Snow Dogs
| Snow Dogs | |
|---|---|
 A promotional poster. | |
| Directed by | Brian Levant |
| Written by | Gary Paulsen (book) Jim Kouf Tommy Swerdlow Michael Goldberg Mark Gibson Philip Halprin |
| Produced by | Casey Grant Jordan Kerner |
| Starring | Cuba Gooding Jr. James Coburn Nichelle Nichols Joanna Bacalso Sisqó |
| Cinematography | Thomas E. Ackerman |
| Edited by | Roger Bondelli |
| Music by | John Debney |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Pictures |
Release date | January 18, 2002 |
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | Template:FilmUS |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $33,000,000 |
Snow Dogs is a 2002 live-action feature film that was released in the United States on January 18, 2002 by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Brian Levant, and stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. and James Coburn. The story is suggested by the book Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen.
Plot
Theodore "Ted" Brooks (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is a dentist in Miami, Florida. His picture appears on city buses, in advertisements promoting his dental practice. When he receives a letter from Alaska one day naming him as the only heir of a Lucy Watkins, his mother reveals that he is adopted. Brooks travels to the fictional village of Tolketna, Alaska, to claim his inheritance left by his late birth mother — seven Siberian Huskies and a Border Collie — and discovers his roots. Totally out of his element, he has to face challenges he has never dreamed of: blizzards, thin ice, an intimidating, crusty old mountain man called Thunder Jack (played by James Coburn in one of his final roles), and the aggressive, defiant lead dog, Demon. All of this happens with the buzzing excitement of the Arctic Challenge Sled Dog Race which is only two weeks away.
During his stay in Tolketna, Brooks tries to find the reason he was given up for adoption, including any information about his father. Ted meets a bar owner named Barb who was a friend of his late birth mother Lucy. She helps Ted deal with the dogs and teaches him how to drive a sled, and falls in love with him during the course of the movie. Ted continues to encounter Thunder Jack, who wants all of his late mother's sled dogs, especially Demon. (Lucy was once a winner of the Arctic Challenge.)
Eventually Brooks learns from Barb that Thunder Jack is his real father. Brooks feels that the truth is worth the dogs themselves, and trades them to Thunder Jack. Jack tells Ted that he and Lucy stayed in a cave during one of the Arctic Challenges. It is there that Ted was conceived. The next morning, when Thunder Jack woke up, Lucy was gone. Jack says he looked for Lucy but never found her. Lucy gave Ted up for adoption.
With Demon, Thunder Jack takes part in the Arctic Challenge Race but is unable to finish it because of a storm. Meanwhile Brooks, who has returned home to Miami, is learning that his personal journey is not yet finished. Infuriated by evidence found proving that Thunder Jack was at the hospital when he was born, Brooks returns to Alaska looking for answers. When he learns of the missing musher and his team, he feels that this may be the opportunity to save a man, and perhaps find out the whole truth once and for all.
Brooks sets out to rescue his father, with Nana as the lead dog. He finds Jack in the old cave, who confirms that he had been there when Ted was born. Jack reveals that they agreed then that neither one of them could raise a baby, and confesses his love for Lucy. Ted finds out the reason for Demon's bad temper is the pain caused by a bad tooth. He pulls it out and Demon becomes a friendly dog. During the journey back, the sled nearly goes over a cliff into a river but the dogs pull it back up. Ted brings Jack across the finish line. After Ted introduces Jack to his mother, the two men decide to share their trophy together.
Sometime later, Ted and Barb get married and Nana and Demon have four puppies. Now having grown to love the region, Brooks moves his practice to it with his wife, who is pregnant at the end of the film, as his secretary.
The movie ends with Ted's cousin Rupert becoming the new famous Miami dentist with his face on every bus.
Cast
Human roles
- Cuba Gooding Jr. as Dr. Theodore "Ted" Brooks (a.k.a. "Teddy Bear")
- Joanna Bacalso as Barb
- James Coburn as James "Thunder Jack" Johnson
- Sisqó as Dr. Rupert Brooks
- Nichelle Nichols as Ted's Mother
- Christopher Judge as Ted's Father
- Michael Bolton as Himself
Animals
- Fly as Nana
- Dash as Nana (stunt double)
- Don Juan or D.J. as Demon
- Cody as Demon (stunt double)
- Floyd as Mac
- Speedy as Scooper
- Nando as Diesel
- Buck as Sniff
- Koda as Yodel
- Gloria as Dutchess
- Flower as the Skunk
In some scenes the faces of the dogs are partially animated to give them human expressions like winking.
Production
The film's budget was US$33 million.
Canmore, Alberta, Canada was used to film the fictional city of Tolketna, Alaska.
The dogs D.J., Koda, Floyd and Buck also starred in the adventure film, Eight Below. Many of the dogs and mushers used in the film were locals. Two of the hero team doubles and all of Olivier's team were supplied by Nakitsilik Siberians of Bridge Lake, British Columbia. Mountain Mushers' from Golden BC supplied the Thunder Jack team. Old Ernie's team was supplied by Russ Gregory from Calgary, Alberta. Arcticsun Siberian Husky Kennel from Edmonton, Alberta was one of many kennels — including Czyz, Snowy Owl, Gatt racing — from the area that supplied background for the film. Two of the dogs came from Kortar Kennels, in Ontario.
The animatronic effects were designed and built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The special effects were provied by The Secret Lab, the special effects division of Disney.
Reception
The film received generally negative reviews, with a 23% approval rating at RottenTomatoes.[1] It was however, a financial success, earning $81,172,560 against a $33 million budget.[2]
Awards
John Debney won the ASCAP Award in 2003 for the soundtrack.
See also
References
External links
- Official website
- Snow Dogs at IMDb
- Snow Dogs at AllMovie
- Snow Dogs at Rotten Tomatoes
- Snow Dogs at Box Office Mojo
