Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey  is a 1993 American adventure comedy film and a remake of the 1963 film The Incredible Journey, which was based on the novel of the same name by Sheila Burnford. Directed by Duwayne Dunham, it was released on February 3, 1993. It grossed $41,833,324 in the United States and was followed in 1996 by Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco. This film is dedicated to producer Franklin R. Levy, who died during production of the film.

Plot
Chance (voiced by Michael J. Fox), an immature and disobedient American Bulldog and the narrator of the film, explains that he is the pet of Jamie Burnford (Kevin Chevalia), but expresses no interest in his owner or being part of a family. He shares his home with Shadow (voiced by Don Ameche), a wise old Golden Retriever owned by Jamie's brother Peter (Benj Thall), and Sassy (voiced by Sally Field), a smart-mouthed Himalayan cat owned by Jamie and Peter's sister Hope (Veronica Lauren). That morning, the children's mother, Laura Burnford (Kim Greist), marries Bob Seaver (Robert Hays), and Chance manages to cause chaos by digging into the wedding cake in front of all the guests.

Shortly after the wedding, the family has to move to San Francisco because Bob must temporarily relocate there for his job. They leave the pets at a ranch belonging to Kate (Jean Smart), a family friend. Shadow and Sassy start missing their owners immediately, but Chance sees it as an opportunity to explore and have fun. Later in the week, Kate goes on a cattle drive, leaving the animals to be looked after by her neighbor Frank (Gary Taylor). However, Frank does not see her message and thinks that she has taken them along, leaving the animals alone. Worried by the disappearance of their host, the animals fear they have been abandoned. Shadow, refusing to believe that his boy would abandon him, resolves to make his way home. Not wanting to be left alone on the ranch, Chance and Sassy decide to accompany Shadow on his journey.

They head into the rocky, mountainous wilderness of the Sierra Nevadas with Shadow leading by instinct. After a night spent in fear of the woodland noises, the group stops to catch breakfast at a river. However, two black bear cubs bother Chance and a large brown bear causes the group to flee. At another river, Sassy refuses to swim across to follow the dogs and instead tries to via a wooden path further downstream; halfway across, the wood breaks and she falls into the river. Shadow tries to save her, but she goes over a waterfall to her apparent death. Devastated, Shadow and Chance go on without her. Unknown to them, Sassy survives and is later found on the riverbank by an old man named Quentin (William Edward Phipps), who nurses her back to health.

Over the next two days, Shadow and Chance try unsuccessfully to catch food and encounter a mountain lion, which chases them to the edge of a cliff. Chance, assuming he is about to die, reveals his dark secrets to Shadow by telling him where he has buried everything at home. When Chance mentions that the remote control is buried under the seesaw, Shadow gets an idea to use a balanced rock shaped like a seesaw as a way to thwart the mountain lion. While Shadow acts as bait, Chance pounces onto the end of the rock and sends the mountain lion over the cliff and into a river. Sassy hears the dogs barking in celebration and follows the sound to rejoin them.

The animals continue on their way, but Chance tries to befriend a porcupine, ending up with a load of quills in his muzzle. The animals then encounter a little girl named Molly (Mariah Milner), who is lost in the woods. Too loyal to ignore her, they stand guard over her and keep her warm during overnight. In the morning, Shadow finds a rescue party and leads them back to the girl. They recognize the animals from a missing pets flyer and take them to the local animal shelter, but Chance mistakes it for a dog pound and the trio panic. As the medical staff removes the quills from Chance's muzzle, Sassy sneaks in and frees Shadow. Together, they retrieve Chance and escape the shelter, unaware that their owners are on their way to get them.

Finally reaching their hometown, the animals cross through a train yard, where Shadow falls into a muddy pit and injures his leg. Demoralized, he tells Chance and Sassy to go on without him. Near dusk, Chance and Sassy finally make it home and are happily reunited with their owners. Shadow initially fails to appear, but eventually he limps into view and happily comes running home at the sight of Peter. Chance narrates how it was Shadow's belief that brought them home and how the years seemed to lift off of him, making him a puppy again as he reunited with his boy. The film ends with Chance musing about how he truly feels "home" with his family, before happily running into the house at the smell of food.

Cast

 * Michael J. Fox as the voice of Chance
 * Don Ameche as the voice of Shadow
 * Sally Field as the voice of Sassy
 * Robert Hays as Bob Seaver
 * Kim Greist as Laura Burnford-Seaver
 * Benj Thall as Peter Burnford
 * Veronica Lauren as Hope Burnford
 * Kevin Chevalia as Jamie Burnford
 * William Edward Phipps as Quentin
 * Ed Bernard as Desk Sergeant
 * Gary Taylor as Frank
 * Jean Smart as Kate
 * Bart the Bear as Bear

Reception
The film received positive reception. The film holds an 87% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 30 reviews, with the consensus stating "Disney's remake of The Incredible Journey successfully replicates, and in some ways improves upon, the simple charms of the original, with its cross-country animal odyssey sure to delight kids." According to movie critic Roger Ebert, the movie is "frankly designed for kids, and yet it has a certain craftsmanship and an undeniable charm, and if you find yourself watching it with a child you may end up liking it almost as much."