The Incredible Journey

A family going on holiday leaves their three animals with a friend. Luath is a young Labrador, Bodger an old bull terrier and Tao a Siamese cat. The man looks after them, but one day work takes him away for a short while. The three take it for abandonment. Luath sets off; the other two follow. The route is close to four hundred kilometres and crosses forest country in Canada. There are rivers, a bear, a porcupine, hunger and cold. The old dog struggles and the cat finds food for him. Fletcher Markle directs. Rex Allen narrates. It was made for Disney. The source is Sheila Burnford's novel. No animal speaks; the narrative proceeds through narration and the animals are shown by their behaviour. It was shot in real conditions in Canada and the animals were trained over a long period. The same story was adapted again years later; in that film the animals were given voices. The matter it treats is finding a way; the film attributes a purpose to the animals but does so without making them human. The nature scenes work inside the narrative and the danger comes from real conditions. It runs short and the plot moves one way. Its limit is structure; the narrative proceeds straight and the tension repeats. Who it is for: viewers who like family films and animal narratives. Who it is not for: it is simple, the narration too directing, and some scenes tense for small children.