ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 9, 1996 TAG: 9603120030
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-12 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: MOVIE REVIEW
SOURCE: KATHERINE REED STAFF WRITER
Well, aren't we a bunch of spoiled kids. ...
Since "Babe" won our hearts and minds, we're a little underwhelmed by dogs whose "lips" don't move when they talk to each other.
So it's surprising that "Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco" is as entertaining as it is.
Its "secret" is in the wonderful voices of its leads: Michael J. Fox, who voices Chance again; Sally Field as Sassy and Ralph Waite as Shadow. A bunch of assorted other colorful canine voices flesh out the story of the pet trio, which gets itself left behind in San Francisco when its family goes off on a camping trip.
The pets aren't forgotten; they escape from their air crates as they're about to be loaded onto the airplane to accompany their family on vacation. Chance has it in his furry little head that they're all about to be taken to "the bad place," the pound.
His bout of hysteria puts all three pets in danger in the big city. After all, these are not street-wise animals. They're suburban pets, and all they really want is to find some mutt to point them in the direction of the Golden Gate Bridge so they can go home.
Then love intervenes and truly gives Chance pause (ar-ar). She's a fluffy white looker named Delilah (Carla Gugino), and, baby, she's from the wrong side of the tracks. But they fall in love, and Chance decides maybe he doesn't want to go home after all.
I was truly worried for a moment that this movie was going to let the dogs' socioeconomic differences divide them; but, not to worry. Things work out and Chance and Delilah get to "lick and make up," as he so delightfully puts it.
As for "scary parts," only very young children (2-4) are likely to be upset by a scene in which a young boy and his kitten are trapped inside a burning house; the dramatic tension is very brief. And the dog attack scenes are very mild; as usual, the worst villain is a human named Jack (Michael Rispoli) who, with his partner Ralph (Max Perlich), steals dogs for a living to be sold to a lab.
Aside from a couple of potty jokes, "Homeward Bound II" is good, clean fun for kids. The worst risk you run taking your kids to see it is that they'll want you to buy them a pet. Maybe more than one. And as far as movie-made desires go, there are many far worse.
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco: ***
Name A Walt Disney Pictures release, showing at Valley View 6 and Salem Valley 8. Rated G. 100 minutes.
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Shadow the golden retriever, Chance the bulldog andby CNBSassy the cat chatter their way through San Francisco in "Homeward
Bound II." color.