Iron Will (1994)

Iron Will is White Fang meets Spirit of the Wind (the story of Iditarod dogsledder George Attla, not available on video or DVD). Iron Will is the well-done (for Disney) story of a novice dogsledder whose courage inspires a WWI-era nation. Will Stoneman (the very talented Mackenzie Astin) enters a 500-mile dogsled competition from Canada to St. Paul to win the $10,000 purse and save the family farm. August Schellenberg is the Native American who introduces him to discipline and courage. David Ogden Stiers is the James J. Hill-style railroad magnate who offers the prize and Kevin Spacey is the opportunistic newspaperman who makes Iron Will a household name. I enjoy the snow, the period attire, the anti-Kaiser song-and-dance number, and the idiosyncratic gaggle of dogsled competitors (esp. George Gerdes as the almost cartoonishly villainous Swede). Iron Will is a squeaky-clean family show that will appeal esp. to dog lovers and patriotic types, though a few dirty tricks on the trail from the Swede might bother tykes 6 and under. Astin and Spacey make this show shine. It feels authentic through and through and families may be on the edge of their seats right to the final inches of the race. 4 stars.