
“Beauty and brains. I never cease to amaze myself.”
Three years after the success of 1993’s Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, Disney decided it was time for its three animal stars to get lost again. Michael J. Fox and Sally Field reprised their voiceover roles as headstrong bulldog pup Chance and catty Himalayan cat Sassy, respectively, with Ralph Waite replacing the late Don Ameche as faithful golden retriever Shadow.
The first film ended in a happy reunion at the San Francisco home of Bob and Alice Seaver and their children Peter, Hope and Jamie. As the new film begins, the Seavers are headed out for a camping trip to Canada. This time they decide to bring the animals along, putting them in pet cages for the airplane trip. Chance, a pound veteran, misunderstands the situation and busts out. Ever the loyal friends, Sassy and Shadow escape to join him, leaving the three animals lost on the mean streets of San Fran.
The city brings new dangers—dog gangs, ruthless humans who want to sell the pets for research—but it also brings new friends, a band of streetwise pooches led by a dog named Riley. With only the memory of a “golden bridge” to guide them, the plucky pets try to find their way back to the loving arms of their human companions.
The second installment continued the snappy animal banter that helped make the first film a winner, adding the voices of Sinbad, Carla Gugino, and among others, Al Michaels, Bob Uecker and Tommy Lasorda as the animal announcers at a softball game. With clever comic dialogue, animal adventures and even a little canine romance, Homeward Bound II proved every bit as popular its predecessor, charming animal lovers everywhere.