them, he's sure he knows the way, despite Chance and Sassy's skepticism, and makes it clear that he's going, with or without them. Throughout the journey, Shadow is their fearless and determined leader, giving the other two a sense of security, despite being past his physical prime. And as they travel on and spend more time together, Chance goes from thinking he's an old fool whose loyalty is a flaw to truly respecting him. In turn, Shadow shows Chance just how deep his loyalty and sense of honor runs. When Sassy falls into the river and is seemingly swept to her death, Shadow laments to Chance, "I had a responsibility to Sassy: to love her and protect her. The same as I have to you... and to Peter. And the same as you have to Jamie." Chance says, "But, we didn't ask for this job," and Shadow responds, "We didn't have to. It's built in. Has been ever since the dawn of time, when a few wild dogs took it upon themselves to watch over man. To bark when he's in danger. To run and play with him when he's happy. To nuzzle him when he's lonely. That's why they call us 'man's best friend.'"

It's not just talk, as Shadow proves constantly how he's willing to put his life on the line for his friends. He jumps into the rapids to try to save Sassy, acts as bait to lure a mountain lion that's stalking him and Chance into a trap, and, while it's a misunderstanding, "saves" Chance from the animal shelter's medical examiner and employees. In a really touching show of loyalty and protective instinct, Shadow comforts a little girl named Molly

who's lost in the woods, and he and the others guard her during the night. The next morning, when he hears the sound of a search party, he finds and leads them to Molly, whose father earnestly thanks Shadow. After they flee the animal shelter, they discover that Shadow's instincts were right all along, as they come upon Fresno and embark on the last leg of their journey. But it's here where Shadow is put to his hardest test of survival, as he

falls into a muddy pit in a train yard, badly injuring his leg. Though Chance and Sassy find a less steep side of the pit for him to climb up, he doesn't have the strength or energy to make it. Following a very difficult attempt, he gives up, telling them they'll have to go on without him. When Chance goes down there himself and angrily tells Shadow not to give up, he sadly tells him, "You think it's easy for me to admit I can't do it? I'm too old... I have nothing more to give, Chance, and it's time for you

to be on your own." Chance then tells him that he doesn't want to leave him, only for Shadow to say, "You've learned everything you need, Chance. Now all you have to learn is how to say goodbye." When Chance and Sassy then make it back home before dark, it seems as though Shadow didn't make it, as he initially doesn't appear. But just when Peter and the others have given up hope, he comes limping over the hill and is happily reunited with his owner. As Chance tells us, "It was Shadow's victory, really. His belief was the thing that got us through. And in that moment, I saw the years lift from him. He was a puppy again, reunited with his best friend."

Among the three animals, Sassy (voiced by Sally Field) is the least complex. A very pampered Himalayan cat who's adored by her owner, Hope, and who returns her affections, Sassy gets along well with Shadow and, when they begin their journey, she's concerned about him, worrying that he doesn't know the way and that he's overexerting himself. Her and Chance, on the other hand, bicker constantly, as she looks down on him as a typical messy, undignified, and dumb dog, while Chance sees her as just a loud-mouthed, snobby pest. The two of them never miss a chance to grind each other's gears, be it when Sassy calls him a, "Big flat-faced, butt-sniffer," and shows him up by effortlessly getting food from Hope by working her affection. And when Chance needs Sassy's help for something, like getting a fish from a stream, Sassy takes the opportunity to make him say, "Cats rule and dogs drool," must to his aggravation. But, during the adventure, it becomes clear that they're willing to put their lives on the line for each other, as Chance attempts to help Shadow save Sassy when she falls into the river, Sassy tries to pull the porcupine quills out of Chance's face, and after avoiding being taken inside the animal shelter, Sassy sneaks in, breaks Shadow out of his pen, and they work together to "save" Chance. Despite living up to her name time and again, Sassy certainly has a compassionate side, especially towards the little lost girl, Molly, whom she keeps warm the next morning while Shadow goes to find the search party. And when Shadow falls into the muddy pit at the train yard, Sassy, unable to do anything to help, can only look on sadly as she watches Chance try to convince him not to give up. And just like the others, Sassy is more than happy to make it home and be reunited with Hope and the rest of their family.

Looking at the movie as an adult, I find the performances they were able to get out of these animals to be absolutely amazing. I know it was due to the work of skilled trainers, precise direction, and lots of clever editing, mixing in fake animals, props, and treats to get the right reactions, as well as cutting back and forth between the pets and the more exotic animals, shot at separate times and in different locations, but, my God, if it didn't

pay off and make it look as if they really are interacting, communicating, and on a great adventure together. I especially like when, in the editing, they chose some random moments where the animals' expressions matched the dialogue, like when Chance lays his head down with one of his jowls on his foot, saying, "Sheesh. Sorry. Man, I didn't know anybody cared so much," or when, after being forced to say, "Cats rule and dogs drool," the right side of his upper lip gets tucked

into his mouth, matching the sarcastic and irked, "You're welcome, cupcake," he says to Sassy. They also made use of happy accidents, like when Chance runs straight into a sapling but keeps going, regardless (Michael J. Fox and Sally Field adlibbed an exchange of dialogue about it afterward), or when he trips and falls into a gopher hole in the, otherwise, happy reunion between the dogs and Sassy. Speaking of which, that scene is as heartwarming as it gets and yet, because of the dialogue and music, you would never know it was pulled off by putting a little cat food on the dogs' faces so the cat would nuzzle them.

Homeward Bound is sometimes criticized for giving the animals voices, even if it is done in the Garfield style where it's clearly just their thoughts and not actual speech. While I disagree, partly due to nostalgia but also because I feel it makes the animals into more fleshed out characters than they were in The Incredible Journey, I must admit that, since they're "speaking" fluent and even vernacular-filled English, it can make you wonder 

how they're unable to understand what the humans say to them and thus, not get why their family has apparently left them behind. As a little kid, I thought they were able to speak with another, that the humans could hear the animals and the animals understood them, especially Peter and Shadow, the former of whom seems certain that Shadow understands everything he says. But as I got older and listened closer to the dialogue, like when Peter

says goodbye to Shadow at the ranch, I realized there was miscommunication going on. Shadow understands that Peter's sad but doesn't know why, even when Peter promises that he'll visit him the following week. All he understands is when Peter tells him, "Stay," and he forlornly watches as the family drives off without him and the others. It's no less moving but, at the same time, it is weird to wrap your head around. For me, I've always

figured it's because their thoughts are in "animal language" and are translated for our sake, but then, that asks the question of how they're communicating with each other if it's just their thoughts, and why none of the other animals, save for the dogs at the shelter, are able to do it. Again, it makes me think of Garfield and how he and other animals communicate despite not actually being able to talk, but, then again, he, at least, understands what Jon and other humans say. And

because this is live-action, it can make it a bit harder for audiences to suspend that disbelief. But, in the end, I just say, "It's a family movie with animals who have thoughts and speak with each other in perfect English." And if you're going to let this unspecific language barrier between the humans and animals keep you from enjoying it, well, I can't help you.

