Homeward Bound:
The Incredible Journey (1993)

	Directed by: Duwayne Dunham	COUNTRY USA GENRE Family/Adventure/ Comedy/Drama NORWEGIAN TITLE Den utrolige reisen RUNNING TIME 84 minutes
	Produced by: Sean Furst Michael Pierce
	Written by (based on the novel by Sheila Burnford): Linda Woolverton Caroline Thompson

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Chance (voice)	Michael J. Fox	½
Sassy (voice)	Sally Field	½
Shadow (voice)	Don Ameche
Jamie Seaver	Kevin Chevalia
Hope Burnford	Veronica Lauren
Peter Burnford	Benj Thall
Hope Burnford	Veronica Lauren
Bob Seaver	Robert Hays	½

Review

An Americanized, carefully encoded, and highly sentimental version of British writer Sheila Burnford's novel about the headstrong trio of two dogs and a cat determined to find their way back to their home and owners after being placed on a desolate farm. If you read my three initial characteristics as negative criticism, I will counter that even though they may be associated with failure (at least in more recent times), they can still be valuable aspects in filmmaking when done right. Even though this is a film soaked in sentimentality, it's an irresistible form of sentimentality – aimed at children (and people who used to be children), but delivering all of the goods with inspiration and dignity. The technical aspect – meaning how the filmmakers make the animals come alive; how they tailed them, studied them and captured them on film – is a remarkable and completely astounding achievement. Director Duwayne Dunham almost never makes his animal action seem scripted, and he narrates wonderfully with his camera – something that will be more apparent to viewers who have tried watching the film with the sound off.

The added human dialogue by the trio of Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, and Don Ameche gives the film an everyday (if somewhat trivial) charm that makes it easy for children to relate to the animals as ambiguous beings: they are given spirited human personalities while retaining their animal manners. Their characters are admittedly simple, but The Incredible Journey remains a mesmerizing experience from start to finish – an American film in heart and soul, rooted in the essence of The Wizard of Oz and delivering fun from start to finish for young and old.