The Incredible Journey (1963)

Best movie of this year hands down!

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I was young, yer honour - I was only 11. I'd led a sheltered life. I hadn't developed the hardened shell which has seen me through my adult life.So I quite enjoyed the adventures of Luath (Labrador), Tao (Siamese cat), and the aged Bodger (bull terrier) as they made their way across the wilderness of Canada to find their owners in their new home. Their adventure was exciting, and it held my young attention throughout.What I wasn't prepared for was the wave of distress as it became clear that Bodger hadn't made it, and the way my throat choked up when it became clear he had.It is now 50 years later. I still recognise this as a terrific kids film, although I now remember various bits being very studio bound, and all of it carefully assembled by editing a selection of sequences which the animals had been carefully trained for, and lucky shots. And I am aware of how carefully that closing sequence manipulated the audience's emotions.So why does it still bring tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat just thinking about it?

I love the 1993 film too, but I only just prefer this delightful classic. The humans are good enough characters, but to me the animals- who are incredibly charming, adorable and very convincing actors- are the best thing about this movie. Though there are many other things to like about The Incredible Journey too, especially the understated and thoughtful documentary-like narration, beautiful scenery and photography and beguiling soundtrack, not to mention a sweet and heart-warming story that effectively shows themes of friendship and determination. All in all, The Incredible Journey is a truly delightful film. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I saw most of this film's remake, "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey", when I was around seven years old in 1993 (the year it was released), and finally watched it all earlier this year. By the time I watched all of it, I still hadn't seen this original film, "The Incredible Journey" (the first adaptation of the book of the same name by Sheila Burnford, which I've never read). This film was released thirty years before the remake, and I don't think I had ever heard of it before watching the 1993 version again this year. When I watched the "Homeward Bound" film several months ago, I found it to be a mixed blessing. I rented this original film adaptation of the book expecting it to be better than the remake, and after seeing it, I would say it certainly is.Two dogs and a cat (an old Bull Terrier named Bodger, a young Labrador retriever named Luath, and a Siamese cat named Tao) are owned by the Hunter family. This family has recently gone out on a trip and left their three pets with their friend, John Longridge. He is nice to them while they stay at his place, but they miss their family. Before Longridge leaves on a hunting trip, a neighbour named Mrs. Oakes agrees to take care of his house while he's away. He leaves before she arrives, leaving the pets outside, and before she gets there, the animals decide to set out on a long journey back to the home of their owners. Mrs. Oakes arrives to find that the animals are gone, and thinks that Longridge has taken them with him, so nobody knows they're missing! Bodger, Luath, and Tao find themselves on a long adventure through the Canadian wilderness, struggling for survival as they face peril and hunger! During the opening credits, we see some beautiful overhead views of autumn scenery, and with this, the film is off to a good start. Right after this, Rex Allen begins his narration, which is not the most amazing narration I've ever heard (perhaps a little wooden at times), but it basically does the job. One major difference between this film and the remake is that there are no human voice-overs for the three pets here. A major problem I found with the 1993 version was Chance and Sassy, voiced by Michael J. Fox and Sally Field respectively, two characters that are supposed to be funny but fail. So, the main thing that makes the original better might be that it doesn't have the voice-overs and lame attempts at humour. This 1963 version still does have its flaws, with a story that sometimes lags, and I think they could have given the musical score a rest once in a while. However, overall, the story is intriguing with the animals on their adventure, and I think it helps if you like dogs and cats. There is some excitement with the danger the animals sometimes face, and I found that the film eventually got better, I think during the second half. I certainly didn't want to stop watching before the end by this point, with all the goings-on. It's also a nicely photographed movie with good filming locations, even though it doesn't have the great mountain scenery of the remake, and both the animal and human scenes can grab viewers (unlike the human scenes in the 1993 version, in my opinion), even if the human cast performances are mostly not that great.This is a family film with several flaws, and it may be a little dated, but overall, it's still one worth watching for the right audiences. Even though I think this is the stronger of the two, I could imagine many fans of the remake finding the original film boring, and the fact that this movie has no human voice-overs could be a common reason for that. You also shouldn't watch this 1963 version of "The Incredible Journey" expecting a ton of action and suspense. There is some of that here, but don't expect too much. Personally, I didn't find the animals' journey in the original film quite as interesting as it should have been at first, though it is mostly pretty good at this point, and it improved along the way for me. For a while, I wasn't sure whether I would be giving this movie a 7 or 8 out of 10, but in the end, I thought it was definitely 8 out of 10. It certainly doesn't have as many shortcomings as the 1993 remake and its 1996 sequel do. Those 90's films certainly aren't terrible, but without the unfunny humour those ones suffer from, I really think this 1963 release has more going for it.

I had seen the 1993 remake, Homeward Bound, before this classic Walt Disney Pictures film, and I have to say, even with the great voice cast in the remake, this classic is more fun. Basically three pets, the old dog, the leader dog (Golden Retreaver) and the Siamese cat, have been left behind by their owners and will be looked after by the old friend of theirs. But when the old guy is not looking, the Golden Retrever with the other two soon following embark on the incredible journey to the place where their owners are staying. They have many long walks through the countryside, come across many risky and sometimes dangerous tests of nature, e.g. water, animals, but they eventually make it back to the owners on the day of one of the kids' birthdays, good for him. Based on a true story, with narration by Rex Allen (narrator of Charlotte's Web). It was number 49 on The 100 Greatest Tearjerkers for the happy ending. Very good!