''Snow Dogs'' is a 2002 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Brian Levant Brian Michael Levant (born August 6, 1952) is an American filmmaker. Early life and career Born in Highland Park, Illinois to a Jewish family, Levant started his career in 1976 as a writer for the TV series ''Happy Days''. He also wrote for, ...

, and produced by

Jordan Kerner Jordan Kerner is an American film producer. Career Kerner started his career at the CBS affiliate in San Francisco, KPIX, in 1971. In 1976, he became an attorney at the law firm of Ball, Hunt, Hart and Baerwitz. In 1977, he left to join CBS ...

. The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr., with a supporting cast of

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

Joanna Bacalso Joanna Bacalso is a Filipino-Canadian television and movie actress and former model. Early life Bacalso was born on August 10, 1976 in Cebu, Philippines, and moved to Toronto, Ontario with her two younger brothers when she was eight years old. ...

Sisqó Mark Althavan Andrews (born November 9, 1978), known professionally as Sisqó (stylized as SisQó), is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer. Following his tenure as lead performer of the R&B group Dru Hill, he quickly reached success as a sol ...

Nichelle Nichols Nichelle Nichols ( ; born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer and dancer whose portrayal of Uhura in ''Star Trek'' and its film sequels was groundbreaking for African American actresses on A ...

Christopher Judge Christopher Judge is an American actor. He is best known for playing Teal'c in the Canadian- American military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1'' (1997-2007). He is also the second actor to portray Kratos in the ''God of War'' ...

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin (born February 26, 1953), known professionally as Michael Bolton, is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton performed in the hard rock and heavy metal music genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, both on his early solo a ...

and

M. Emmet Walsh Michael Emmet Walsh (March 22, 1935 – March 19, 2024) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 films and television series, including supporting roles as Earl Frank in '' Straight Time'' (1978), the Madman in ''The Jerk'' (1979), Captai ...

. The film was released in the United States on January 18, 2002. The film is inspired by the book, '' Winterdance'', by

Gary Paulsen Gary James Paulsen (May 17, 1939 – October 13, 2021) was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming of age, coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote mor ...

Plot

Dr. Theodore "Ted" Brooks is a celebrity

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Every city bus carries an advertisement for his dental practice "Hot Smile" with his picture. One day, Ted receives a letter from

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, naming him as the only heir of Lucy Watkins, a resident of the backwoods village of Tolketna. Ted's mother Amelia reveals that he was adopted; Lucy was his biological mother. Ted travels to Tolketna to claim his inheritance from Lucy: seven Siberian Huskies named Diesel, Mack, Sniff, Yodel, Scooper, Duchess and Demon, and a

Border Collie The Border Collie is a British list of dog breeds, breed of herding dog of the collie type of medium size. It originates in the region of the Anglo-Scottish border, and descends from the traditional Sheep dog, sheepdogs once found all over the ...

named Nana. Completely out of his element, Ted is confounded by

blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

s, thin ice,

fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

es,

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...

grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...

s, an intimidating, crusty old

mountain man A mountain man is an Geographical exploration, explorer who lives in the wilderness and makes his living from hunting, fishing and trapping. Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through to the 1880s ...

named James "Thunder Jack" Johnson, 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. Ted tries to find out why he was placed for adoption, and who was his biological father. He meets bar owner Barb, a close friend of Lucy. Barb helps Ted to deal with the dogs and teaches him how to drive a sled, and the two fall in love. Ted has several encounters with Thunder Jack, who tries to buy the dogs, especially Demon. Barb reveals to Ted that Thunder Jack is his biological father. Ted confronts Jack, who initially denies the claims. When Ted loses consciousness while practicing sledding and being chased by a bear, Jack rescues him and takes him to a cave. Jack offers to reveal the truth in exchange for the dogs; Ted agrees. Jack claims that he and Lucy hid from a storm in the same cave during an Arctic Challenge, and it was then that Ted was conceived. When Jack woke up, Lucy was gone. He looked for her but never found her. Ted lets Jack have the dogs and returns to Miami. Jack adds Demon as lead dog of his team for the Arctic Challenge. When the race begins, Jack decides to press on in the middle of a fierce storm. In Miami, Ted recounts his experiences to his mother, who accidentally breaks a frame holding a picture of Lucy and Demon. Inside of the frame is a snapshot of Lucy and Jack with a baby. Ted is infuriated that Jack lied to him, and rushes back to Alaska. He learns that Jack has gone missing and the weather is too bad for searching. Ted decides to search for Jack himself, taking Lucy's dogs with Nana as lead. A few hours later, Amelia arrives and meets Barb. She learns that Ted is out on the trail, searching for Jack. The "Arctic Flame" is burning over the finish line, until the last musher arrives. Ted eventually locates Jack in the old cave. Jack admits he and Lucy had been together at the hospital when Ted was born, and that he loved her very much; but that he and Lucy had agreed then that neither one of them were ready to be parents. Ted also discovers that Demon's bad temper is due to a rotten tooth. He pulls the tooth, and Demon becomes a much friendlier dog. During the journey back to Tolketna, the sled nearly goes over a cliff into a river, but the dogs pull themselves back up. Ted finally brings Thunder Jack across the finish line. Ted introduces Jack to Amelia, and he and Jack decide to share the "Arctic Flame" trophy, which is given to whoever comes in last. Some time later, Ted has moved his dental practice to Tolketna. He and Barb have married, and Barb is now his receptionist and pregnant, while Nana and Demon have four puppies named Avalanche, Aleutia, Chinook and Demon Jr. Back in Miami, Ted's cousin Rupert, also a dentist, becomes the new celebrity dentist, now with his own face on every city bus.

