Disney's “Snow Dogs” Movie Review

By Lewis Robinson

Disney Plus is constantly adding new movies to its streaming service. One hidden gem that is sure to spark nostalgia for some is the Disney original Snow Dogs, which first came out in 2002. Since it's been so long since the movie was released, let's take a look at some of what made it such a memorable classic in the first place. 

The Plot

The movie starts out focusing on a Miami-based dentist named Ted Brooks (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) finding out that his mother has passed away. Ted needs to travel to his mother's home in Alaska to claim his inheritance. When he gets there, he realizes that his inheritance isn't money, but instead, it is a pack of sled dogs and his mother's property. He considers leaving but decides to stay there for a while, even though the dogs don't seem to like him.

However, Ted isn't the only one who wants to keep the dogs. There's a mean old mountain man who wants to take the dogs for himself, even though he doesn't have much of a claim on them. To prove that he's fit to keep the dogs, Ted signed up for the Arctic Challenge, a local dog sledding race. The majority of the movie follows his and the dog's antics as he learns how to race with the dogs-- featuring as much comedy as one would expect from a man who is used to teeth cleaning instead of taking care of boisterous animals. 

The Cast

As mentioned, Cuba Gooding Jr. holds the leading role in the movie. As the most important human character, he takes up most of the screen time. Some of the other memorable human actors in the film include James Coburn, who plays Thunder Jack (Ted's dad); Graham Greene, who plays Peter Yellowbear; and Joanna Bacalso, who plays Barb (Ted's love interest). 

Just as important as the human actors are the dog actors in this film. Unlike many movies nowadays, the huskies were real dog actors, rather than CGI. There is one dream sequence in which the dogs talk, but other than that, they do typical dog things. Many of the huskies in the film also appeared in another mushing-related movie called Eight Below, which came out in 2006 and was also released by Disney. However, this movie was a drama based on a true story. It is the Americanized version of the Japanese film, Antartica (1983). 

Critic Reviews

Professional movie critics and online reviewers alike didn't seem to see much of the charm of Snow Dogs. It earned a low 29/100 rating on Metacritic. Most critics seem to agree that the best part of the movie is Cuba Gooding Jr. himself, with the complaints being focused on how Disney was trying too hard to be funny, without actually accomplishing that. However, reviewers did seem to agree that the movie could be fun for kids, even if the parents might not want to sit through the whole thing. 

IMDb users also gave the movie a low score of 5.2/10 stars (as of 2021). Again, these reviews focus on Cube Gooding Jr. being oddly great in the role, but the movie overall having "lame" humor. Of course, these reviews were done by adults, and kids (the target audience) are likely to have their own, better, opinions of the movie.

Overall, Snow Dogs is a fun movie for kids to watch when they're in the mood for something funny. It's especially great for kids who love dogs. Adults who watched the movie as kids are sure to get some nostalgia out of it, and enjoy Cuba Gooding Jr.'s performance. Adults who did not see the movie in their youth aren't likely to get much from the film. All in all, the movie is an hour and a half of harmless fun that is appropriate for the whole family, proven by its low PG rating, with the only thing stopping it from a G-rating being some mild crude humor.