Another Animal Adventure
Dogs Chance and Shadow along with cat Sassy belong to the Seaver family and when the Seaver's have to go away on business they send the pets to live on a friend's ranch. But at the ranch the pets think they have been abandoned and decide they must not only escape but journey home even if that means navigating the dangers of a mountain and the wildlife.
The first voice you hear in "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" is that of Michael J. Fox, he is the voice of dog called Chance, the inner voice because unlike in many movies there are no manipulated mandibles in this children's movie. But if you were to pick a dog for Fox to be the voice of would you choose an American Bulldog? To me it is a mismatch as the friendliness of Fox's voice just doesn't make me think American Bulldog. Fortunately both Don Ameche and Sally Field are more in tune with the pets which they are voicing and as I said there are no manipulated mandibles so it is all their inner voices we hear which kind of works.
Anyway as to what actually happens in "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey", well it is typical stuff as once are three plucky animals take it upon themselves to run away from the ranch it is a series of adventures the sort of which have been used in movies about dogs far away from home for years. From a grown up's point of view it means that whilst "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" is pleasant enough and certainly family friendly it is nothing which you wouldn't have seen before. But for kids the excitement of these animals making their way across country will be fun with plenty of escapades and humour when it comes to their banter.
But in truth that is it as whilst we are introduced to a few human characters it is all about these three animals and their adventures from life on the ranch to their encounters with waterfalls and so on. Thankfully some of the dialogue is amusing such as when Chance is snooping around the chickens and asking which ones are regular and which are extra crispy.
What this all boils down to is that "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" is a movie which for grown ups will be familiar and a reworking of other animal adventure movies. But for a young audience it works and even as a grown up is quite pleasant even if it is nothing special.
Tags: Dog Movies
