Review of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) by Andy B — 24 Nov 2009

(***1/2) If anyone ever asked me what a family film should be, I would tell them to watch two movies. For the darker side, The Lion King. For the brighter side, Homeward Bound. This story of a motley crew of pets carries a much larger package of emotion than one would expect, and features one of my favorite scores of all time. Now I'm not just being soft because I was a kid when it came out. When I watch this movie, I really get nostalgic for the lost art of making a family movie. Not a crappy kid movie or a teenage movie about a kid topic (see The Cat in the Hat), but a movie that is completely appropriate that the entire family will enjoy.

Some may say that the simple act of showing an animal and hearing a voice-over is weak film making, but I find it much more effective than bubbly fantasy worlds created by computer animation, or even worse the insulting concept of real animals with CGI moving lips. We simply see this animal in its honest form and get to hear its thoughts. It's a wonderful technique. Also the casting was perfect to give each pet the personality we've always known these particular breeds had. The loyal golden retriever, the playful bulldog, and the prissy cat all act as wonderful foils, not to mention the brilliant camera shots and training of animals to capture them in the perfect pose.

Homeward Bound may seem very cheesy by today's standards, but like old fashioned animation, this type of movie is necessary if we want to continue making family films that aren't just flashy presentations, but actually have some raw humanity inside them.