Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Bruce Brougton is already longer known for his small Disney / family contributions like Harry and the Hendersons, The Rescuers Down Under and Baby's Day Out. But like for instance Harry and the Hendersons it wasn't truly the most positive family score, it also contained rough and hard music, scary music that needed to make the point in the movie. It wasn't the score to play for your kids and in a way I can say the same about portions of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. It first of all has a supreme main theme but also some more hard stuff that will not directly be enjoyed by your child when he actually loved the movie. So that is the downside of the score, if we speak about the portion for kids. But the good side and I mean that strongly is the main theme of Homeward Bound. First of all, I was blown away by its version in the trailer of Pleasantville and couldn't hold my luck when I discovered where it originally came from. It lighted the trailer and it lights this score, when it receives both its charming release and bombastic fanfare like versions at the end of several tracks. And theoretically speaking, it might be all what some want to buy the score and love it.

The main theme is used a lot but you will never get tired of it when it appears and luckily for the score, that is a good thing. And besides, there is enough diversity like some dark music, meaning very aggressive action music in 'The Cougar', a jazzy inspired piece in 'Escape from the Pound' that will remind you of the fast paced comedy tracks of Kimberly and a mellow emotional side in 'The Little lost Girl' which even ends Edward Scissorhands' like in tone. That is the difference in style and the theme surrounding those tracks is all what Homeward Bound needs, joyful statements like in track 5 or bombastic versions at the end of tracks 'The Journey Begins', 'Reunited' and the lovely suite 'End Credits' which all mark the finest moments of the score. Homeward Bound isn't special enough but the theme surely lights the heaven with its perfect development. And last but not least, there is a use of small leitmotifs like in track 1 'My Name is Chance' which opens with a brief statement of the main theme, the guitar music which sometimes abruptly states Chance's theme (just like the dog in the movie) and Sassy's theme, the cat that doesn't receive a sneaky tone like for instance in Babe, which is all the merrier for the overall mood of the score.

It might be lovely but still the score remains just a good time runner which has one advantage that others might be lacking, a good theme that holds it together. I don't mean that Homeward Bound of Bruce Broughton might be bad but there is something in my mind mentioning that the score really is fortunate to have a theme like that, and without it it might have fallen short of pleasure. The score mostly leans close to Harry and the Hendersons but it also has portions of adventure of Tombstone or like said before, the darker side of the danger of the already big mentioned Harry. Homeward Bound as a score is a pleasurable listen but it still misses supreme class or highlights all the same. So, the score isn't much special but the theme is definitely worth it and if you are either a fan of the trailer or of Broughton, then there will no problem in liking the score all the same.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. My Name Is Chance (4.29)

2. The Journey Begins (2.58)

3. Fording The Stream (1.14)

4. The Cougar (3.55)

5. Just Over That Next Hill (2.22)

6. Breakfasting With Bears (1.12)

7. The Little Lost Girl (2.50)

8. Escape From The Pound (2.26)

9. Reunited (4.22)

10. End Credits (5.03) Excellent Track

Total Length: 30.59

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: Bruce Broughton ===