The Waltons Homecoming is a made-for-TV movie that aired on The CW, starring Bellamy Young and Logan Shroyer, with narration from Richard Thomas. It is a remake of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, the prequel to the classic series The Waltons.
It's Christmas time in the midst of the Great Depression, and the Walton family is eagerly awaiting the return of their patriarch, John Sr., from his job in the city. However, a terrible storm intervenes, and John Sr. is stranded. Meanwhile, John Boy, the oldest of the Walton children, dreams of becoming a writer, but is under pressure from his parents to abandon these plans so that he can help provide for his younger siblings.
The film ended up being a surprise hit for the CW, and thus a sequel premiered a year later, A Waltons Thanksgiving.
This film contains examples of:
- Adapted Out: This film does not include Ben, one of the children from the classic series; he is introduced in the sequel.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance:
- Olivia exacerbates her family's financial woes by refusing to take charity, insisting that they buy everything properly, which was a fairly common attitude among families like the Waltons back then.
- The Waltons go all the way into town for church service, despite there being a church closer to their home... because the nearer church happens to be mostly black.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: John Boy dreams of becoming a writer, but his father wants him to take a more conventional job so that he can help provide for the family.
- Honor Before Reason: Despite the family being desperately poor, Olivia vehemently refuses to accept charity, even forbidding John Boy from taking advantage of a giveaway to get toys for his younger siblings.
- Promoted to Parent: With his father being away so often, John Boy is often thrust into the role of helping his mother parent his younger siblings. This is particularly reflected by his relationship with his youngest sister Elizabeth, where he calls her "sweetie" and takes it upon himself to find her a doll for Christmas.
