Snow Dogs (2002)

When a Miami dentist inherits a team of sled dogs, he's got to learn the trade or lose his pack to a crusty mountain man.

Director:

Brian Levant

Writers:

Jim Kouf (screenplay), Tommy Swerdlow (screenplay)

Stars:

Cuba Gooding Jr., James Coburn, Sisqó

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Ted Brooks
James Coburn	...	Thunder Jack
Sisqó	...	Dr. Rupert Brooks (as Sisqo)
Nichelle Nichols	...	Amelia
M. Emmet Walsh	...	George
Graham Greene	...	Peter Yellowbear
Brian Doyle-Murray	...	Ernie
Joanna Bacalso	...	Barb
Jean Michel Paré	...	Olivier (as Jean-Michel Pare)
Michael Bolton	...	Himself - Special Appearance
Jason Pouliotte	...	Sneed Brother #1
David Boyce	...	Sneed Brother #2
Frank C. Turner	...	Neely
Ron Small	...	Arthur
Alison Matthews	...	TV Reporter

Storyline

When Miami dentist Ted Brooks learns that his birth mother has passed away and that he was named in her will, he travels to Alaska to claim his inheritance. Rather than the large chunk of change that many people would expect, Ted instead receives his mother's pack of rowdy sled dogs and her property. Although the dogs seemingly have it in for Ted, he decides to keep the dogs and race them in the local race, the Arctic Challenge, spiting a mountain man who wants the dogs. What follows is a comedy detailing Ted's adventures in learning to run the sled dogs.

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Plot Keywords:

husky | fish out of water | nightmare | dog | race | 

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Taglines:

Get ready for mush hour!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild crude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Disney

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Winterdance

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,708,174, 20 January 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$81,172,560

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$115,035,090

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Kerner Entertainment Company, Galapagos Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Coburn died November 18th, 2002, exactly 10 months after the film's release.

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Goofs

VW Bug scene with a skunk, there are no skunks in Alaska. It would have been more accurate to have a porcupine.

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Quotes

George: [reading will] "To Barb, my dear friend and boss, I give my shearling coat, which kept me warmer than any man ever did."

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Crazy Credits

No real animal fur was worn in this film.

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Connections

References Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers (1988)

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Soundtracks

Dance With Me
Written by Michael Bolton, Gary Haase and Billy Mann
Performed by Michael Bolton
Courtesy of Jive Records

User Reviews

Some Parents May Be Surprised (Unhappily). Tough.

This is a fun movie with Cuba Gooding, Jr. and James Coburn vying for scene stealing credit. The dogs are beautiful and the real canines can't be told apart from the animatronic ones (at least not by me).

I saw the film with my twelve-and-a half year old boy in a crowded theater. Most of the kids were much younger than mine. All seemed to love the film. As well they should have.

What I particularly liked was the fact that this film, aimed primarily at pre-teen kids, told without apology or moralizing a story that features premarital, interracial sex with a resultant pregnancy AND surrender of a baby for adoption. Of course most young kids would have little or no reason to wonder about what kind of relationship brought a black Miami dentist to the icebound interior of Alaska in search of his roots. That's great: kudos to the director, screenwriter and cast. But methinks some parents are going to be unhappy. Too bad: the family values spelled out in "Snow Dogs" are decent, caring and free from prejudice. Just what kids ought to see without explanation or excuse.