One thing I personally like about the animals being given dialogue is it gives us a window into how they themselves view humans and the things they do, as well as how they view and comment on each other, and other topics. Related to the idea of their being unable to actually communicate with humans, you have the moment where Peter tries to talk with Shadow over the phone, as many owners have done with their own pets. Shadow comments,

"I never understand a thing when they do this," and Sassy says, "Me neither. But you might as well humor them," prompting Shadow to bark a response to Peter. Early on in the movie, Chance sniffs the butt of the wedding reception chef (with a shot of it taking up the whole screen), and he murmurs, "Who is this? Somebody new, because I never forget a... face." Chance is also not shy of admitting that, being a former street dog, he loves to eat garbage, and later, he and Shadow have this

conversation: "Remember hotdogs?" "Yeah. Never much liked the name." "Well, I don't think they're really made out of dog." "I don't think they're made of meat." "They taste the best when they fall in the dirt." "Yeah." Similarly, when Chance is chewing on a leather shoe, Sassy asks, "Do you have any idea where that's been?", and he answers, "Oh, yeah. That's why I like it." Speaking of Sassy, she often comments on how she finds dogs disgusting and uncouth, telling Chance, "Cats are smarter than

dogs, and more attractive... and we don't drink from the toilet." Chance's response? "Why not?" The animals often have their own slang, such as, "Something doesn't smell right," and, "You're smelling things." And as has been done in previous movies of this type, the animals see their "owners" as actually belonging to them.

While none of the pets have any experience with the animals found on the ranch and in the wilderness, a lot of the comedy comes from how perplexed and freaked out Chance often is over them. When a horse neighs at him loudly, he goes, "Whoa, are you sick or what?", and when he sees a big hog in a barn, he goes, "Whoa, what a... pig." He then asks him, "Hey, what happened to your fur?"; the pig, apparently not liking that question,

grunts loudly at him. Funniest of all, even though he knows what a roast turkey is, when he runs into a living one in the chicken coop, he has no clue what it is and runs off in a panic, calling it Birdzilla and yelling, "I swear, I'll never eat a McNugget again!" He later tells Shadow and Sassy about the turkey, saying, "They got this bird the size of a Rottweiler. Looks like somebody ran over his head." Of course, when they get into the wilderness, Chance sees all sorts of weird

creatures and is also frightened by the creepy sounds they hear in the woods at night, not helped by how Shadow says it's a moose, "A big, razor-toothed animal. Comes out at night to eat the tails off smaller animals." I don't know if he believes that or not, but it's enough to thoroughly freak Chance out. And from then on, we get more encounters, like with the mountain lion, whom Chance calls "Arnold Schwarze-Kitty," and the porcupine, whom Chance says looks like, "A squirrel having a really bad hair day." When he gets whacked in the face with the quills, he yells, "He bit me with his butt!"

We'll talk more about the animals presently but, for now, let's get into the human characters, who are actually characters rather than the hollow non-entities they were, for the most part, in The Incredible Journey. Robert Hays is another well-known actor who I first saw in this film and, while most think of him as Ted Striker in the Airplane! movies, I always think of him as Bob Seaver. Bob is definitely a good guy and Laura Burnford (Kim

Greist) couldn't have made a better choice for her new husband. Unfortunately, his work forces them to temporarily relocate to San Francisco and, because of the small apartment they're going to be staying in, he and Laura decide it would be best to leave their pets at Kate's ranch. While none of the kids are happy with this, it especially strains Bob's already fragile relationship with Peter. Bob tries to reassure Peter that Shadow will be having too much fun at the ranch to really miss him but, of course, he later finds he's very wrong about that. When the family hears that the pets are missing, Peter becomes angry at Bob, blaming him for it. Feeling guilty, Bob creates a flier of the missing pets and has a hundred copies of it made. This does help in the pets being found and taken to the animal shelter, but by the time the family makes it there, they've escaped. Feeling bad, Bob assures his family that the pets may just make it all the way home, which he's proven right about. There's not much to say about Laura, but you can tell she's a great mother and does what she can to comfort her kids, especially Peter, when they learn about the pets.

Peter (Benj Thall) is, as I said, uneasy about Bob marrying into the family. It's never discussed who his and the other kids' father was and if Peter was close to him, but given how much he adores Shadow and is crushed at the thought of being separated from him, even if it is only temporarily, and resents Bob for it, he does seem to have a bit of baggage. Peter is also convinced that Shadow understands what he tells him, so much so that he makes sure to tell him that he'll be back to visit him the following weekend. He's so earnest in it that it's why I thought they could understand and speak with each other when I was a kid. Like I said, the scene where he says goodbye to Shadow at the ranch is really touching, as he hugs him lovingly, tells him how much he'll miss him, and as they drive off, he sadly waves to him from the back window. When he learns they're not going to visit them for another two weeks, Peter panics, thinking that Shadow will think he's been abandoned. Later, when they call to check up on the pets, Peter even has Kate put the phone to Shadow's ear so he can explain the situation to him. Once they learn the pets have disappeared, Peter is especially hurt and becomes angry at Bob, yelling at him that it's his fault. Peter actually goes to the San Francisco Police Department to file a "missing persons report," and while the desk sergeant can't put it through, he does give Peter the idea to put out a bunch of reward posters. Peter then finds that Bob has already taken the initiative, and is ecstatic when the animals are found and taken to the shelter. Of course, that leads to heartbreak when they escape, with Peter uselessly yelling into the nearby woods for Shadow. By the time they've come home, Peter and the other kids seemed to have made peace with the animals being gone, until Chance and Sassy show up. When Shadow initially fails to appear, Peter sadly accepts that he didn't make it, but just as he's given up and is about to go inside, Shadow comes limping over the hill and the two of them are happily reunited.

There's little to say about the two other kids. Jamie (Kevin Chevalia), the youngest and Chance's owner, is shown to be a bit mischievous, as when his older sister, Hope (Veronica Lauren), asks him for the rings at the wedding, he instead puts a frog in her hand, much to her disgust. He's the one who gave Chance his name to begin with, and though Chance doesn't think much of initially, Jamie himself clearly adores the dog. Hope, in turn,

totally dotes on Sassy and, like Peter with Shadow, hates the idea of being separated from her. She tends to be emotional and melodramatic, like in her reaction to the frog and when Chance catapults Sassy off the seesaw, running to tell her mother what happened. She's especially broken up about the animals disappearing, crying sadly with her mother and Jamie on their apartment's couch, and when they reach the animal shelter and find that the pets have escaped, Hope desperately wants to go looking for them. As with Jamie and Chance, Hope is overjoyed to be reunited with Sassy at the end, if maybe a little too much for Sassy herself to take, as she hugs her to the point where she goes, "Sweetheart, Sassy can't breathe."

In this version, the person who takes care of the pets is Kate (Jean Smart), an old college friend of Laura's who owns a big ranch near Bishop. Like in the original, Kate has to leave for a couple days while the pets are there, as she always takes the horses to a spot where they can graze for the winter. She depends on her neighbor and friend, Frank (Gary Taylor), to watch the animals while she's gone but, as before, a mix-up causes Frank

not to realize that the pets are missing and believe that she took them with her. Upon returning home and learning what's happened, Kate contacts the forestry service but is told there's little chance the pets would survive in the wilderness. Feeling guilty, she also breaks the news to the family in San Francisco. One mistake I think the film makes is that, unlike John Longridge in the original, Kate isn't present at the end when the pets make it home, and we never see her again after she learns of the animals' disappearance. Also, unlike Longridge, we don't get deep into how bad she feels about them running away while they were her responsibility. You can tell that she feels terrible about it, with Frank trying to cheer her up by saying she's done everything she can, but it would've be nice to have a little more and for her to get some closure by visiting the family at the time the animals return.

