Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

A fun-loving American bulldog pup, a hilarious Himalayan cat, and a wise old golden retriever embark on a long trek through the rugged wilderness of the Sierra Nevada mountains in a quest to reach home and their beloved owners.

Director:

Duwayne Dunham

Writers:

Sheila Burnford (novel), Caroline Thompson (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, Don Alder

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Don Alder	...	Molly's Father
Ed Bernard	...	Desk Sergeant
Kevin Chevalia	...	Jamie Seaver
Anne Christianson	...	Research Assistant
Ted D'Arms	...	Vet
Woody Eney	...	Forest Ranger 'Mark'
Kim Greist	...	Laura Burnford-Seaver
Rich Hawkins	...	Forest Ranger
Robert Hays	...	Bob Seaver
Nurmi Husa	...	The Caterer
Jane Jones	...	Molly's Mother
Veronica Lauren	...	Hope Burnford
David MacIntyre	...	Foote
Kit McDonough	...	Female Forest Ranger
Mary Marsh	...	Laura's Mom

Storyline

Three pets (Chance, a young dog unfamiliar with the world; Shadow, an aging, wise dog; and Sassy, a snobby cat) are left behind when their family goes on vacation. Unsure of what happened, the animals set out on a quest to find their family. This journey across America is very dangerous and the animals risk never seeing their masters again. The group of pets travel across forested mountains and areas of wide-open countryside, while their family searches for them in the same areas.

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Plot Keywords:

river | animal in cast credits | digging under a fence | wedding | young girl | 

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Taglines:

In the classic tradition of Walt Disney Pictures comes a story about courage, adventure and friendship.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

When they arrive at the farm, Chance chases a flock of chickens. This scene was shot primarily in cuts where the chickens were filmed separately. The chickens would be fed and then the trainer would wave his hands to make the chickens flurry away. The dog playing Chance was not really interested in the chickens, so the trainers would give him hand signals and verbal commands to stay, look in various directions, and stop, etc. to create the impression that he was after the chickens, but he was merely obeying his trainers commands. The scene where Chance gets into a chicken house and the chickens scatter was filmed in basically the same manner. When a large turkey appears and chases Chance, the scene was shot in cuts, filming the turkey and the dog in much the same way as the chickens and the dog were filmed.

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Goofs

The marks on Chance's face from getting hit by the porcupine change in nearly every shot, and at one point disappear all together, but are back in the next shot.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Chance: My name is Chance. I know, it sounds odd, but most names do if you think about it long enough... maybe even yours. 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, ...

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Alternate Versions

Some additional scenes not included on the video release but aired on TV include:

• A scene in which Kate takes the animals for a ride in the truck.
• A scene with the kids playing Nintendo.

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: Does PG Mean Anything Anymore? (2016)

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Soundtracks

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE THEME
Written by Lalo Schifrin

User Reviews

For the whole family

Two dogs named Chance (voice by Michael J. Fox) and Shadow (voice by Don Ameche) and a cat named Sassy (voice by Sally Field) are left behind when the family that owns them goes on vacation. They are not sure what happened and therefore they have to find the family. An incredible journey is what is next.

This is a movie for all ages but especially kids will love this. The animals, the beautiful nature, some nice and funny moments, a good heart and a happy ending, everything what a movie for the whole family needs. Of course the story is simple and some events are quite impossible, but with movies like this you are not suppose to ask too many questions and you must not be too critical.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$60,672, 7 February 1993

Gross USA:

$41,833,324

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$41,833,324

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchwood Pacific Partners 1, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1