SNOW DOGS

2002, Walt Disney Pictures

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 99 mins.

THE STORY:

Miami dentist, Ted Brooks (Cuba Gooding Jr.), discovers simultaneously that he is adopted and that his birth mother has just died naming him a beneficiary in her will. He sets off for Alaska to collect his inheritance and try to connect in some way with the woman who gave him up.

When he gets there he is completely out of his depth. His major legacy is a group of prize sled dogs. His major discovery is that his father is the cantankerous town oddball, Thunder Jack (James Coburn). Although his initial instinct is to turn tail as fast as possible, he stays long enough to hear Jack's side of the story and begin a romantic relationship with the beautiful Barb (Joanna Bacalso).

After returning to Miami, Ted discovers that Jack lied to him. He returns to Alaska to confront Jack, only to discover that he has gone missing while competing in the Arctic Challenge dog sled race. Ted sets off to rescue him. In the end, he develops lasting relationships with Barb, Jack, the dogs and Alaska itself.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Dumb
• Hate
• Stupid

VIOLENCE:

• There are scenes in which Ted faces physical peril, but no violence

TEACHING POINTS:

• Get to know new things and people before you think you know them

THE UPSHOT:

It's a pretty cliched fish out of water story in a lot of ways, but the dogs are cute. The setting was quite unique-- in comparison with the other kids movies we've seen, at any rate-- and the dogs were cute. Plus, the dogs were cute. Essentially, the strengths of the movie can summed up in 4 words: The Dogs Were Cute.

It does bring the idea of adoption to the forefront, but it is presented in a very lackadaisical way: the birth mother is dead, the adoptee is quite secure in who he is and who is parents are. Ted does questions why he is a dentist-- i.e. why he followed in his adoptive father's footsteps, but he comes nowhere close to having an identity crisis. 

The movie also touches on the concept of bi-racialism, which, based on experience to date, seems to be another rarity in kids' movies. The PC-conscious part of me is ambivalent about judging on this front, but I liked the fact that it didn't become a huge issue. Disappointing was the fact that Ted develops an instant mutual attraction to the only other woman of colour in a small Alaskan town.

If you like cute dogs-- especially ones that don't talk-- this is the movie for you. Otherwise... maybe not.

2.5/5