Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is a 1993 remake of the 1963 film The Incredible Journey based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Sheila Burnford. The film was directed by Duwayne Dunham who has directed other films such as Little Giants and television shows such as JAG and Twin Peaks. The film stars a Golden Retriever named Shadow, voiced by Don Ameche, a Himalayan named Sassy voiced by Sally Field, and an American Bulldog named Chance voiced by Michael J. Fox.
The animals belonged to the Burnford-Seaver family. Bob Seaver (Robert Hays) recently married Laura Burnford (Kim Griest) and merged their families: Peter Burnford (Benj Thall), Hope Burnford (Veronica Lauren) and Jamie Seaver (Kevin Chevalia) – owners of Shadow, Sassy and Chance respectively. The plot begins when Bob must take a one-year job in San Francisco, leaving the animals at a friend’s Oregon ranch. Shadow breaks free and leads Sassy and Chance home across a vast mountain range. They encounter dangerous animals, a waterfall and even a frightening dog pound before finding their way back to the children.
The film was released on February 3, 1993 and went on to gross over forty million dollars at the box office. The film was considered a success and a sequel was produced and released in 1996 titled Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco. The sequel featured the same animals and the same actors voicing the animals, except for Shadow, who was voiced by Ralph Waite in the sequel because Don Ameche died shortly after playing his role in the first film.
The film was shot at various locations in Oregon. Four national forests were used in filming, these included Deschutes National Forest, Mount Hood National Forest, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, and Willamette National Forest. Cities and towns in Oregon that were used for filming included Portland, Oregon, Bend, Oregon, Joseph, Oregon, and Wallowa, Oregon. Two other areas used for filming were the Columbia River Gorge and Eagle Cap Wilderness Area.
This film was rated G by the MPAA.
Plot
The film focused on the adventures of Shadow, Sassy, and Chance. At home with their owners, the animals are uneasy housemates during the best of times. They are left by their owners with a friend on her farm, but they don’t understand that they are just being left for a short time while the family goes away (following a marriage). Shadow, becoming uneasy about his boy Peter, leaves the farm to find him, and soon the others join.
During this journey, the animals must rely on each other for survival. Shadow is the old, wise Golden Retriever and presumably the leader of the three. Sassy is the smart-aleck Himalayan, but brings her wit and feline charm – not to mention her hunting and fishing skills. Chance is young, anxious, impatient American Bulldog, and though these traits lead him to trouble, they also make him more courageous. They make the trek, help each other, and are finally reunited with their owners at the end of the film.