Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Encyclopedia
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is a 1993 American remake of the 1963 film The Incredible Journey, which was based on the best-selling novel The Incredible Journey
by Sheila Burnford
. Directed by Duwayne Dunham
, it was released on February 3, 1993. It grossed $41,833,324 worldwide and was followed in 1996 by Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
.
(played by Rattler and voiced by Michael J. Fox
) and narrator
of the film, opens the film by explaining that he is the pet of Jamie Burnford (Kevin Chevalia), but expresses no interest in his owner or having a "home". He shares his home with Shadow, (played by Ben and voiced by Don Ameche
), an older Golden Retriever
owned by Jamie's brother Peter Burnford (Benj Thall
), and Sassy, a Himalayan cat (played by Tiki and voiced by Sally Field
), owned by their sister Hope (Veronica Lauren). Bob Seaver (Robert Hays
) is marrying Laura Burnford (Kim Greist
), joining the family. Shortly after the wedding, the family goes on a trip to San Francisco, leaving the pets at a ranch belonging to Kate (Jean Smart
), a family friend. Kate later goes on a cattle drive, leaving the animals at the ranch to be looked after by one of her ranch hands.
However, the animals think they have been abandoned, and Shadow begins to worry about Peter, so he decides to go find them. Sassy and a reluctant Chance follow. They head into the rocky, mountainous wilderness, with Shadow leading by instinct. After a night spent in fear of the woodland noise, the group stops to catch breakfast at a river. Two bear cubs steal Chance's fish, and the group quickly flee from their angry mother. At another river, Sassy refuses to swim across to follow the dogs, running along the river until she reaches a path of wood that seems to cross its breadth. Halfway across, it breaks apart and she falls in. Shadow jumps in to try to save her, but she goes over a waterfall
. Shadow and Chance search for her along the bank, but as night falls, they mourn their loss and continue without her.
A half-drowned Sassy is rescued from the river by a man who lives in the woods, who nurses her back to health. Without Sassy, the dogs struggle to catch fish from the river. A mountain lion begins stalking them. Chance spots the mountain lion while he's fishing. He tells Shadow, but Shadow doesn't believe him until he sees it himself. The mountain lion follows them to the edge of a cliff
. Chance tells Shadow where he has buried everything at home. When Chance mentions that the remote control is buried under the seesaw
, Shadow sees a rock shaped like a seesaw, which gives him an idea. Shadow comes up with a plan to defeat the mountain lion. While Shadow acts as the bait, Chance waits until the mountain lion steps onto the end touching the ground, and jumps on the other end, sending the mountain lion flying over the cliff and into a river
. The Mountain Lion retreats, filled with humiliation and irritation at its defeat. Sassy hears them 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 from its tail in his muzzle. His friends are unable to pull them out, and as they journey on, they find a little girl named Molly, who is lost in the woods. Too loyal to ignore her, they stand guard over her during the night and keep her warm. In the morning, Shadow finds a rescue party, which includes Molly's parents, and leads them back to her. The forest rangers with the party recognize the animals from a flyer they received and take them to the local animal shelter
, which is dubbed by Chance as 'The Pound'. Because Chance has had previous experiences with being in a dog pound, he panics and warns the others to run. Sassy gets away while he and Shadow are taken inside. As the medical staff remove the quills from Chance's muzzle, Sassy sneaks in and frees Shadow. Together they retrieve Chance, now quill-free, and escape the shelter, without realizing that their owners were on their way to get them.
The group is crossing through a train yard when Shadow falls through some old boards into a muddy pit, injuring his leg. With Sassy and Chance persuading him, he tries to climb out but is unable to climb up the slippery slope. Laying down, he says he is too old and that they should go on without him. Chance jumps into the pit to try to get him going, but Shadow refuses to move. Near dusk, the family is out in the backyard playing basketball
, when Jamie claims to hear Chance barking. The others think he is imagining things, but moments later Chance comes running over a hill, happily tackling "his boy." Sassy follows to be reunited with Hope, while Peter sadly presumes Shadow was too old to make it. Moments later, Shadow comes limping over the hill to be reunited with the overjoyed Peter. As the family goes into the house, Chance decides that he has found his home.
The Incredible Journey
The Incredible Journey, by British author Sheila Burnford, is a children's book first published by Hodder & they travel 300 miles through the Canadian wilderness searching for their beloved masters. It reveals the suffering and stress of an arduous journey, together with the unwavering loyalty and...
by Sheila Burnford
Sheila Burnford
Sheila Philip Cochrane Burnford, née Every, was a British novelist.Born in Scotland but brought up in various parts of the United Kingdom, she attended St. George's School, Edinburgh and Harrogate Ladies College. In 1941 she married Doctor David Burnford, with whom she had three children. During...
. Directed by Duwayne Dunham
Duwayne Dunham
Duwayne R. Dunham is an American film director and film editor. He has directed the films Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and Little Giants...
, it was released on February 3, 1993. It grossed $41,833,324 worldwide and was followed in 1996 by Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco is the 1996 sequel to the 1993 film Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. Directed by David R. Ellis, the film features the three animals from the first film, Shadow the Golden Retriever , Sassy the Himalayan cat , and Chance the American Bulldog Homeward...
