In The Waltons: Homecoming, the audience is called to remember the time of the Waltons in the 1930s, when the depression was in full swing. The film opens with the narrator, Richard Thomas (The Waltons), telling us about how the story of The Waltons impacted America in the 1970s and declaring that the story may be more relevant now than ever—though that remains to be seen.. The rest of the film’s plot revolves around the Christmas homecoming of John Walton, who is returning home just in time for Christmas. While he travels home, the Walton family and John-Boy (Logan Shroyer) prepare for Christmas without their father until they get the unexpected news that John Walton (Ben Lawson) is coming home for Christmas. As the Walton family begins to prepare for his arrival, though, a storm threatens to ruin the family reunion.
The Waltons: Homecoming is a remake of the original TV movie Homecoming: A Christmas Story that aired in 1971 with a similar plot and characters. The Waltons: Homecoming film first aired on the CW in 2021 and was brought to DVD for purchase by viewers. The narrator from the original The Waltons, Earl Hamner, is replaced by Richard Thomas, who played John-Boy in the original The Waltons TV series. Richard Thomas is the only original cast member to return to the remake, though—the whole Walton family has been recast for the Christmas movie special, though the casting remains generally true to the original casting of The Waltons. The set and scenes are also reminiscent of the original The Waltons television series, and the children's film even ends with the classic ending of a “good night” chorus characteristic of The Waltons episodes.
The film certainly fits into “Christmas film” collections, complete with a chorus of “Silent Night,” Christmas tree decorating, and gift-giving. The story embraces the classic “feel good” Christmas film vibe as a story about “human kindness and compassion, and love” according to the narrator. However, The Waltons: Homecoming follows in the same footsteps of the Hollywood remake trends, cashing in on nostalgia without bringing any lasting message or novelty to the franchise.
Homecoming: A Christmas Story will likely fall into the vast stack of Christmas TV specials that air in December, though it certainly will not become a classic with its heavy-handed narration and its attempts to recreate the original Christmas film that falls flat. This is a fair choice for library shelves with a focus on holidays or nostalgia.