February 12, 1993 – Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is Generally Released to Theaters 
“It’s my responsibility. I had a responsibility to Sassy to love her and protect her, the same as I have to you, and to Peter, and the same as you have to Jamie.”
On February 12, 1993, the Walt Disney Studios had their general release of the family film Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. The film is a remake of the 1963 Disney film The Incredible Journey, which in turn was based on the best-selling book by Sheila Burnford. The story is of three pets – Chance, an American bulldog puppy; Sassy, a Himalayan cat; and Shadow, a golden retriever – who, afraid they’ve been abandoned by their owners, begin a journey back to their home through the California wilderness. Although the film was set in California, the filming was done in eastern Oregon. In contrast to the original film, the animals in the film speak, although this is one of the rare films were the animals mouths are not made to move in synchronization with what they say. The film stars Michael J. Fox as the voice of Chance (and the narrator of the film), Sally Field as the voice of Sassy, and Don Ameche as the voice of Shadow. The film also stars Robert Hays as Bob Seaver, Kim Greist as Laura Seaver, Benj Thall as Peter Seaver, Veronica Lauren as Hope Seaver, and Kevin Chevalia as Jamie Seaver. It was directed by Duwayne Dunham, with the screenplay by Caroline Thompson and Linda Woolverton.
The film opens with Chance explaining his past: he was abandoned as a puppy, left to fend for himself on the streets before getting caught and sent to the pound. He was adopted by the newly combined Seaver family (Bob Seaver married Laura, a widow with three children). Chance calls it the place where he got his second chance, and his name; where he was provided with “lots of space, fresh air, plenty of interesting things to explore, and all the underwear [he] could eat.” He introduces the two other pets, Sassy the cat, and Shadow the dog, as well as their humans. Chance explains that the daughter Hope belongs to Sassy, the youngest boy Jamie belongs to Chance (although Chance explains that he doesn’t really need anybody), and Peter, the eldest, belongs to Shadow.
The pets on the porch of Kate's ranch. Shadow (L) eagerly awaits Peter's return, while Chance (M) believes they've been dumped.
The family must go to San Francisco for a little while, leaving the pets behind with a family friend named Kate at her ranch. Peter is not happy with having to leave Shadow behind, asking his new stepfather Bob, “What if he thinks I’ve abandoned him or something?” Bob responds that the time will pass before they know it, and everything will be okay. The pets, however, don’t understand what’s going on: Chance believes they’ve been abandoned, but it doesn’t seem to faze him much, since it had happened to him before. Kate leaves to go on a cattle drive, leaving a note behind for her neighbor about taking care of the pets, but part of the note falls under a table, and the neighbor mistakenly believes Kate took the pets with her. Shadow senses that something is wrong, and decides that he has to get back to Peter. “Something is keeping Peter from coming to me, so I’m gonna go to him,” he explains, and jumps the fence. Sassy follows him reluctantly, and Chance only follows, as he’s been chased by a turkey most of the time on the ranch, and decides to go where it’s turkey-less. “And so began the most perilous journey of our lives,” Chance narrates.
Shadow reassures the two that home is just over the mountain, but when they look over, they notice only more mountains and an expansive wilderness. But they continue, with Chance beginning to admire Shadow’s unwavering faith in Peter. As they begin, they have many brushes with nature, including a skunk and a protective mother bear. When they reach a river, Shadow and Chance have no problem swimming across, but as Sassy tries to climb a log to get to the other side, the log falls, sending Sassy traveling with the current. Although Shadow and Chance race along the riverside and Shadow tries to go into the river to catch her, Sassy ends up going over the waterfall into the rapids. The two dogs wait overnight to see if she’ll come out alive, with Shadow blaming himself for letting Sassy drown. The next morning, Shadow bids Sassy farewell, and the two continue on their journey. A birdwatcher in the woods, however, comes across Sassy washed up on the shore, and takes her in, cleaning her up and feeding her.
Shadow sits near the waterfall, blaming himself for what he believes is Sassy's death
Kate comes home to find that her neighbor believes she took the pets with her, and panics, having to call the family and let them know that the pets are gone. The children are devastated, and Peter blames Bob for making them go to San Francisco and leave the pets behind. Meanwhile, the two dogs come across their next challenge: a mountain lion has been following their tracks. Inspired by the time Chance used a see-saw to catapult Sassy in the backyard, Shadow comes up with a plan to send the lion flying, throwing it into the river. Their triumphant barking alerts Sassy, who is nearby with the birdwatcher, and she runs in their direction, with the three reuniting.
The three run across a lost little girl in the woods, and decide to watch over her during the night, while a search party wanders around, calling out the little girl’s name. In the morning, Shadow hears their calls and alerts them to where the girl is. The rangers with the search party recognize the pets from the posters Bob has made, and decide to take the pets with them to a nearby animal shelter. They alert the family that the pets have been found, but Chance thinks he’s being sent back to the pound and panics, causing Sassy to escape. She comes back to help Shadow and Chance break out, and they run away just as their family is on their way.
The pets look down on their hometown, relieved that they are so close to their family
The pets see home just over the top of a mountain, and travel through train depot, carefully crossing over the tracks, when Shadow falls into a hole as the beam he walks across breaks. At first Chance and Sassy think he may have died from the fall, but he wakes up and tries to walk, finding out his leg is badly injured. The two try to coax Shadow out of the hole, but the walls are slick with mud, and eventually, with the answer that he’s just too old, Shadow lies back on the ground and gives up. Chance tries to tell him that they need him, but Shadow says the only thing they need is to learn to say goodbye.
Later, when the family has returned home, still mending from what they believe is their loss, Jamie hears barking in the backyard. He calls out Chance’s name, and Chance comes over the hill, running to Jamie. Sassy appears next, running to Hope. Peter waits for Shadow to appear, but doesn’t see him, and angrily states that Shadow was just too old. Just as he turns to go in the house, a limping Shadow appears, and begins running to make his way back to Peter. Safe and sound, Chance realizes that here, he has the things he never knew he needed: a family, friends, and a home filled with love.
The joyful reunion of Peter and Shadow
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