Customer Reviews

Homeward Bound II - Lost in San Francisco

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this CD based on the reviews that were posted here and on how much my family loved the first movie, HBI, but I cannot figure out how people like this movie about the same as the first one (average 4 1/2 stars).

HBII is loaded with politically correct themes. The female animals are naturally smarter and stronger than the male ones. Some dogs "speak" ebonics and they, of course, are the "good guys" whereas those that speak "white" (but with a NJ, Philly or NY accent) are naturally the "bad guys".

There are slight departures from political correctness in this movie in that it has no trouble with poking fun of the stuttering dog character (which is made fun of by one of the ebonics-speaking dogs in the movie); same goes for the "hillbilly" dog and the french poodle character (a stereotype you can probably imagine).

This movie is also alot more violent than the first. In HBII you have snarling dogs, a burning building (with a child trapped inside), dogs biting humans (the bad white humans of course), dogs fighting dogs, children bullying other children, children being mean to dogs, gangster dogs wanting to "get" Sassie the cat (the language used was: "you know what I want" and "She's mine").

In HBII you see Chance abandoning Shadow and Sassie when the gangster dogs attack them, leaving Shadow to fight it out alone. Chance also is not as spirited as in the first movie - he is too busy "falling in love", getting rejected, and then getting back together with a dog. Just who is this movie targeted for?

The whole movie has a mean-spiritedness that is missing from the first movie. You also hear alot less of the music that was so great in HBI.

Unlike HBI where Shadow, Chance and Sassie interact with each other and show (or grow to show) great affection for each other, HBII has the three for the most part dealing with the other dogs than with each other. That same chemistry isn't there.

Where Sassie was a tolerably lovable curmudgeon in HBI, here she is just outright mean. The other dogs in this movie are really annoying as well - especially the female dog that speaks ebonics (Sample language: "thats right chump, run" and "you goin' down" followed by a grunt that expresses the use of force as she takes her bite). Very nice.

The bad white humans in HBII are also excessively mean with one of them telling the driver of the truck they are in at one point to "run them over" whereupon he proceeds to make a great effort to step on the gas. At one point one of them actually says, "they're going to light you up like a freakin' Christmas tree". Is this language really necessary?

It seems to me that Disney let some dysfunctional 20 somethings write the screenplay for this. Although it appears to be for children, dogs and children being the primary characters, it probably is suited more for the kind of children that will end up in juvenile hall. Garbage, pure garbage.

Buy the first one; its five stars easy. This one gets one star only because of the cinematography (made easy by being filmed in San Francisco).

I loved the video. it was great, not as warm as HB1 but still good. Chance as usual not willing to follow orders and stay in his traveling box to Canada, runs out of the plane, forcing Sassie and Shadow to chase after him. They all wind up in San Francisco. They get rescued by some feral dogs from a couple of mean dogs. Chance falls in love with a dog. 2 dirtylooking mean guys roam around in a red truck catching animals until near the end when the ferals and the trio swamp them. One funny scene had Chance trapped in the red van with other dogs and Sassie on the outside telling him to admit "Cats Rule" in order to be freed. There was a scene where the 2 guys accidentally throw a cigarette at a house which causes a fire and so Shadow goes in to save a little boy and Sassie goes in to save the boy's kitten--this is the same boy that Sassie had tried to beg some food from earlier but Chance had ruined her chances by showing up. funny. It was a really funny, nice, fast video. Shadow as usual was his old and wise self.

this is one of the best films I have seen yet.
As you already know is is the second movie of the homeward bound series starring all the same charactors sassy, chance and shaddow in this movie the family are going on a trip over seas. But this time their taking the animals, but after chance and his owner Jamie have a fight during a baseball game chance thinks that jamies sending him away back to the pound when hes really just going into his cage in the plane. So he escapes leaving shadow and sassy to follow him they get lost in san francisco trying to find their way home with dog catchers and dog gangs all around will they get home in time youll just have wait and see
from Blake Laurie of new zealand auckland

This is a really funny movie for adults and kids! My younger kids like watching it to see the kitty and doggies, and my older kids love the funny jokes!

I recommend this movie.

While watching the first Homeward Bound film, I was impressed by its cinematic ability to conjure up an emotional viewer response from not only children, but also adults as well. Almost everyone can relate to losing a beloved pet, so that theme was able to deeply resonate with any set of eyeballs. Unfortunately, this second effort, "Lost In San Francisco", fails to do likewise on a variety of different counts.

First, the plot is a complete rip-off of the original. The two dogs (Shadow and Chance) and one feline (Sassy) once again are accidentally separated from their familial owners and "decide" (since this IS a film about talking animals!) to set out to find them; this time on the streets of San Francisco. Essentially, all the same basic jokes and sight gags are repeated and the main "characters" aren't really developed any more than the first try. A few new animals are thrown into the mix, but few really stand out as being all that interesting or important to the overall character development.

Also, the themes in this film are a bit shadier than the much more traditionally-Disney HB1. The concept of racism (with some dogs speaking jive) and even subtle hints towards sexuality (a lone cat feeling uncomfortable among dogs, Chance developing a romantic relationship, etc.) only serve to water down a film franchise which, at its best, was always dangerously closing to crossing over the "weepy cheeseball" line. Though those themes will go right over the heads of most youngsters, these films are also made to at least keep adults paying attention and somewhat enthused, but these darker topics makes the message seem both cliched and preachy.

Thus, although the kiddies may like this film just as much as the original, if you were one of the adults who were surprised to find yourself tearing up at the end of part one, don't expect the same sort of emotional material in this effort. It's decent, but just fails to capture the innocence and playfulness that was so readily apparent in the predecessor.

I just watched this movie again for the first time in a long time... It's better than I remember...

Chance, Sassy and Shadow are as funny as ever! And Riley's gang are a nice addition to this movie! They're all great charactors...

I highly reccommend this and the first movie!

My kids and I thought this movie was fantastic. We watched it right after watching the first movie. After viewing this film my and 8 & 6 year olds were pretending to be the characters in the film, playing with our own dogs and cats. Wholesome family movie. Highly recommended.

when pets accidentally get separated from their vacationing owners chance shadow and sassy navigate the mean streets of san francisco trying to find their home across the golden gate bridge. but the road is blocked by series of hazards both man and beast. it's another incredible journey for the three very brave very lovable pets. in a thrilling funny adventure that's bound to please the entire family. made by new york post.

Now it starts off when the family is planning a plane trip to Canada. Chance the american bulldog thinks that instead of going to Canada he is going to the dog pound because his owner Jamie has been mean to him. Chance escapes from the cage and runs through the airport with Shadow the golden retriever and Sassy the Himilayan cat trying to stop him. Now these animals get lost in a city and comes across stray dogs that don't like humans. That really gives a moral lesson to humans about how dogs feel not having a home. Throughout, the animals will come across dog fights, rescuing a boy from a fire, and avoiding dog catchers. During their trip to finding the bridge back home Chance gets a girlfriend named Delilah.
This movie had it's funny moments like the first one but the only sad moment was when Chance lost his girlfriend going back home and almost getting hit by a truck. I would recommend this movie if you liked the first one and see if you like it as much.

This one is quite similar to the first. The owners go on a camping trip to Canada and they are gonna take the animals with them, so they are going to fly them there. The animals get loose in the middle of the city. They end up meeting up with a group of stray dogs Chance falls in love with one of them. Will they be able to survive the city?