Though he's never named, Quentin (William Edward Phipps) is an older man living out in the woods who finds Sassy after she's swept away and nurses her back to health. He's obviously a guy who loves nature, as he's seen watching a bald eagle when he's introduced and enters it into a log, and is also just plain nice. As he's cleaning up Sassy back at his cabin, he asks, "What's a classy dame like you doin' way out here in the sticks?"

When she awakens the next day, feeling better, he gives her some goat's milk and the two of them are later enjoying the outdoors, when she hears Shadow and Chance barking and runs to join them. Quentin tells her, "Take care of yourself, now, and steer clear of the river!" And at the animal shelter, you have Kirkwood (Mark L. Taylor) and Foote (David MacIntyre), who prove to be a bit of comedy relief, especially the latter, as he's overweight, clumsy, and often makes funny sounds

and faces. Sassy drives Foote absolutely crazy when he's trying to catch her, acting as a distraction while Shadow helps Chance. Shadow pushes open the door to the infirmary, smooshing Kirkwood between it and the wall, and the doctor ends up doing the same when he chases after Chance when he escapes.

Homeward Bound is an exceptionally well-shot movie, with an appealing, rustic look courtesy of its many settings consisting of country houses, ranches, mountains, hills, forests, plains, and the like. Knowing they were shooting in some awesome places, the filmmakers made sure to get a number of sweeping shots of these incredible landscapes, often in glorious broad daylight. They also often do something I really like, which is let us see the world through the pets' eyes, often

through Chance's. There are so many low to the ground POV shots, usually depicting Chance sneaking around and getting into mischief, looking up at someone, or chasing after the barnyard animals. However, sometimes it's used to enhance the more dramatic and tense scenes. When Sassy falls into the river, there are a number of shots that show us how she's getting tossed around and forced underwater by the rapids, and when Shadow is

luring the mountain lion into his and Chance's impromptu trap, we see both Shadow's POV as he races frantically through the forest and the mountain lion's, showing us that he's almost on top of Shadow. And as I said before, the editing is so well-done that you would really think these animals are caught up in truly tense, dangerous situations, when they were perfectly safe, simply obeying commands, or not even in the same vicinity as the threat they're up against.

Save for an establishing shot of San Francisco and the neighborhood where the family's apartment is located, the movie was filmed entirely in Oregon, and like I said, they found a plethora of beautiful locations. We start at the Burnford family's nice, country home, which was shot in Portland. The place is not only a good-sized, two-story house with a well-furnished interior, but the front has a lovely field and yard where the wedding reception takes place, while the backyard has a basketball

court, a red seesaw, a sandbox, and even a garden with a scarecrow. Kate's ranch (the Freels Ranch in Enterprise, Oregon) is an even cooler location, with a large, green-colored house behind a white fence and gate, a grazing pasture with cattle, and all sorts of different spots in the back for the barnyard animals, like a horse corral, a little pond with ducks, the barn where Chance comes across the pig, and a wooden chicken-house, full of both chickens and the turkey that terrorizes Chance.

When the pets first leave the ranch, they cross through a big, green field full of hay stacks and make their way through a valley full of pine trees and saplings. Once they reach the top of the mountain (Mount Howard), you get a big, wide vista of the Sierra Nevada range, and another as they head down into the wilderness, both of which look incredible. They filmed in all sorts of national parks for the scenes in the forests and rivers,

including Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Deschutes National Forest, Mount Hood National Forest, the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area, and the Columbia River Gorge. Wherever each individual scene was shot, it all looks beautiful, but when the animals bed down for the night in a small spot in the forest, they also manage to make the surrounding woods look rather creepy. The next morning, we see them trying to get some fish in a

slow-moving stream, a prelude to where they have to cross a river. While the spot where Chance and Shadow swim across was Paulina Creek, when Sassy falls into the rapids, it's at Benham Falls, and the enormous waterfall she goes over is Sahalie Falls, with its hilly sides and rocky ledges.

While Sally is nursed back to health at Quentin's very nice cabin in the woods, which sits next to a marsh, Chance and Shadow try to get some food in a big field amid some rocky cliffs, in a patch of forest, and back at the river. When Kate realizes the pets are missing, she contacts a forest ranger at the top of a lookout tower, which happens to be the Hickman Butte Fire Lookout Tower in Mount Hood National Forest. Chance and Shadow first encounter the mountain lion at Smith Rock State

Park, and part of the chase takes them through the distinctive Metolius Balancing Rocks in Culver. Upon hearing their barking, Sassy leaves Quentin's cabin and makes her way through various meadows and clearings, reuniting with them in a large prairie with a backdrop of a pine forest and a huge mountain rising in the distance. Following Chance's painful encounter with the porcupine, they head through some woods that are more moist and colder-looking than what we've seen before.

This area, where they find Molly, is Wahciella Falls, and when they're found by the search party and taken to the animal shelter, they cross a covered bridge that was found at Shevlin Park in Bend, Oregon, but it was torn down in 2019. Escaping the shelter, they head through a picturesque spot near the bridge and we get some more lovely scenery as they head on through the night, include a very nice shot of a lake at sunset. And they eventually come upon a nice view of Fresno from a hillside.

Though they don't get much attention, we do get some interiors, mainly in San Francisco and the family's temporary home, which is a nice-looking but fairly small apartment that likely wouldn't have been enough for the dogs (Sassy would've been able to manage). Most of the scenes that take place in the city were actually shot in Portland, including the one inside the police station, where Peter goes to file a "missing persons" report. While not as gritty or hardcore as what you'd see in other

movies, when Peter walks in, a police officer walks by him with a handcuffed guy who has a Mohawk, a muscle shirt, and suspenders. You also see some people sitting on a bench in the waiting room and a woman in a sparkling blue dress who walks through the door behind Peter. In addition, we get to see Bob's small office in the building where he works and, when he's notified that the pets have been found, he's in the middle of a large lobby, startling those around him when he lets out a very

loud and joyful, "YES!" We see the interiors of the kids' school (the Metropolitan Learning Center in Portland), which is full of Halloween decorations, something I always like seeing in films and TV from that time period, as it brings back so much nostalgia. When they go to collect Jamie, he's busy rehearsing a Halloween-themed school play, with kids in costume (Jamie himself looks as though he's supposed to be Peter Pan), colorful, painted

backgrounds, and lots of pumpkins, including the "Magic Pumpkin," which Jamie drops and splatters in excitement when told the pets have been found (good thing it wasn't the Great Pumpkin or there would've been a very stern letter from a certain Linus Van Pelt coming his way). 

