Looking back, the talking animal genre of films is probably the silliest genre that I enjoyed as a kid.  These days it has mostly been relegated to direct-to-DVD releases and pun filled titles (Air Bud: Golden Retriever, for one!).  Now it may be my own sense of nostalgia looking back, but I remember talking animal films to be serious business.  I loved the bond formed between Milo and Otis, and it was only surpassed to me by the brilliance of Homeward Bound.

What does it mean to have a home?  That is the core theme of a movie that ultimately sees three animals endure an (entirely unnecessary) trek through the wilderness.  What is touches on though, is the deep sense of longing that we all feel to be with the ones who love us.  Animals are perhaps the best at showing that because at least as we perceive them, they are far more lovingly devoted than we humans are.  Perhaps that’s why Homeward Bound has always stuck with me – these animals are willing to go through absolutely anything to find the ones they loved.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could say the same?

  ~ Stephen Russ