!!This movie contains examples of the following subjective tropes:
* AdaptationDisplacement: It's safe to say that ''Homeward Bound'' has largely overshadowed the original ''[[Literature/TheIncredibleJourney Incredible Journey]]'' book, as well as the 1963 movie adaptation.
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Chance says that "Peter belonged to Shadow". Is he just saying that Shadow is [[PapaWolf very protective of Peter]] or does he [[ThisIsMyHuman literally think Shadow is Peter's owner]]?
* AngstWhatAngst: Shadow and Chance's scenes after Sassy's supposed death quickly go right back to being funny. It helps that we know she's still alive.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** This movie's got a nice (and often overlooked) soundtrack; [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lBx1QRotrw this]] is arguably the best score.
** For many, the second half of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1jc2fPiuBQ this]] is guaranteed to have them in tears.
** Sassy rescuing the others from the animal shelter features quite an impressive rendition of the ''Series/MissionImpossible'' theme song, years before Danny Elfman's famous reworking of it for the film series.
* HarsherInHindsight: Shadow's plight near the end becomes this when you know that his actor, Don Ameche, died in same year the film was released.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** In the Norwegian dub, Sassy is voiced by Mari Maurstad, who previously voiced Georgette in ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'', a snooty dog who gets annoyed with the new cat in the house.
** Also, the animals (mostly Chance) refer to the [[{{PoundsAreAnimalPrisons}} pound]] as "[[{{Series/TheGoodPlace}} the Bad Place]]".
* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt:
** Like Shadow wasn't actually going to make it back to Peter.
** Likewise, there's no way Sassy was going to die halfway through the movie after the waterfall incident.
* MagicFranchiseWord: "Cats rule and dogs drool."
* NarmCharm: The first movie's ending is corny, but it's so heartwarming and sweet it's impossible to do anything but go, "Awww!"
* SignatureScene: Shadow's heartfelt reunion with Peter near the end is one of the most remembered scenes of the film. The advertising also loves to play up this scene.
* SpecialEffectFailure:
** The animals often go from being realistically dirty in long shots to immaculately groomed in closeups, especially noticeable with Shadow's long fur.
** Multiple cats and dogs were used to portray Shadow, Chance, and Sassy during the making of the film, which is close to impossible to notice. However, there's one obvious moment that's quite mystifying as to how it happened. For whatever reason during the scene at the ranch where Kate provides bowls of food to Sassy and Chance, there's a brief moment where Sassy straight up appears as a completely different breed of cat.
* {{Squick}}: Chance barfs up the portion of wedding cake he eats.
* StrawmanHasAPoint: When the pets suspect something's wrong when their humans haven't picked them up at the ranch, Chance insists to Shadow that they abandoned them, as humans do when they don't want their pets anymore. While Chance was ultimately wrong about their owners, the reality is that pet abandonment is a serious issue affecting countless animals, and is frequently caused by overwhelmed owners who [[DidntThinkThisThrough didn't realize the responsibility that goes into owning pets]]. In the sequel, Shadow and Sassy become aware of this after learning about Riley's past.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The railroad yard scene features a Southern Pacific freight train. The Southern Pacific Railroad was folded into the Union Pacific Railroad in 1996, three years after this film was released. (Though some diesel locomotives in the Southern Pacific paint scheme are still used, albeit with a Union Pacific shield and road number added.)
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