Though those running it mean well, the animal shelter the pets are taken to is shot in a manner to make it look threatening, with a red sign with a black image of a dog's profile, a kennel full of barking dogs (including a very mean-looking Doberman Pinscher), and the medical lab, which the panicking Chance is dragged into, making his anxiety even worse. The interiors are also very oppressing in general, as the corridors are narrow and claustrophobic and have a dull look to them,

with white linoleum floors and brown, wooden walls, and one spot that dead-ends into a bunch of stacked boxes. The sound of the alarm buzzer when they manage to make it out the door and head to the fence especially makes the place feel like a prison they're escaping from. And finally, you have the last obstacle they have to get through, which is the train yard, specifically Portland's Brooklyn Intermodal Rail Yard, where Sassy very nearly gets

run over and Shadow falls into the muddy pit. Interestingly, the movie comes full circle here, as when it opens and Chance introduces himself and talks about his early life on the streets, what we see is a train yard similar to this one. It's as if he's returned to the place he started from, although nothing is ever said about it.

Looking up trivia on how they pulled off some of the sequences, I find it was done not only through good training and direction on the animals' part, but also through a skilled mixture of the real animals and fake ones. When Sassy falls into the river, the wide shots of her being carried along through the rapids were done with the use of a fake cat, while in the close-ups of the real cats, they were either in very shallow water, such as when she first falls in, or a heated pool. They also used a

mechanical cat for a close-up of Sassy meowing in a panic and, obviously, the fake cat was used when she goes over the waterfall. The fake cat was used again for when Quentin first finds Sassy later on and picks her up, and another one was used as part of the scene where Chance launches Sassy with the seesaw. A fake dog was used when Chance gets whacked by the porcupine, and when Shadow falls into the muddy pit near the end, they dropped a

fake dog for the impact. They used other fake animals, such as a rubber fish when Sassy gets one out of the river for Chance and he chases it as it flops across the ground, and a rubber crawdad for when it grabs onto Chance's muzzle. All of these instances of fakery are cut so quickly that, unless you study the movie carefully or freeze frame, you'd never guess.

However, the film isn't perfect, as it makes, for me, anyway, a pretty big story mistake fairly early on. Like in the original film, Kate leaves a note for the person who's going to look after the animals while she's gone for a few days, but a crucial part of the note goes missing. In this case, when she leaves the note in the barn for Frank to find and closes the door, a breeze blows that page off to where Frank can't see it. Ignoring why she would leave the note for him in the barn, as that feels like something

you'd leave in the house, we only see her writing the second part of the note. We also only get a brief, split-second glimpse of the first part of the note, which Frank later finds and reads in a very murmuring manner. You hear enough to know that she wrote, "The old dog seems really homesick, so I've taken him and the other two...", but, again, you only got a few seconds to read the part of the note that gets lost, if you were even paying attention to it at all (not to mention, she was writing in cursive,

which I suck at reading). You could say it's my fault for never looking closely enough but, from my childhood all the way until recently, I was never able to put together what the miscommunication was exactly. I never understood that there were even two halves of the note; rather, I thought that maybe she left impressions of her writing on the piece of paper underneath the second note and Frank interpreted it as her taking

the animals with her, or that it was an older note from when she'd previously kept them (though, this is clearly the first time she's done so). It was only after I saw how it plays out in The Incredible Journey that I got an idea of what happens here. Also, the missing part of the note says that she's been taking the animals on rides into town, which they've enjoyed. This is an extension of a deleted scene where you see one of these trips and, had they kept it in, it would've better explained why the pets are so disturbed when Kate locks the gate and leaves them behind. Again, you can say I'm an idiot, but this is one part of the story that The Incredible Journey handled better.

There are other, minor errors that I noticed even as a kid. For one, several different cats play Sassy throughout the movie and it's obvious, as these cats are a bit bigger, fluffier, and have blacker faces than the main one, Tiki. There's even one instance where they use a cat that's the wrong breed. When Kate is trying to find the dogs kibble, only for Chance to come in and attempt to take Shadow's food, they cut to Sassy reacting to it. But, not only do her eye-lines not match up to where this chaos

is going on, but they use a Siamese cat instead of a Himalayan. Even as a young kid, I knew Sassy looked really weird in that shot. Also, as a kid, I knew that the number of porcupine quills in Chance's muzzle and their exact locations tended to change from shot to shot. And finally, when they bed down for the night in the woods, I noticed that it sometimes looks as though it's at dusk and other times, the middle of the night, as it goes from very

dim to pitch black. I also have a feeling that they did day-for-night shooting in some of those shots. Like before, this is just me being very nitpicky and, in the end, none of these little errors matter, but like I said, they're things I've noticed practically since I first saw the movie.

Going back to the deleted scene I mentioned before, I've learned it's one of a handful of scenes that I never knew existed until I read up on them on IMDB. I've read that they were used to fill up a two-hour time slot when the movie played on TV, and I also read a comment from someone who had a VHS with at least one of them retained, but for my entire life, I missed them completely. Normally, I don't talk about this kind of stuff, but because this is such an important movie to me, looking these scenes up on YouTube, despite the lousy picture

quality, was a real treat. Some of them are rather superfluous, like a longer transition to when Sassy awakens in Quentin's cabin and Bob having to cancel a barbecue party scheduled for the day when he's supposed to take the kids to visit the pets. There's another that's just ridiculous and far too cartoonish, where Quentin has to leave his goat inside the cabin with Sassy while he's gone and when he returns, the goat's lying on the floor, with her legs tied together, suggesting that Sassy did that herself. But others are a bit significant. For

instance, after Chance eats much of the wedding cake, Peter and Jamie hose him down, much to his dismay. As he struggles, Peter talks about sending him back to the pound, while Jamie assures Chance that won't happen, establishing Chance's fear of being sent back early on. Most importantly, when Kate comes back and Frank tells her about the note, there was a deleted section where they go into the barn and find the missing part of the note. Again, that would've clarified things so much

better. Also, when Kate and Frank wonder what where the pets could've gone, Kate, like John Longridge in the original, realizes that they've gone home (while it's never specified in the final movie, here you learn that the family lives in Fresno). And after Quentin finds Sassy, there was a deleted sequence of him bringing her back to his cabin and starting to nurse her back to health. Significantly, it's here that he introduces himself and makes him out to be an even nicer guy than he already was. A

later moment shows just how much of a nature-loving, "salt of the Earth" guy he is, as he stands outside in his yard at night and plays a saxophone, which seems to soothe the animals. Since the movie is only 84 minutes as is, I don't think it would've hurt to leave some of the scenes in.

Knowing these scenes exist makes me wish the movie had a better home video release. I have it on a 2-disc DVD set with the sequel (the one you see pictured here) and neither of them have any features of note, except for the theatrical trailers. The film is not even in widescreen on home media, and at the time I'm writing this, hasn't been released on Blu-Ray. That sucks because, between these deleted scenes and all the work that surely went into making the movie, which you can read up on in the IMDB trivia section, I know both it and the sequel could have a really good special edition. But given how fickle Disney is about what they give special attention to, I'm not going to hold my breath about either of these movies getting really good releases any time soon.

