Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

Purely Joyful Movie!

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

A different way of telling a story

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

My sister had a VHS copy years and years ago, but our mom got rid of it feeling we had outgrown it. Maybe in adolescence, she was right. Fast forward to 10+ years later and I decide to check a DVD copy out of the library just for old times' sake for no real reason. Prior to now (I'm a 27-year-old single man), I have discovered lots of movies I was too young to see circa 1993...A Clockwork Orange, Reservoir Dogs, The Terminator, Road Trip...OK, that movie didn't come out 'til 2000 and it's not an absolute classic like the first three, but you get the idea! I popped the movie into my player this evening to see if the movie held up. And wouldn't you know it...it does! In fact, I cried so much at the end, my ears are still moist half an hour after it ended.Truth be told, however, the first few minutes are pretty stupid, but it does show Chance and Sassy's resentment to one another, which is important to the story. The real magic comes when the three animals (especially Chance) realize what home and family really means when their child owners leave them on a farm. That's when they decide to make their escape and from there, it's an adventure that may be dangerous, but in the words of Sassy, "I laugh at danger." The most touching scenes are Sassy finding her way back to Chance and Shadow after she was rescued from being drowned and Shadow finding the lost Molly in the woods. The touching musical score from Bruce Broughton is also a major factor.I'd like to note I work with pets sometimes, so I know how it would feel if one of them (or even all of them) just disappeared. My family's favourite cat died of old age in July 2011. As you can imagine, I was heartbroken, but at that time, I was sharing a house with a middle-aged couple who had two shihtzus, so before I went out to do my errands that day, I made sure to say hello to the two little dogs because although one of my family pets was gone, I had two other ones who could be a beacon of hope for me.No matter how old you are or what your tastes are or if you generally can't stand anything that comes from Disney, you seriously must see this film and you'll feel redeemed that way. And as piece of advice: don't be afraid to let a song or a movie or a TV show turn on the waterworks for you; it means you have a soul.

I first saw this movie when my children were young in the early 80's. Now 30 years later I am enjoying it again with my granddaughter. For a two year old she sits spellbound through it from beginning to end. She is always concerned when Shadow falls from the railroad tracks in to the mud and cant get out and encourages him to keep trying. My favorite scene is the suspense building as you wait for the animals to come in to view in the end and return to their owners. Waiting for Shadow to make his appearance always has the tears running down my cheeks. I know he is going to make it but it is still an emotional scene as he gains speed running to his owner. I had to order this movie to add to my granddaughters collection.

It took me to the times when I had pets and they actually formed an integral part of my life ! The best part of the movie is it's majestic panorama - pine forests, clear streams,undisturbed stretches of open fields and grandeur of the mountains - I haven't searched about where this film was shot but will find it soon. An old craving to make a vagabond amidst nature popped up again ! Having experienced the psyche of cats and dogs closely, I enjoyed the depiction.Though cats are not as emotional as Sassy,it feels good to see it that way.Chance is a typical pup which appeals directly due to it's raw innocence.Shadow,on the contrary,adds much of the emotional flavor the movie has.All in all,the movie is a win.Only one sad thing struck my mind - I doubt if the future generations will ever experience an idyllic,artless childhood amidst a calm nature !!!

This is one of my favorite family movies. Loved it when I was little and it still holds up with me now that I'm older. I still laugh at all the same old jokes and might even shed a tear a times. I never have much cared for animals talking, or at least UN-animated ones but this one I'll stand up for. It's a pretty old movie but it will always hold a place in my heart.There aren't any other live animal movies that I can think of at the moment that I even could compare with, let alone like as much as this one. I might be giving too much praise to this movie but I don't think show. I really holds that great message that" Home is where the heart is." Or at least that's the message I gained from it. Definitely recommended for a good old family movie night.