.
Plot
Chance, an American BulldogAmerican Bulldog
The American Bulldog is a breed of working dog that was developed in the United States. There are generally considered to be three types of American bulldog: the Bully or Classic type , the Standard or Performance type , and the Hybrid type...
(played by Rattler and voiced by Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
) and narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
of the film, opens the film by explaining that he is the pet of Jamie Burnford (Kevin Chevalia), but expresses no interest in his owner or having a "home". He shares his home with Shadow, (played by Ben and voiced by Don Ameche
Don Ameche
Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
), an older Golden Retriever
Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties. As such, they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love...
owned by Jamie's brother Peter Burnford (Benj Thall
Benj Thall
Benj Thall is an American actor and is most well known for his role in the movie Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey as Peter Burnford.-Life and career:...
), and Sassy, a Himalayan cat (played by Tiki and voiced by Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
), owned by their sister Hope (Veronica Lauren). Bob Seaver (Robert Hays
Robert Hays
Robert Hays is an American actor and is arguably most well known for his role in the movie Airplane!-Life and career:...
) is marrying Laura Burnford (Kim Greist
Kim Greist
Kimberley Bret "Kim" Greist is an American actress.-Early acting career:Greist was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the daughter of Norma M. and E. Harold Greist...
), joining the family. Shortly after the wedding, the family goes on a trip to San Francisco, leaving the pets at a ranch belonging to Kate (Jean Smart
Jean Smart
Jean E. Smart is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her comedic roles, one of the best known being her role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS sitcom Designing Women. She later gained critical acclaim for dramatic work, with her portrayal of Martha Logan on 24...
), a family friend. Kate later goes on a cattle drive, leaving the animals at the ranch to be looked after by one of her ranch hands.
However, the animals think they have been abandoned, and Shadow begins to worry about Peter, so he decides to go find them. Sassy and a reluctant Chance follow. They head into the rocky, mountainous wilderness, with Shadow leading by instinct. After a night spent in fear of the woodland noise, the group stops to catch breakfast at a river. Two bear cubs steal Chance's fish, and the group quickly flee from their angry mother. At another river, Sassy refuses to swim across to follow the dogs, running along the river until she reaches a path of wood that seems to cross its breadth. Halfway across, it breaks apart and she falls in. Shadow jumps in to try to save her, but she goes over a waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
. Shadow and Chance search for her along the bank, but as night falls, they mourn their loss and continue without her.
A half-drowned Sassy is rescued from the river by a man who lives in the woods, who nurses her back to health. Without Sassy, the dogs struggle to catch fish from the river. A mountain lion begins stalking them. Chance spots the mountain lion while he's fishing. He tells Shadow, but Shadow doesn't believe him until he sees it himself. The mountain lion follows them to the edge of a cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
. Chance tells Shadow where he has buried everything at home. When Chance mentions that the remote control is buried under the seesaw
Seesaw
A seesaw is a long, narrow board pivoted in the middle so that, as one end goes up, the other goes down.-Mechanics:Mechanically a seesaw is a lever and fulcrum....
, Shadow sees a rock shaped like a seesaw, which gives him an idea. Shadow comes up with a plan to defeat the mountain lion. While Shadow acts as the bait, Chance waits until the mountain lion steps onto the end touching the ground, and jumps on the other end, sending the mountain lion flying over the cliff and into a river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
. The Mountain Lion retreats, filled with humiliation and irritation at its defeat. Sassy hears them barking in celebration and follows the sound to rejoin them.
The animals continue on their way, but Chance tries to befriend a porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
, ending up with a load of quills from its tail in his muzzle. His friends are unable to pull them out, and as they journey on, they find a little girl named Molly, who is lost in the woods. Too loyal to ignore her, they stand guard over her during the night and keep her warm. In the morning, Shadow finds a rescue party, which includes Molly's parents, and leads them back to her. The forest rangers with the party recognize the animals from a flyer they received and take them to the local animal shelter
Animal shelter
An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
, which is dubbed by Chance as 'The Pound'. Because Chance has had previous experiences with being in a dog pound, he panics and warns the others to run. Sassy gets away while he and Shadow are taken inside. As the medical staff remove the quills from Chance's muzzle, Sassy sneaks in and frees Shadow. Together they retrieve Chance, now quill-free, and escape the shelter, without realizing that their owners were on their way to get them.
The group is crossing through a train yard when Shadow falls through some old boards into a muddy pit, injuring his leg. With Sassy and Chance persuading him, he tries to climb out but is unable to climb up the slippery slope. Laying down, he says he is too old and that they should go on without him. Chance jumps into the pit to try to get him going, but Shadow refuses to move. Near dusk, the family is out in the backyard playing basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, when Jamie claims to hear Chance barking. The others think he is imagining things, but moments later Chance comes running over a hill, happily tackling "his boy." Sassy follows to be reunited with Hope, while Peter sadly presumes Shadow was too old to make it. Moments later, Shadow comes limping over the hill to be reunited with the overjoyed Peter. As the family goes into the house, Chance decides that he has found his home.