I absolutely the love the movie's opening shot, looking down those railroad tracks, as it reminds me of a little town at the bottom of the mountain I live on. However, this scenic shot is cut short by the movie going to black, accompanied by the loud clang of a metal door shutting, as Chance mentions ending up at the pound. When we're formally introduced to him a minute later, he's chewing on a yellow shirt or blouse, waking up Sassy in the

process. We get the first instance of their bickering, where she complains about him interrupting her beauty sleep, to which he comments, "Beauty sleep? You'd have to sleep for like a month." Chance starts tearing the shirt up, when he gulps and says, "I swallowed a button." Sassy comments, "Oh, what a shame... too bad it wasn't a zipper." Chance warns her to stop mouthing off at him but when she says, "Oh, is that any way to speak to a petite dewdrop, you big flat-faced, butt-sniffer?!",

he chases after her, knocking over a floor-lamp. It's so loud that it momentarily interrupts the wedding outside, and Shadow growls at the sound of it. Despite the continued sounds of the chase, they finish the vow exchanges. 

Chance sniffs the chef's butt, which we get a face-full of as he looks into the stove. When he sees a plate of food, Chance immediately starts following the chef around, going under the table where he starts serving and coming out the other side. Though he begs, the chef tells him to forget it, when a couple of meatballs roll off the table. Chance grabs one of them, although it proves to be hotter than expected. Shadow watches nearby,

thinking, "I wonder if I can have that dog stuffed?" When Chance sees the turkey, he tries to get at it, only for Shadow to growl at him. At first, Chance doesn't pay him any mind, but when Shadow asks, "Would a rolled up newspaper mean anything to you?", and barks, Chance backs off, saying he just wanted to smell it... adding, "To make sure it was safe for people," when that doesn't satisfy him. Chance noses around some more and climbs up

onto a couch next to a guy and begs for some more food. The guy gives him some, but it's a bit of broccoli, which Chance does not like at all. He next goes up to a couple of ladies, saying, "Ladies! Ladies, ladies, please, you gotta help me! I'm starving, and I can't remember when I had my last meal, and I'm an orphan, and I'm weak, and I'm helpless, and if you don't feed me, I'll shrivel into a pile of bleached bones, so please!" The one woman

tries to shoo him away, to which he says, "What? Do you want to shake a paw? Shake hands? How's that? Is that worth most of your food? All of your food? A little bit? Please?" When the woman keeps shooing him and they leave, he grumbles, "Doesn't even know how to shake right. You need training." Sassy comments that he's the one who needs training, adding that she can get food by acting like she doesn't want it. She decides to prove it when Chance says it's stupid and goes up to Hope, who

picks her up, cuddles her, and then offers her some shrimp. As Chance watches, Sassy, at first, acts as though she doesn't want it, despite Hope's insisting; she says she can't, adding, "I have those four pesky ounces still hanging on from Christmas." This tortures Chance, who desperately wants the shrimp himself, when Sassy finally takes it. Chance is bummed out, doubly so when Sassy gets an extra shrimp. He then sees them taking out the wedding cake and follows it outside. 

When it comes time to cut the cake, Chance takes the opportunity, though still intending to act like he doesn't want it. Once everyone turns towards the cake, they see him chowing down on it, saying through a mouthful, "No, I couldn't possibly. Really, I'm dieting." He lifts his head up, covered in icing, and burps loudly, and while most of the guests are laughing, Laura's mother, who made the cake, is devastated. Chance yells, "Well, dig in,

everybody! There's plenty for everyone!" In the next scene, Hope tries to play on the seesaw with Sassy, who isn't thrilled about sitting on the other end. Seeing this, Chance sneaks up on Sassy when she's not looking. Spotting him, she runs across the length of the seesaw, and Chance runs and jumps, landing on the opposite end with enough force to send her flying through the air and into the sandbox. While the boys find this hilarious, with 

Chance commenting, "That's why they call it the cat-a-pult," Sassy is overly dramatic, while Hope picks her up and runs inside the house, threatening to tell what happened. However, this act proves a bit too much for Chance's overstuffed stomach, as it gurgles and he moans, "I think... I need to eat some grass." He vomits offscreen, much to the boys' disgust, and as he tells us in his narration, "I learned an important lesson that day: cake and polyester don't mix." After that, the family drives

through the night to Kate's ranch, and while the kids, Shadow, and Sassy sleep, Chance has his head out the window, his ears sticking up in the wind, as yells, "Da Daaaa! Bat Dog!" 

When they arrive at the ranch, Chance is so eager to get out that he nearly kills Jamie, climbing over him and slamming him into the open car door (the camera quickly pans away from him, possibly meaning that the kid started crying). Sniffing around, Chance spots a bunch of chickens and exclaims, "Hallelujah, I've died and gone to Kentucky!", before chasing them. Before the family leaves, Jamie attempts to distract Chance

with a Frisbee, but can't make him let go of it. Bob then manages to pry it out of his jaws and fling at a field. Chance, saying, "You let it escape!", chases after it, talking about chewing it up to where it won't be able to fly away again. However, the mood changes immediately, as Peter says goodbye to Shadow, hugging him, before going to climb into the car with the others. As the car pulls away, Chance realizes that they're leaving, as does Sassy (whose paw Kate shakes goodbye, with Sassy

complaining, "Alright, alright, alright. Easy on the fur-coat,"). It gets really sad when Shadow, while obeying Peter's command to "stay," says, "Peter... wait. Stay," and Peter sadly waves out the back window at him. While Kate takes Sassy inside the house and Chance sadly follows her, Shadow continues sitting in the driveway, looking where the car drove off. Later, he walks to the porch, confused about who's going to watch over Peter, but lays down, sure that he'll come back.

The next morning, when Kate rings the dinner bell, Chance is too busy annoying the chickens in their house, running back and forth, asking, "Hey, which of you guys are regular, and which ones are extra crispy?" But when he hears Kate filling up a bowl with kibbles, he comes running in and tries to grab the food meant for Shadow. Kate grabs him by the collar and tries to pull him away, but his struggling causes her pain. She quickly grabs another bowl of

kibble and puts it on the floor for him, only to back up and step on Sassy's tail, sending her running under a table and behind a bucket. Apologizing, she puts some cat food in a small dish but Sassy isn't impressed when she doesn't warm it up, grumbling, "Well, don't expect a big tip from me." And because of her hesitation, Chance gobbles down her food when he's done with his, telling her, "Yeah, well, you snooze, you lose," when she

complains. We then get a montage of Chance getting up to mischief on the ranch: chasing some ducks in a pond, chasing after a goose (he says, "Come on! Come on! I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to chew on your neck,"), and finally gets inside the chicken house. But as he's chasing the chickens around, he runs into the turkey, the sight of which sends him running out in a panic. Despite this scare, some time later, Chance is chewing on a leather shoe, saying he finds there's a lot more stuff

to do at the ranch. But that's when Kate leaves to go on the stock drive, worrying Shadow and Sassy, while making Chance very uneasy, due to being locked in. That's when Shadow decides to go home and jumps the fence, followed by Sassy, who's worried he won't know the way. Though Chance initially decides to stay behind, when "Birdzilla" shows up again, he hops the fence in a panic and runs to catch up to them. 

