Shawn Watson There's no denying that Disney have went horribly astray in recent years, churning out pure garbage that even the most deluded of families find appalling, and all in the name of political correctness. Walt built the studio and his reputation on taking risks and pushing boundaries through the right of free speech. But the Disney label now seems to be ashamed of its past and leans toward conservative values. They have all but erased their "racist" film Song of the South from existence and show little, if any, of the courage and nerve Walt thrived upon in the 30s and 40s. I'm not sure what has provoked this alarming shift in quality from a once flawless studio. Perhaps they think that every mother out there shelters every one of her children against any and all things that can possibly contaminate their fragile minds and only the trusted House of the Mouse knows what's best.Set in 1917 the story follows Will Stoneman (Mackenzie Astin, looking like Sean Patrick Flannery) a boy who dreams of saving the family farm and going to college. But his only chance of doing so is by winning $10,000 in a cross country dog-sled race. With little training and overwhelming odds against him he throws himself head-first into the race despite the adversity.It's a great movie for those who love adventure, escapism, choo-choo trains, period settings and Huskies. I'm not keen on dogs in the slightest but Huskies are lovely.Kevin Spacey and Brian Cox (as old then as he is now as the man was born middle-aged) provide good support but the movie belongs to Astin, who somehow hasn't achieved the level of fame his brother has. His acting skills are certainly not in doubt and this movie proves he's a good lead.Iron Will is a perfect example of how far Disney has fallen in the past decade. Made in 1994, it's a solid adventure film with strong characters, lovely scenery and an uplifting story. Flash-forward to January 2002 (a mere 8 years) to the pile of rubbish Disney movie Snow Dogs starring Cuba Gooding Jnr. A very similar movie in terms of story but a WORLD apart in tone. One is serious and respectable, the other features multiple clichés and fart jokes.What would you rather expose your kids to?

teacherman-1 I got the chance to work on this movie on the special effects crew as a local hire. It was a really interesting how we shot the movie, and how it ended up being put together. Makes you understand how important the editors are. Things that we shot weeks apart and in different locations ended up in the same scene in the movie. w Wen he goes off the cliff I am hiding just over the lip holding a safety line. It was extremely cold the first couple of weeks shooting - it was shot mostly around Duluth Minn, then it got warm and everything melted and we spent HOURS spreading potatoe flakes to make snow. The final scene of the movie - most of the snow was trucked in to cover the streets.

agbtg7 It is indeed difficult to find excellent, inspirational movies that are based upon true stories like this one is! At the conclusion of this movie, both my friend and I were moved by it's full impact!My friend and I have both lived hard lives. To see a movie such as this is very helpful for those who have had hard lives. I am proud to have added this movie to my DVD Movie Library. Along with such movies as; "March of the Penguins," and "One Night With the King," these are all movies I have found to be both inspirational and uplifting during a time when one can use all of the edification one can acquire.Not only have I rated this movie with my highest rating possible at a 10, but if your rating went higher, I would give it a higher rating. I will definitely be watching this over and over again. Thank you very much for this opportunity of sharing how two of us thoroughly enjoyed this move. More like this kind of movie I would love to see! Thank you very much! Sincerely, Michael G. Murphy.

MovieAddict2016 A quite dry and astonishingly boring based-on-true-events story of an Alaskan dog-bobsled competition. Disney produces and distributes this mediocre underdog film that plays like a mix between "Rocky" and "Braveheart" (don't ask).2.5/5 stars -John Ulmer