Cast

* Cuba Gooding Jr. as Dr. Theodore "Ted" Brooks, a

dentist who goes to Alaska to find his origins and encounters a pack of sled dogs **

Jascha Washington Jascha Akili Washington (born June 21, 1989) is an American former actor and songwriter. He is best known for ''Big Momma's House'' (2000), '' Big Momma's House 2'' (2006), and '' Like Mike 2: Streetball'' (2006). Life and career Washington was ...

as Young Ted *

as Barb, a local Tolketna bar owner, and Ted's love interest *

as James "Thunder Jack" Johnson, a mountain man and Ted's biological father *

as Amelia Brooks, Ted's adoptive mother *

as Dr. Rupert Brooks, Ted's adopted cousin *

as George Murphy *

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

as Peter Yellowbear *

Brian Doyle-Murray Brian Murray (born October 31, 1945), better known by his stage name Brian Doyle-Murray, is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He has appeared with his younger brother, actor/comedian Bill Murray, in several films, including ''Caddy ...

as Ernie *

as himself, who appears in Ted's dream giving him advice that he still has soul *

as Dr. Brooks, Ted's adoptive father * Angela Moore as Lucy Watkins, Ted's biological mother *

Frank C. Turner Francis Charles Turner (born June 2, 1951) is a Canadian actor and iconographer born in Wainwright, Alberta and now living in British Columbia. He has appeared in numerous films, made-for-television films, television shows, and plays. Biography ...

as Neely *

Alison Matthews Alison Matthews is a Canadian actor, voice artist, and coach. A founding faculty member at the Arts Club Actor's Intensive Training Program, she was also a faculty member for five years with the Citadel Banff Professional Theatre Program at the B ...

as TV Reporter * Danelle Folta as Rollerblader with Dog * Lossen Chambers as Receptionist *

Jim Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), ''According to Jim'' (2001–2009), and '' Good Girls Revolt'' (2015–2016). Belushi appeared in fi ...

as the voice of Demon *

Jane Sibbett Jane Moore Sibbett (born November 28, 1962) is an American actress, producer, writer, and director. Her most notable roles include Heddy Newman on the Fox television series '' Herman's Head'' and Carol Willick on the television series ''Friends'' ...

as the voice of Nana *

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...

as the voice of Grizzly Bear, who encounters Ted and chases him through the mountain. *

Richard Steven Horvitz Richard Steven Horvitz (born July 29, 1966) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his voice work in animation and video games. His voice credits include the original Alpha 5 on '' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', '' Power Rangers Zeo ...

as the voice of Scooper In some scenes, the faces of the dogs are partially animated to give them human expressions like winking or smiling. The animatronic version of Demon was created by

Jim Henson's Creature Shop Jim Henson's Creature Shop is an American animation and special/visual effects company founded in 1979 by Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based in Hollywood, California, United States. History Jim Henson's Creature Shop was ...

and performed by David Barclay.

Production

Filming took place from January 29, 2001, to April 23, 2001. The film's budget was

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

33 million.

Canmore, Alberta Canmore is a List of towns in Alberta, town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rockies, Alberta's Rocky Mountains. The to ...

, Canada, was used to film the fictional city of Tolketna, Alaska (actually known as

Talkeetna, Alaska Talkeetna (Dena'ina language, Dena'ina: ''K'dalkitnu'') is an unincorporated community, unincorporated small village, incorporated by the United States Census Bureau within a larger same-named census-designated place (CDP), in Matanuska-Susitna B ...

.) The dogs D.J., Koda, Floyd and Buck also starred in the later Disney live-action adventure film, ''

Eight Below ''Eight Below'', originally titled ''Antartica: The Journey Home'', is a 2006 American survival drama film, a remake based on the 1983 Japanese film ''Antarctica'' by Toshirô Ishidô, Koreyoshi Kurahara, Tatsuo Nogami, and Susumu Saji. It was pr ...

''. Many of the dogs and

musher Mushing is a sport or transport method powered by dogs. It includes carting, pulka, dog scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled, most common ...

s 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 British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Mountain Mushers' from Golden BC supplied the Thunder Jack team. Old Ernie's team was supplied by Russ Gregory from

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

, Alberta, Canada. Arcticsun Siberian Husky Kennel from

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, 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 Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. The animatronic effects were designed and built by

. The special effects were provided by

The Secret Lab The Walt Disney Company has owned and operated several animation studios since the company's founding on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; the current Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, Cal ...

, the special effects division of Disney.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, ''Snow Dogs'' has an approval rating of 26% and an average rating of 4.1/10 based on 85 reviews. The site's consensus reads "A mediocre live action children's movie, ''Snow Dogs'' is filled with clichéd dialogue, tiresome pratfalls, and stale fish-out-of-water jokes." At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which uses a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

, the film received a score of 29 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale. It grossed $115 million worldwide against a $33 million budget. The film was released on VHS and DVD on May 14, 2002. The film was filmed in 1.85:1 widescreen. All copies present the film in 1.33:1 fullscreen.

Awards

John Debney won the

ASCAP Award The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

in 2003, for the soundtrack.

References

External links

* * * * * {{Gary Paulsen 2002 films 2002 children's films 2002 comedy films 2000s adventure comedy films American adventure comedy films American children's adventure films American children's comedy films African-American films Films about adoption Films about dentistry Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Brian Levant Films with screenplays by Jim Kouf Films scored by John Debney Films set in Alaska Films set in Alberta Films set in Miami Films set in 1977 Films set in 2002 Films with screenplays by Tommy Swerdlow Mushing films Northern (genre) films Walt Disney Pictures films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language adventure comedy films