Later, as they're continuing on, Chance talks about getting sick of hearing Sassy whine and complain about how hard and uncomfortable the ground is. Following the scene where Frank comes by to find them gone, we see them making their way up to the top of a peak, as Chance says, "I'm gonna be happy to put this place behind me. First of all, there's way too many new smells to learn. Not to mention, I got about ten million trees to mark and I don't know

about you but I am runnin' on empty." When they reach the top, they have an amazing view of the Sierra Nevada range, but no sign of the house. Thus, Chance and Sassy are shocked when Shadow decides to continue on. Chance then reluctantly opts to go on with him, as does Sassy, and we get another montage of their journey through the night and next day. We see them walking along a dry riverbed, heading up some rocky crags, running

through a shallow creek, Sassy walking along a fallen tree, the dogs crossing a stream, and finally, traveling through a dense pine forest. At one point, Chance finds a small mound of dung, saying it's as big as Sassy, "But it smells better!"; Sassy retorts, "At least I don't roll in it, like some species." Chance then barks at a racoon up in a tree, with Sassy commenting, "Oh, right! Like if you yap at it, it's gonna come right down and ask you to eat it! Ha, pitiful!" Next, Chance barks inside a hollow

log, when he smells something far in the back. He sticks his head further in, saying the smell is interesting, when a sudden, loud noise causes him to back out and run off in a panic. The animal that was in the log shows itself: a skunk, and it walks off, laughing. Chance exclaims, "I never thought anything could smell too much," then tells Shadow, "Hey! Hey, Shadow! Shadow! You want to have some fun? Go stick your head in that hole." Shadow advises Chance to pace himself but Chance assures him, "Don't sweat it, Pops! I can go on like this for days!"

And then, that night, he's lying on the ground, groaning, "Ohh, I'm too... pooped to poop." Despite what Shadow tells him, he's unable to sleep because of how spooky the woods are at night, which Sassy mocks him for. When he tries to sleep, he hears a sound out in the distance, creeping him out further. Sassy actually goes, "Ooooooh," but Shadow tells her to knock it off. Laying back down, Chance is further unnerved

when he sees a snake slithering through the grass nearby, and when an owl hoots up in a tree. Then, when he hears a rumbling sound, as well as a braying, he really freaks out, telling the others that something is out there. Shadow says he thinks it might be a moose, then gives his very inaccurate, horrific description of what a moose is, prompting Chance to run to where he and Sassy are. Sassy, who's sitting above them on a half-fallen tree, says,

"Of course, mooses can't climb trees," but Shadow tells her, "Don't have to. They can reach right up to the top. You'd be safer on the ground with us." Sassy isn't thrilled about the idea of sleeping in the dirt, when she hears a pack of coyotes howling in the distance. Come the next morning, Chance wakes up to find Sassy down in the dirt with them. He licks Sassy's face and she recoils in disgust at his "dog breath." Shadow shows up, saying he's found their breakfast, which Chance says he hopes

is garbage. All three of them take off and Chance, in the midst of an argument with Sassy, slams into a sapling. Afterward, he goes, "I meant to do that," and Sassy remarks, "Uh-huh. Serves you right." In the next scene, Chance is trying to get a fish out of the river but is having a hard time of it. Seeing that Shadow got one with Sassy's help, he reluctantly asks for her help, though she forces him to say, "Cats rule and dogs drool," then makes him shout it when he mumbles it.

She fishes one out and onto the bank for him. He starts chasing it as it flops along the ground, only for it to flop up to a couple of young black bears. Annoyed rather than intimidated, Chance stands up to them and chases them off by barking at them, sending one climbing up a tree, whining loudly. Chance retrieves his fish and is quite pleased with himself, bragging about his ability to scare intruders off. Unbeknownst to him, an enormous

grizzly bear comes up behind and stands over him on his hind legs. When Chance finally turns around and sees him, he runs off with the others, letting the bear have the fish. Some time later, they come to a river leading to a waterfall. After scouting up ahead, Shadow tells the others that they have no choice but to cross it. Sassy, naturally, doesn't like the idea of getting in the water, even after Shadow and Chance cross the river in a where the water is

barely moving. She heads further downriver, trying to find a place to cross, despite Shadow's warnings that the rapids will get worse the further down she goes. Eventually, she finds a spot where there's a fallen log leading to some large stones she can hop across. It seems everything's fine, until she reaches the end of the rocks and tries to climb across a log atop a beaver dam. The dam collapses beneath her and she falls into the water. Shadow looks to see her being swept away in the rapids and he and

Chance rush to save her. This sequence is genuinely tense, as Sassy is swept downstream, constantly getting forced under the water, coughing and choking, while Shadow and Chance run across the shore, trying to find a spot to jump in after her. Shadow finds a spot where a fallen tree leads from the shore into the river and jumps in. However, Sassy is getting dangerously close to the waterfall, and the film cuts back and forth between Shadow trying to save her and the falls. Despite his best

efforts, Shadow is unable to reach her and Sassy is unable to swim. She goes over the falls, screeching all the way down, and disappears into the mist and turbulence below. Chance finally finds Shadow and the two of them go on to see if they can see her at the bottom of the falls. However, there's no sign of her, and the camera pans down from the base of the falls and down the rapids, hinting at what could've happened to her body. The next morning, before he and Chance press on, Shadow looks down at the rapids and says, "I'll miss you, Sassy."

We're then introduced to Quentin as he's bird-watching and spots Sassy lying on the riverbank. She meows when he picks her up and he quickly rushes back to his cabin. There, as he cleans her up, she faintly murmurs Shadow and Chance's names. Elsewhere, the dogs are trying to find something to eat, but Chance's impatience continuously costs them a potential meal. In a patch of woods, they come upon a rabbit and

prepare to ambush it, when Chance jumps the gun and runs after it before Shadow is ready for him to. As he watches the chase, Shadow grumbles, "There goes the bunny. There goes the pup." And when the rabbit ducks down into its burrow, he groans, "There goes breakfast," while Chance growls, "I hate fast food!" Shadow tells him he's on his own and Chance apologizes, begging for a second chance. Shadow tells him, "That was your second chance, Chance!", and Chance whines, "Well, give

me a third chance! Come on, please! I'm starvin'!" When they come upon another stream, Chance tries to get fish again, saying to himself, "Now, how did Sassy do this? I don't want it. I don't want it. I don't want..." Then he rears up, a crawdad hanging from his muzzle, and yells, "Ay-yi-yi! I don't want it! I don't want it!" Shadow is amused, commenting, "Sassy'd love to see this." 

