For somebody like me who grew up within the 90s, it’s onerous to consider that Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is about to show 30 years outdated. The historic date was February twelfth, 1993, and Disney’s El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood is sending Likelihood, Shadow, and Sassy again to the massive display screen for a one-night-only event on Saturday, January 28th, at 7:00 pm. The screening will likely be preceded by a panel dialogue between three of the movie’s human stars – Benj Thall (Peter), Robert Hays (Bob), Veronica Lauren Sawyer (Hope), and director Duwayne Dunham. Forward of the massive occasion, I had the pleasure of talking with Benj Thall, who’s now a filmmaker in his personal proper on tasks that embody Nationwide Geographic’s Wonderful Animals and the brief movie Penny starring Reginald Vel-Johnson, Don Stark, and Lance Barber.
(Benj Thall)
Laughing Place: Now that 30 years have handed because the launch of Homeward Certain: The Unbelievable Journey, what goes via your head as you look again at your time on the set and the legacy the movie has?
Benj Thall: It was a beautiful expertise, making each films, however significantly the primary film. It was like a magical summer season, the way in which that this film got here along with the forged and the crew and the animals. And we spent I feel 5, six weeks collectively as a full forged with the animals. And we had an opportunity to only type these actually unbelievable bonds that I nonetheless really feel right now. I am nonetheless mates with a number of the forged. And the animals that we labored with on the movie, significantly Ben, the canine who performed Shadow, I had a extremely, actually robust bond with instantly. I used to be an animal particular person already, however after we acquired on set, we spent lots of time working with the animal trainers to create that bond, to create an actual sense of household. And it got here collectively actually shortly. I feel that is lots of credit score to Robert Hayes, who’s only a fantastic man and he simply introduced lots of enjoyable to the set. And instantly the three of us, me, Veronica Lauren Sawyer, and Kevin Chevalia, we instantly grew to become siblings on set. And along with Kim Griest, who performed our mother within the movie, we simply felt like household instantly. And right here we’re on this fantastic home capturing. We shot the entire home footage stuff first, so it actually felt like a household. And we had this large yard that they shot for the movie, so it was every single day. It was, we’re capturing over right here, and over right here, we’re taking part in with the animals and having an excellent time and studying learn how to work with the animals as a result of we needed to work with every particular animal. The trainers labored with us individually with every of the animals, primarily to coach the animals with them. In order that bond was created. And that I feel carries on in my very own life to right now. I’ve a canine now. So I feel again to lots of the methods we did 30 years in the past. And I feel the movie popping out within the theater, nobody kind of anticipated it to be as basic of a film because it turned out to be and as liked because it got here to be,
LP: I might be very upset if I came upon you did not have a canine at this level. That might break my coronary heart.
Benj Thall: Nicely, it solely occurred this final yr. I contemplate Ben, the canine who performed Shadow, to be my first canine and my new canine, Twila, to be my second canine. I acquired a canine final yr. I do know lots of my mates have been on me on that for a very long time.
LP: What sort of canine is Twila?
Benj Thall: She’s 35-pound Golden Doodle. She’s type of a Golden Retriever. She hasn’t watched the film but. I plan to indicate her the film sooner or later.
LP: One time, certainly one of our canine acquired out and walked across the block and got here again house and we had been joking, “Oh, she homeward bounded.”
Benj Thall: I get emailed articles from followers, and I get tales shared, and memes despatched in regards to the film. And so there may be this big love, and that is why doing this anniversary in a theater, we wished to have it mark the event, attempt to get as many individuals as we are able to down there. It appears like it may be a extremely full home. There are nonetheless, I feel, some tickets obtainable, however it may be an excellent evening. If folks actually love this, perhaps we’ll make extra films.
LP: That might be superior. So how did it come collectively that you simply’re all reuniting on the historic El Capitan Theatre on January twenty eighth to rejoice this milestone anniversary?
Benj Thall: Nicely, I’ve been in contact with Bob Hayes in addition to the director. The director, Duwayne Dunham, and I hadn’t seen one another in most likely 20 years. And some years in the past, we reunited and began simply speaking tales in regards to the movie and tales I had by no means heard, a few of which he’ll inform on Saturday. And it was a extremely fantastic expertise to replicate again on the film. It was his first film that he directed, and he was simply an incredible director to work with. I’ve all the time seemed as much as that have as a filmmaker myself. Duwayne and I’ve created this friendship, and we tried to do one thing throughout Covid time when everyone was doing the Zoom reunion issues. And we wished to get collectively in particular person, we wished to see one another in particular person. In order this anniversary was arising, which is in February, I began reaching out and saying, ‘Hey, perhaps we should always do that.’ And acquired related with the fantastic of us on the El Capitan and we had a short dialog, and so they thought it would be an excellent thought. In order that’s how this factor got here collectively, is that the El Capitan and I labored to attempt to attain out to forged and crew and put this occasion collectively.
(Benj Thall)
LP: Lots of people overlook that Homeward Certain is a remake of a 1963 Disney movie known as The Unbelievable Journey. Had been you acquainted with it earlier than this position got here alongside?
Benj Thall: Once I was forged on this film, I used to be already a fan of that film. The way in which during which we introduced it again was one thing so particular. And I feel Homeward Certain itself stands by itself, it is its personal distinctive film. It isn’t a straight reboot in a way. It is a very authentic retelling of Sheila Burnford’s authentic story. She has an unbelievable story. She was an unbelievable writer. And her journey to writing the film, writing the ebook, after which having Walt personally … This was Walt’s like pet undertaking in a way. If you understand the historical past, I feel he took about 5 years to make the film. He was very a lot concerned within the course of. He did not direct it, however he was very a lot concerned in the entire course of. So for him, it was a really particular film to lastly give animals on display screen an actual character. And I feel we actually elevated that with Homeward Certain. And I feel that the chance now’s to perhaps even elevate it once more.
