Iron Will (1994)

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?

Based on a true story, this journey begins in South Dakota in 1917. Will Stoneman is a 17 year old young man who loses his father. Will is left with devastated until one morning he notices a flyer of the Carnival Derby (a dog sled race from Winnipeg, Canada to St. Paul Minnesota) in which his father was thinking of competing. After getting his mother, Maggie Stoneman, to comply, she gets Ned Dodd, an Indian who lives with the family, to get Will straight into training. Once Will arrives to the competition, he is greeted with a ridicule of laughter, yet do they know how bad he wants to win. Will that be enough to get Will from the beginning to end of the race and win, in one piece through the meanest, toughest stretch of land, and weather conditions that he has yet to embark on?

Here's a "feel good" movie that I showed to a bunch of 8th graders who are "way too cool" to ever like something with a plot so contrived. I have seen it at least 10 times in the last two years. It has never failed to produce emotional responses, at least as early as when Gus gets savaged by the bad guy's dog, and Will takes out a gun (obviously thinking of putting him down), and most certainly when Will slugs the guy late on that evening. It has the predictable villain, and other events that most people could forecast, but I had kids who otherwise are apathetic standing up and cheering as the events unfolded. My conclusion: kids seem to be cynical and jaded, but when you give them a reason to be optimistic, they have hope and are uplifted. "Iron Will" inspires me; particularly when I see its effect on middle school students. I would rate it even higher if I couldn't predict many events in the movie. This really works well with other Iditerod/dog stories.

Awesome movie, In the same league as Rocky. Just too good. A must watch.After his dad "buys the farm" in a tragic dogsledding accident, it's up to young Will Stoneman (Mackenzie Astin) to pay off the mortgage. And there's only one way to do it: Win a $10,000 prize in a 500-mile dogsled race. David Ogden Stiers is the railroad magnate who puts up the prize money, and August Schellenberg is the sage Indian who helps the plucky lad develop an iron will to win. There was one more hero in this movie apart from Mackenzie Astin, the Dog "Gus" which in the movie was his father's favourite dog. The dog was really terrific.