Bruce Broughton scores are few and far between these days, so it's always good to delve into his back catalogue and try to unearth the joys that he has bestowed upon us in the past.  Few composers are as gifted at conjuring up images of the great American landscape, so after David Shire's score was rejected, Broughton was perfect casting for this family film from Disney about a pair of dogs and a cat going on an "incredible journey" (as the film's subtitle tells us).  Wonderfully, it stars Robert Hays - "there's no stopping in a white zone" - "they're coming in on instruments!" - "it's a big building with doctors and patients in it, but that's not important right now" - "have you ever been in a Turkish prison, Joey?" - and so on.  Ah, those were the days.

Anyway, I digress.  Homeward Bound features some wonderful themes, one in particular which is bound to bring a smile to the face.  Vaguely nautical in feel (I'm sure not deliberately!) it features in many of the tracks and has a delightfully light, airy grace about it.  The secondary theme is also a real winner, a nostalgic, old-fashioned theme for strings which is always welcome when it appears.  In keeping with the nature of the movie, there is also some exciting, darker material, and the thrilling "The Cougar", with brilliant orchestration, recalls Jerry Goldsmith at his best.  (Orchestration throughout is notably good, with the standard orchestra augmented by occasional guitar for an appropriately folksy feel to a few passages.)  Action music of a lighter, more comic variety comes with the lovely jazz-tinged "Escape from the Pound" - a brilliant, zany piece slightly reminiscent of the composer's Honey, I Blew Up the Kid.  The closing credits piece brings a fine summary of the score's main themes.

For a wonderful, truly delightful score from probably Hollywood's most underutilised composer, look no further.  The colour and expression inherent in Broughton's writing leave many composers to shame, and I'm sure that it would only have taken one big hit a few years ago for Broughton to have got himself noticed enough that he would now be scoring Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.  Anyway, he didn't, so he now labours in tv movie hell, but with any luck he will someday get the break he so richly deserves.