Customer Reviews

Snowball Express

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am so happy that Disney has finally released Snowball Express on DVD! This is a great family movie that I've adored my entire life. The story is about a family man, John Baxter (played by Dean Jones), who inherits a hotel from an uncle. He quits his job and moves his family to the snow covered hills of Colorado where The Grand Imperial Hotel is located. However, the Grand Imperial isn't as "grand" as he had imagined, and Baxter decides that with a bank loan, he'll change the hotel into a ski lodge. The ruthless bank manager wants the hotel for his own greedy purposes, and this leaves Baxter to struggle to make his ski lodge dreams a reality. This movie is full of laughs thanks to the whit of Jones, Harry Morgan, Nancy Olsen, Johnny Whitaker, and an adorable St. Bernard dog that will have you re-winding the DVD to see those precious expressions over and over.
Now, why just 4 stars out of a possible 5? They DVD is greatly appreciated, but the quality is a bit lacking. Once again, like Disney's DVD release of Blackbeard's Ghost, Snowball Express is full-screen format. Also, it appears the the picture quality isn't as crisp as most DVD releases. It looks as if the DVD was directly copied from an original film reel. As you watch the opening credits, you'll see the specks of dust and scratches that are common when watching movies in theaters, but not on DVD. Also, there aren't any Bonus Features!! Boooooo!!!
Other than those little flaws, the DVD would make a great addition to a Disney DVD collection.

I have such fond memories of watching this movie with my parents and my sister. We watched this movie every time we went on a skiing vacation or whenever we needed a good laugh. I am disappointed that the film is not released at this time. I hope that Disney will release it again soon so that I can share this film with my family again and, eventually, with my own children!

Slowly but surely, Disney is finally rereleasing their classics, their best work by far. This film is no exception.

Dean Jones is just a normal hard working man when he receives a visit from a lawyer telling him he has inherited a hotel out in the middle of nowhere from a relative he'd basically enver heard of. When he gets this news he quits his job, and in a unique way at that!

He breaks the news to his wife (Nancy Olsen), daughter, son, and dog, who think he's lost his mind. So the family sets off for Silver Hills, Colorado to take over as managers of their new inheritance. When they arrive, the hotel is FAR from running. It's been run down for years, so with no job, it's up to the family to fix it up and get it running again as fast as they can. Dean then discovers that he has more land than he thought, and decides to change it into a ski lodge. This decision will forever change their lives!

Snowball Express is filled with fun and comedy as Dean continues to steal the show with Disney. If you like The Ugly Dachshund and Blackbeard's Ghost you will enjoy this!

I hope that when and if Snowball Express is released again and on DVD for the first time, Disney will give it some respect and make it worth OUR while!

Harry Morgan (Col. Potter in Mash) Dean Jones (Herbie Movies) Keenan Winn and Nancy Olson (Pollyanna and the Absent Minded Professor) and more all work together so very well. It is a movie you will want to watch over and over again! It is one of our family's favorites!!!

This movie is a fun family movie in the Disney style we remember so well. Nearly cartoonish and typically contrived, the movie remains a delight more than 30 years after it was first released.

Johnny Baxter (Dean Jones) is a faceless white collar worker in New York City. A barely remembered uncle leaves him a hotel with a fancy-sounding name in Colorado and Johnny packs up the family to run the hotel. Alas, the hotel's name is far fancier than the hotel itself, inhabited by raccoons and a codger (Harry Morgan of "Dragnet" and "M*A*S*H"). Johnny, his wife Sue (Nancy Olson), son Richard (Johnny Whitaker), and daughter Chris (Kathleen Cody) decide to make a go of the hotel, partially because Johnny has burned a bridge at his old job and partially because of his pride.

Johnny tries to obtain a loan and quickly runs afoul of perennial Disney bad-guy Keenan Wynn, playing ruthless banker Martin Ridgeway. Johnny is able to borrow money from Ridgeway and fix the hotel to begin taking in paying customers, but as tends to happen in Disney comedies, Johnny tends to be prone to accidents. In this case the most serious accident comes in the form of a runaway steam engine.

Johnny is placed in a position of having no paying customers and no money, and his next loan payment to Ridgeway is coming due. Johnny enters a snowmobile race with the help of a local "expert" who isn't, and with co-rider Harry Morgan. Some of the funniest and most unbelievable moments of the movie occur during the snowmobile race.

The ending of the movie unfolds not quite as you might expect, so I'll leave the remainder of the movie for the viewer to discover.

The special effects were good for the early 70s, but now appear substantially dated, with a few exceptions, such as the runaway steam engine. Children and those of us that saw the movie when it first came out will still find it enjoyable and very solid, safe family fare.

Released by Disney in the 1970s, it is typical Disney 70's style. This time Dean Jones plays an accountant fleeing the rat race of city life,via the inheritance of a delapadated ski resort. Complete with Keenan Wynn, once again, playing the villian (remember, The Absent Minded Professor and Herbie Rides Again).

THis movie is such a good and funny wholesome film. I would hope that this is produced again and please advice me if it is. We used to live in Colorado so it means a lot and I understand it ws filmed in Crested Butte, CO and we have been there.

This is a great family movie that my family and I watch every chance we get on the Disney channel. Dean Jones and his brood move from the city to the snowy slopes of Colorado to run a ski resort in dire need of repair. Do they get the repairs done? Do they raise enough money to keep the resort going? Do they have a lot of fun? (Hint: it's a Disney movie - what kind of ending can there be?) Plenty of humor also.

About a year ago I started looking to see if Blackbeard's Ghost or Snowball Express, two of my all-time favorite Disney films, had been released on DVD. Recently I was so pleased to see that Blackbeard's Ghost was released. I'm so glad that Disney is re-releasing the old favorites. Snowball Express is so old it's difficult to get even on VHS and I have always wanted to own a copy. I watched that movie as a kid and loved it. Even though it's getting old, my children now love that movie. I hope Disney will release this one sometime soon! It's hard to find a good, decent movie these days that the whole family can enjoy.

This was one of my favorite movies as a kid -- the DVD release is a major disappointment. While I didn't expect that this film would receive the "Vault Disney" or "Special Edition" treatment, it would have be nice if it would been released in its original theatrical ratios (widescreen). Please, Disney, give collectors the option; put pan-and-scan as well as widescreen versions on the same disc!!!