Later, after the family learns that the pets are missing, Chance and Shadow have a brief moment where they're walking along almost dry riverbed, Chance whining about being hungry again, much to Shadow's annoyance. Elsewhere, Sassy awakens in Quentin's cabin and he gives her some goat's milk. At first, she isn't taken with it, but admits that it is good. Back with the dogs, they're continuing on, unaware that they've caught the attention of a mountain lion, who licks his lips at the sight of

them. Stalking them, he finds them at a stream, where Shadow has his head in the water, trying to catch some fish. Spotting the mountain lion, Chance tries to warn Shadow, but it takes a few seconds for him to hear him from underwater. When he finally does, Chance warns him about the "huge cat," but the lion happens to be in hiding at the moment. Thinking Chance imagined it, he goes back to fishing, when the lion reappears on a ridge, ready to attack. Chance, again, yells for Shadow,

who pulls his head up to yell back at him. That's when the lion roars, sending them both running, with the lion not far behind. As they run, they have this exchange: "I'm such a wimp! I'm runnin' from a cat!" "I won't tell if you won't." "Of course, this isn't your ordinary house-cat. I mean, this is like Arnold Schwarze-kitty!" The mountain lion stops at the spot they pass through, scanning the area, while Chance and Shadow run until they find

themselves trapped on a cliff. In his frightened rambling, Chance mentions the seesaw back at their house, when Shadow spots a natural seesaw on the cliff: a long section of rock balanced on another rock. This gives him a plan and he calls Chance a genius, to which he says, "I am not! What's a genius?" Meanwhile, the lion is following their trail, when Shadow goes back and baits him into chasing him. The lion appears on top of a

ridge and, spotting Shadow, chases him through a patch of forest. Like I said before, this scene is really tense, as it cuts back and forth between the two of them, showing their respective POVs, with the lion's showing just how close he is to catching Shadow.

Shadow makes it back to the cliff, telling Chance, who's hiding on a ridge overlooking the "seesaw," to wait for his signal. The lion quickly arrives and, seeing Shadow, snarls at him. Shadow lures him down with some taunting and he heads down towards him and the seesaw. Shadow tells Chance to get ready, as the lion climbs up onto the seesaw. When he's completely on the opposite end, Shadow yells for Chance to jump... only Chance is distracted by a butterfly flying around his nose.

The lion snarls ferociously and Shadow yells for Chance to jump. This time, he does, yelling, "Hasta la vista, kitty!", and landing on the other side, flinging the lion up into the air and over the cliff (in reality, I doubt Chance would be heavy enough to make that work but, whatever). The lion lands in a stream below and makes his way to the shore and runs off. Chance yells, "Dogs rule, and cats drool!", before joining Shadow in barking victoriously.

Nearby, Sassy, who's outside with Quentin, hears them barking and quickly runs off to catch up with them. Following the barking, as well as their scent trail, Sassy comes upon them as they're making their way through an open field. She meows to get their attention and, when they turn around to see her, they're overjoyed to find she's alive. The animals run together to reunite (Chance trips on a gopher-hole while running; that part always

cracked my dad up) and it's a truly heartwarming moment, with the music swelling and the animals nuzzling each other. Chance, after admitting he's happy to see her, saying, "Well, we could use you around," asks her if they can go fishing now, which she's more than happy to.

After eating their fill of fish (Sassy actually burps), they're about to head on, when Chance sees a porcupine nearby. Thinking it's, "A squirrel havin' a really bad hair day," he runs over towards it, ignoring Shadow's warning to stay away from it. When he yells at it, the porcupine turns to face him, but after a few seconds, turns back around and starts to head on. But Chance keeps following, asking, "Hey, what about that hair? What, did you stick your tongue in a toaster?" Finally, the

porcupine runs out of patience and smacks Chance in the face with its tail, sending a number of quills into the side of his muzzle. Shadow and Sassy come running as he yells in pain, Shadow chastising him for his idiocy, while Sassy comments, "Like my mother always said, 'Curiosity killed the dog.'" She attempts to pull the quills out, but grabs onto the edge of his lip and pulls on it. Letting go, she realizes the quills are in too deep. Shadow tells Chance, "Whatever you do, don't lick yourself," while Chance, watching the porcupine walk off, grumbles, "Jerk."

Some time later, the animals journey on, although Chance is in great pain from the porcupine quills. When they come to the base of another waterfall, Sassy, understandably, is horrified, but Chance proves even more despondent about it than her. She tries to encourage him but he isn't having it. They try to figure out what to do, when Shadow hears something nearby. He goes to see what it is and comes across the little girl named Molly, lost and crying out of fear. At first, she's afraid of Shadow

when she sees him, but he motions in a way that makes her realize he's friendly. After calling Chance and Sassy to the spot, he lets Molly embrace him, as she continues sobbing. That night, we see the search party, along with Molly's bereaved parents, looking and calling for her. The next morning, Shadow awakens when he hears the search party and goes to find them. Chance tells him not to, for fear of being taken to the pound, but Shadow tells him not to worry and heads off. He

comes to the edge of a ridge and sees them crossing a bridge. Barking to get their attention, he then motions for them to follow, which Molly's father does. He follows Shadow to the spot, as do the others, and Molly is then reunited with him and her mother. Once they make sure she's okay, her father pets Shadow and thanks him for saving his daughter's life. At the same time, two forest rangers with the party recognize the pets from the fliers

Bob sent out, and the woman tells them that they're going home. She later calls Bob and tells him that the animals are at the Pineville Animal Shelter. But, as he collects his family and they head out, Shadow, as he and the others are on their way to the shelter, realizes they aren't heading towards home.

Once they reach the shelter, Chance, thinking they're at the pound, panics and acts aggressive towards those trying to take them inside. Shadow, at first, tells him to calm down, that they're trying to help, but he's then muzzled and pulled out of the back of the truck. Sassy watches from the front as they're taken inside, with Chance being dragged into the back while Shadow is pulled to the kennel. Getting the muzzle off, he yells for Sassy to save herself and she runs off into the woods when one

of the rangers opens the door. Inside the kennel, Shadow is taken to a pen amid the loudly and angrily barking dogs. There, he figures that Chance knew what he was talking about. Outside, the shelter worker named Foote attempts to find Sassy and net here. Unbeknownst to him, she's watching from the edge of the woods, mocking him as he calls for her. When he can't find her, Foote stomps off back into the building, with Sassy commenting, "Whoo. What a bozo." Inside the medical lab,

Chance's wounds are examined, as the doctor prepares to remove the quills. Meanwhile, Sassy sneaks into the building in order to rescue her friends (the Mission: Impossible theme plays during this part). When he sees the pliers coming towards him, Chance starts babbling, "Okay. Okay, I'll talk! I left a gift on the carpet. I let Sassy take the heat for the time I unrolled the toilet paper all over the house. I stole underwear on three

occasions." One of the quills is yanked out and Chance yells, "Okay, okay, four! Four!" Sassy then sneaks into the kennel, and as she looks for Shadow, she's surprised to hear catcalls from some of the dogs: "Hey, kitty! Whoo-hoo!" "Hey! Shake that tail, baby!" "Ha, ha! Nice whiskers, baby!" (Because no other animals had spoken before now, when I was a kid, I couldn't figure out who was talking.) She finds Shadow, unlocks his cage, and the two of them go to find Chance.

