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If you've ever wished you could go back to a time when stories were simple? No hidden agendas. Just a great story well told. I've got a 1963 Disney gem that's going to take you right back to that time. I've watched it more times than I can count. It's one of those rare finds that leaves everyone with a warm feeling in their hearts. Plus, I'll tell you exactly why the 1993 remake gets it completely wrong. Welcome to Wholesome TV Picks. The only podcast where every recommendation comes from 35 plus years of watching wholesome TV your family can actually trust. Oh, real quick, Wholesome TV Picks is a nominee for the Women in Podcasting Award. I would be so honored to have your support when voting goes live next month. Let's get into it. I'm going to tell you what The Incredible Journey is about, what makes it work so beautifully for families, values that are woven into the story and where I stand on the remake. Stick around to the end. I've got something waiting for you before we sign off. The Incredible Journey is a 1963 Disney film based on the book by Sheila Burnford and it's exactly what the title says. An incredible journey. The story follows three animals who are best friends. Luath, a young Golden Retriever, who is the leader of the pack, Bodger, an older Bull Terrier, and Tao, a Siamese cat. Their family has gone away out of the country and a close family friend has taken them in to pet sit. When the man heads off for a couple of weeks of duck hunting, the animals think he's abandoned them, and Luath gets this instinct that tells him to take everybody home. So they set off 200 miles through the Canadian wilderness. Little do they know the adventures and the close calls waiting for them along the way.

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What works so well about this movie is its simplicity. There isn't a lot of talking. You have a narrator guiding you through the story over the scenes, some dialogue at the beginning, in the middle and toward the end. The chunk of the film is just the animals, the landscape, and the narration. And the silence. It's just necessary to really appreciate this movie especially when nowadays we're so bombarded with films that are just go, go, go moving at a fast pace in order to keep people engaged. Silence gives you time to think about the story and to really mull over it, and to let your kids feel the story with their heart. It's something that we don't get a lot of in family entertainment anymore. There are three things this movie will show your kids. First, is hope. The children never stop believing their animals are going to make it home. The adults well, they're practical, you can't blame them. You hear it in their voices that Bodger's too old. There's no way he can survive the wilderness. Or it's 200 miles, they can't find food. It's just the practical stuff that we think of because we lived longer than our children and know how life goes, but the children just never lose hope. When the animals finally make their journey home, you see it in the dad's face at the end of the film. This grown man just standing there, hearing a dog barking, with his daughter, telling him, It's Luath! It's Luath! He has that childlike hope in his heart and calls his dog. And there he comes, against all the odds he makes it home. It is acting that just can't be replicated. It just really can't. Second, is self-sacrifice. One scene in particular that may break your heart. Along the journey, Tao falls into a pretty dangerous predicament. Without sharing too much, it's a near life death experience and it ends up separating Tao from Bodger and Luath. A little girl finds Tao, takes him in, nurses him back to health and she loves her new cat. You can see it. I mean, what little girl doesn't love her cat?

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My daughter's obsessed with our cat and if you have a cat, I'm sure you understand the bond between cats and their owners. Tao loves her back too. But then one night, the narrator tells you what's happening inside Tao's mind, and Tao knows he can't stay. He already has a family and he has two best friends out there still moving through the wilderness without him. He has his own little girl at home who misses him. So he tries to say goodbye and it's just sad because you want Tao to stay with the girl who saved his life, but you want him to be home with his real owner, but you can't have both things at once. Tao makes his choice and he moves on. I know it's a cat, but the scene really teaches your kids something profound. That love often means letting go of something. Third, is determination. And boy do these animals have determination. There's this little moment I love where Tao does not want to touch the snow that they're walking in. She hates it. She steps one careful paw at a time directly into Bodger's paw prints so she doesn't have to feel the snow as much. Then there's a scene where Bodger gets into some trouble with a mama bear through no fault of his own and Tao steps in to protect him. The friendship between these three animals is genuinely special. Now, I know somebody out there may be thinking, well, what about Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey from 1993? Isn't that the same movie? I'm telling you it's not and it doesn't do the same thing as this movie does. The concept is the same: the animals making their way home. But making the animals talk changes the whole dynamic. The silence is lost and it just cheapens the story and the lessons get lost.

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Here's what I wasn't expecting though. We all have to-do lists that never get done, dinners to prep for, schoolwork, appointments, sports, all that stuff. It's easy to rush right past the beautiful moments in life. This movie quietly taps you on the shoulder and says, Hey, slow down. Smell the roses. Look at what you have right in front of you. The people who need you most. The ones who are already finding their way home to you every single day. That's the incredible journey. Sometimes it takes three animals and 60 years of filmmaking to remind you of it. The Incredible Journey is a clean, wholesome family movie that works for all ages. Best of all, it's one of those rare picks that your kids can watch completely on their own while you take a little time for yourself. My kids watched it over and over when they were small, and I still watch it today in my forties. You can find The Incredible Journey on Disney Plus, YouTube, and Amazon Prime. I'll drop all the links in the show notes. If your kids love The Incredible Journey, your next stop would be The Black Stallion and The Black Stallion Returns and head to wholesometvpicks.com and sign up for my email list. You'll get instant access to a list of quick picks I've covered that are sorted by category, ready to grab when you need something fast. Winston Churchill said, The greatest virtues of human society are created around the family and the home. That's exactly why what we put in front of our kids matters. Next week I'm sharing a true story that is going to make you wanna sit down with your older kids and have a very important conversation. Thanks for listening. Have a great rest of your week. Remember, your values matter and your TV should too. I'll catch you next week. Take care.