A Dog’s Review: ‘Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey’ Brings The Human-Dog Connection to the Big Screen

“Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey” is one unforgettable film. Intended for children, this action-adventure comedy may seem like run-of-the-mill talking animal fun for kids, and yet, nearly 30 years after its original release, the film retains its feel-good charm.

“Homeward Bound” tells the story of three animal friends: Chance, an American Bulldog, Shadow, a Golden Retriever, and Sassy, a Himalayan cat. When the ragtag bunch’s family goes on vacation, loyal Shadow fears they are not wanted, and embarks on a quest to return to his family and prove his loyalty. After some debate, Chance and Sassy come, too, and spend much of their time getting the group into trouble.

“Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey” without a doubt depicts the endless bond between dogs and humans. Shadow, the old and wise Golden Retriever, is dedicated to his family and will stop at nothing to return to them. He shows his respect and love by being well-behaved and following “his boy,” Peter, everywhere he goes. Chance, the free-willed American Bulldog, isn’t so sure about belonging to a family. At the beginning of the film, Chance expresses little care for Jamie, who he belongs to. But by the end, Chance has realized how important his family is to him, and he bounds into Jamie’s arms. While kids loving dogs are pretty staple in family movies, “Homeward Bound” is sure to drive home how a dog can love.

Shadow and Chance are both main characters, and ultimately get much more on-screen time than Sassy, the film’s cat character. Shadow is a wise old dog who seems to know all there is about being a pet. Chance exists mainly to add comedic relief. However, they are without a doubt the stars of the movie. Chance does little in the first half of the movie besides get into trouble. But, he experiences remarkable character growth for a children’s film about three pets. By the end, he has a shift of personality and decides he is a family dog.

It’s unclear what became of the animal actors in the film post-production. The movie practiced careful treatment of animal actors on-set. This included spreading whipped cream on Ben, the actor for Shadow, for a cake-eating scene. The dog actor loved whipped cream and was trying to eat a little too much during filming. The canine stars enjoyed liver treats as a reward. The actors in the film were not rescue animals and were not “saved” by production. But, they likely had as much fun running in the wilderness with their canine friends as you could imagine.

The film does have scenes containing an animal shelter, which is depicted as a scary place for the group of animal friends to be. But, it’s not elaborated on much. The gang escapes without harm, and no other animals are adopted or saved. While the film does show the love between human and dog, it doesn’t advocate for rescue, better animal care, or any particular underlying message. In fairness, this is pretty standard for a 90’s animal movie.

“Homeward Bound” and its sequel are both found to be compliant with the AHA’s “No Animals Were Harmed” initiative. Many scenes in this movie imply dangerous situations for the animal characters. But, great care was taken to ensure their safety. There are scenes involving a mountain lion chase. However, the big cat was never on set at the same time as the canine and feline stars. For a scene where Sassy falls into a raging river, a stuffed double is used to remove any risk to real cats. For a scene where Shadow limps home to his family, a wooden bead is between his toes. This left Shadow with a peculiar gait, but it caused him no pain. Overall, especially for its time, the movie succeeded in being safe for all animal actors.