Chance whines and melodramatically goes, "Ow! Ow! Please, stop! Please, stop! Oh, just let me die!" Seeing and hearing this from outside, Shadow tells Sassy that they're killing him. Foote, aggravated by the barking dogs in the kennel, comes stomping in and spots Shadow and Sassy. Sassy opts to distract him while Shadow gets Chance. She has Foote chase her down the hall, and Shadow tries to find a way into the medical lab. Kirkwood and the vet spot him through the

window, while elsewhere, Foote chases Sassy around and around. She mocks him all the while, at one point commenting, "I am bad? Oh-ho, yes." Finally, the vet pulls the last quill out of Chance's muzzle, and when Kirkwood goes for the door, Shadow jumps up against it, pinning him between it and the wall. Chance gets off the table and runs out the door. The vet chases after him but, in his haste, ends up squishing Kirkwood against the wall again. Elsewhere, Foote manages to catch Sassy,

only for the dogs to come running down the hallway at him. They run past him, Shadow tripping his leg and causing him to fall on his back, while holding Sassy by the back of her neck. The dogs find that the hallway he was standing in was a dead-end, filled with boxes and a net, and they run back the other way. They run over Foote as he sits up, still holding Sassy, and force him to let her go. The three of them run outside, while Foote yells for

Kirkwood. The alarm buzzes as they head for the fence across from them. While Sassy is able to slip under the small gap between the fence and the ground, the dogs have to dig to make it big enough for them. Foote grabs a net and heads outside, right before Shadow manages to slip under the fence. But when Chance tries it, his collar gets snagged on the chain-link. He tries to get loose but Foote reaches him just as he gets unstuck. He grabs

Chance's legs and tries to pull him back through, but when he does, Shadow jumps at the fence and snarls at him. It startles him and he falls back, giving Chance the opportunity to slip through and for all three of them to take off into the woods. Utterly defeated, Foote and Kirkwood watch them run off, the latter commenting, "If I didn't know better, I'd think they'd planned this."

In a very dramatically frustrating moment, the animals cross the covered bridge leading to the shelter and head off into the woods just seconds before their family comes driving by. As they pass by the stream that runs under the bridge, Shadow suddenly stops, saying he has a feeling that he should go back. But when Chance says he's crazy, Shadow agrees and they continue on their journey. We get another short montage of them traveling on, as Chance mentions in his narration how much he

liked the feeling of having friends he could depend on. The next day, they reach a cliff overlooking Fresno, proving that Shadow was right all along. They then head on to the last leg of their trip, which takes them through the train yard. After crossing the tracks when a train comes through, Shadow gets ahead of the others and tells them to watch out. Another train fast approaches them, and while Chance makes it across just behind Shadow, Sassy lags behind and just barely manages to cross

before getting run over. That obstacle behind them, they press on, with Sassy talking about how sick she is of nature. That's when Shadow walks through an opening in a fence and across some planks, when one gives way underneath him and he falls into a muddy pit. Chance and Sassy run to the edge of the pit and see Shadow lying at the bottom, not moving. For a few seconds, they obviously wonder if he's dead, but then he regains

consciousness and gets to his feet, despite being in pain. Chance finds a slope leading into the pit that's not very steep and suggests he climb out using it. But, as hard as he tries, and despite their trying to encourage them, Shadow can't make it and slips back down. That's when you have the emotional moment where he gives up, tells them he can't make it, and Chance angrily tries to get him moving, only for Shadow tell him he no longer has anything to give. The scene ends on a question of whether or not they'll manage to get him out of the pit, with Sassy watching helplessly from up top.

Like with The Incredible Journey, the finale has the family back home, spending time together outside, when they hear a dog barking nearby. Recognizing it as Chance, Jamie calls for him and, despite some initial skepticism from Laura, Chance comes bounding over the hill. He heads right for Jamie, whom he has a newfound affection for, and greets him warmly, telling him he loves him. The rest of the family comes in and pets him, when Sassy comes over the hill, meowing. Overjoyed,

Hope runs to her and picks her up, squeezing her to the point where Sassy can't breathe. But, just as they think the family's coming back together, Shadow doesn't follow the other two over the hill. They wait but, as the seconds tick by, it looks as though he didn't make it. Heartbroken, Peter turns to go inside the house, but just as he does, Shadow, slowly but surely, comes limping over the hill. Hearing the others react, Peter turns and, seeing him, runs to his dog. The two friends run to meet

each other and, as Peter embraces him, Shadow tells him, "I'm so happy. I thought about you all the time." Peter tells him, "I missed you," and Shadow responds, "I missed you, Peter, and I love you." I'm not gonna lie, it actually chokes me up a little. For me, moments like this are what Disney, at its best, is all about. With the family now back together, they go inside the house, and Chance realizes that he truly has one now. When he runs inside, barking happily, and sees what's for dinner, he excitedly yells, "Turkey! Turkey, turkey, turkey, turkey!"

The cherry on top of this wonderful sundae is the excellent and often touching music score, composed by Bruce Broughton, who'd previously done the music for Silverado, The Monster Squad, Harry and the Hendersons, and, in keeping with Disney, The Rescuers Down Under. Broughton comes with an identifiable and memorable main theme that you hear as soon as the title comes up and is repeated many times throughout the film, in many different variations, from sad and solemn to touching and even big and grand. My favorite versions of it include the majestic, adventurous one when the animals begin their journey, the wondrous and whimsical one when they start traveling across the Sierra Nevada range, a big, emotional one when Sassy is reunited with the dogs, a lovely, soft version when they continue on after escaping the animal shelter, and the big, triumphant one when Shadow and Peter are reunited and which closes out the movie at the end of the credits. Sassy has a memorable, whimsical leitmotif all her own. There's plenty of silly and funny music for the comedic moments, often with a country, rustic feel to it, through a twanging guitar or a fiddle. But Broughton does really well with the more dramatic and tense sequences as well, like when Sassy is caught in the river and the mountain lion chase, giving the lion a very creepy and unsettling leitmotif all his own. The sequence to escape the animal shelter is scored in a manner that mixes both humor and excitement, with the use of the Mission: Impossible theme early on, but it does get suspenseful near the end, when Foote closes in on Chance when he's stuck under the fence. Broughton even manages to appropriately score the scene with the animals bedding in the woods as spooky, enough to where it did creep me out a bit when I was a kid. Most importantly of all, he manages to really get you in the feels, in scenes such as Peter's goodbye to Shadow and when the animals realize they're being left behind at Kate's ranch, when they find Molly, and especially the dramatic one between Chance and Shadow in the muddy pit. It's just great music all-around and I remember it just as well as I do the actual movie.

There's little else I can say about Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey other than to sum up why, even as an adult, I still think it's a truly great movie. The three main animals are not only brought to life through the voiceover work but also through amazing "performances" the trainers and filmmakers managed to get out of them; the editing is so well done that you would think the pets really were caught up in the dangerous situations they get into; the human characters are also very likable and memorable; the cinematography is gorgeous and brings out the beauty of the diverse landscapes and environments they filmed in; there are numerous memorable sequences and scenes in the film that range from funny to thrilling and genuinely touching; the music score is excellent; and it's a true feel-good movie that will leave you with a smile once it's over. Some may feel that giving the animals voices takes away from the charm of The Incredible Journey, and I do think that the original movie handled a couple of things better, but, while this could easily be nostalgia, I think Homeward Bound truly outdoes it in just about every way. I think it's also telling in how Homeward Bound is remembered and brought up far more than The Incredible Journey. And finally, for me, it's one of the most significant and most enjoyable movies from my childhood, and one that I don't see myself ever getting tired of.