LP: Does that imply there’s a chance of extra Homeward Certain movies sooner or later?
Benj Thall: There have been talks, there have been conferences, there have been rumblings. Time will inform. If we get to inform this story in a brand new distinctive method, once more, we might very a lot like to see that occur.
LP: You’re now an skilled, award-winning filmmaker. How did your expertise filming Homeward Certain form your future behind the digital camera?
Benj Thall: I’ve achieved lots of stuff as a filmmaker within the household leisure house. I feel engaged on the movies, there was a way of naturalism that we had as a result of although it’s a children’ movie, it was simply set as a movie. I work quite a bit with children in volunteer actions, and I feel the movie would not communicate all the way down to children. I imply, clearly, the animals are stars, however the child actors within the movie as nicely, that carries via quite a bit to the work that I attempt to do. As a younger actor, given the possibility, you’ve gotten quite a bit to specific your self already. How that impacts the way in which that I work now’s making an attempt to create an area on a set, or with any undertaking that I am doing that there is a sense of play, there is a sense of freedom. And I feel that provides you the very best naturalistic outcomes. Engaged on the movies again then has led me to attempt to create that sense of magic that we had on the set. I feel that is what you are making an attempt to do as a filmmaker on a set, is to set the circumstances proper so that individuals can carry out and folks can really feel comfy. And particularly working with child actors, it is onerous to wrangle. It is onerous to get that vitality contained, however once you do it, it is only a fantastic factor. And I feel the viewers enjoys it and we create one thing that is magical.
LP: Do folks ever acknowledge you from Homeward Certain? What’s their response once they discover out you had been in it?
Benj Thall: Consistently. What’s actually, very nice is to share this expertise with those that undergo the journey of the film with the animals and may replicate on their very own animals and have such heat of their coronary heart for the film. And for folks, once they discover out I used to be within the film, they do. A number of instances they do a double take, after which they wish to inform me about how particular the film was for them, what number of instances they watched the VHS tape rising up endlessly on loop and the way they now have pets. I feel at the moment when the film got here out, we weren’t as pet loopy as we at the moment are, however I feel folks actually did care for his or her animals in such a powerful method. And this movie celebrates that. When I’ve mates that discover out that I used to be within the film, after all, they wish to recreate the scenes from the film with me.
LP: In these reenactments, do they play Shadow? How does that work?
Benj Thall: No, they shout out for Shadow within the woods for me. I’ll inform you one actually, actually candy story. I labored with a beautiful actor, Lance Barber, who performs the dad on Younger Sheldon, and I labored with him on a brief movie that I directed. A number of years later, I acquired a really fantastic lengthy textual content message from him during which he advised me he was on an airplane along with his son, who was about six years outdated, and so they watched the film. And his son on the finish of the movie was crying, and Lance requested why he was crying and if he was upset. He mentioned, “No, I lastly know what a cheerful cry is.”
So to obtain that within the textual content, I imply, I had a cheerful cry. It is fantastic that the movie nonetheless impacts youngsters, impacts adults, actually hits folks on a degree that they join with. You’ll be able to’t assist however really feel good on the finish of the movie, I feel.
LP: That’s superior. What are you most trying ahead to in regards to the El Capitan anniversary reunion?
Benj Thall: Seeing my siblings. I have never seen Kevin Chevalia in 30 some odd years, perhaps 28 years. Seeing Veronica, seeing Robert Hayes. I feel that is what I am most trying ahead to. There’s going to be some tales shared by the producer and the director, tales that I’ve heard items of, components of, that I feel goes to be fantastic for the viewers to listen to, the actual behind-the-scenes of creating the film. I am additionally actually, actually trying ahead to seeing the animal coach, Joe Camp and Tammy Maples. I have never seen Joe since we made the film. He taught me a lot in regards to the care of animals and the care of a canine and what it actually means. And he was an actual presence. He was an actual star of the movie, and it may be actually fantastic to have him on the market and to see him. He is nonetheless working as an animal coach, and so they’re nonetheless doing stuff, so it may be nice to see him. So that is what I am trying ahead to. However the different factor I might say, the primary factor is I am trying ahead to seeing the film on the massive display screen with an viewers. And I do know from mates that some children are coming which have by no means seen the film earlier than and it may be an actual deal with to see it within the theater.
LP: To shut out the interview, is there anything you wish to say in regards to the movie or your expertise making it?
Benj Thall: There’s such a love for this film that we could not let an anniversary like this go by. I imply, you may watch the film on Disney+ proper now. And after the screening on Saturday, I like to recommend everyone go on Disney+. However there’s one thing about seeing a film in a theater with the rating for this film that Bruce Broughton did. Simply anytime you hear it, it makes you swell with emotion. And I feel having the ability to see it with an viewers, see the magic … I imply, the mix of the efficiency of the animals with Michael J Fox’s voice, Sally Fields’s voice, there’s only a magic that they captured on this film that we do not see fairly often.
For those who’re within the L.A. space on Saturday, January twenty eighth, don’t miss your probability to see Disney’s 1993 basic movie Homeward Certain: The Unbelievable Journey again on the massive display screen. Earlier than the movie, you may see Benj Thall alongside Robert Hays, Veronica Lauren Sawyer, and director Duwayne Dunham in a panel dialogue in regards to the making of the movie. Go to elcapitantheatre.com for extra data.
