THE CALL OF THE WILD

Directed by Chris Sanders

Starring: Harrison Ford, Dan Stevens, Karen Gillan, Cara Gee, Omar Sy

The Yukon’s a dangerous place, you never know what’s coming. I came up here because I didn’t want to be around anyone…and then I met Buck.

- John Thornton

A sled dog struggles for survival in the wilds of the Yukon, but the St Bernard named Buck has already survived a succession of masters both cruel and kind, until it meets Thornton who has a space in his heart which needs to be filled, and filled it is when he encounters the dog.

Prior to this we learn that Buck was owned by Judge Miller (Bradley Whitford). The film begins with the effect that Buck has on the Miller household by galloping through the household, over dishes and carpets…make way one might say…here comes Buck!

Strong dogs like Buck are at a premium to be used on sled teams during the Canadian Yukon’s gold rush, and Buck is stolen and transported to the north.

Through soggy Skagway, Alaska, Buck encounters John Thornton (Harrison Ford) by picking up a harmonica which had fallen out of his pocket and retuning it to him. It’s a good introduction and the pair soon become friends.

Now…a lot of the criticism of the film comes about its CGI effects which obviously show that Buck is not a real dog, but a anthropomorphised one and at no time is Thornton talking to a real dog. If you can get past these moments of artificiality, then the film will win you over.

The most powerful and enjoyable sequences are the ones when Buck is up against avalanches and when Perrault (Omar Sy) has to return to Quebec because his mail delivery service by sled is considered to be outmoded.

Enter villain Hal (Dan Stevens), a gold prospector who purchases the team. He and his sister Mercedes (Karen Gillan) treat the dogs badly, but thankfully Thornton steps in and objects to the treatment of the dogs and particularly Buck. Eventually Thornton and Buck set off to the great unknown.

Certainly, computer graphics meddle a little with the narrative, but cannot hide the essential message of the story which is: finding one’s inner strength amidst the beauty of nature.

The CGI model of Buck is a digital scan of Buckley, a real dog that director Chris Sanders’ wife, Jessica Steele-Sanders, adopted from an Emporia, Kansas animal shelter during production. Buckley is a cross between a St. Bernard and a Scotch shepherd; a medium-sized herding dog, like a border collie or Australian shepherd, the same sort of mixed breed as Buck in Jack London’s book. When the producers saw Buckley and learned that he was the same sort of mixed breed as the dog in the book, it was decided that Buck in the film would be a digital scan of Buckley.

The role of John Thornton was previously played by Rutger Hauer in the 1997 TV adaptation of the story. Both Ford and Hauer appeared together as enemies in Blade Runner.

In honour of author Jack London’s love of nature, the making of The Call of the Wild was eco-friendly. There were no single-use plastic bottles, biodegradable plates and cutlery were used. In addition, leftover food was donated, employed solar-powered generators, and relied on recycled paper.

Harrison Ford’s best known roles also have a connection to a dog. Indiana Jones was named after George Lucas’s Alaskan Malamuke, and Indy is shown to have kept the same breed as his own pet when he was a boy. The same dog inspired Han Solo’s co-pilot, Chewbacca.

The number A113, famous as a room at CalArts where young character animation students honed their craft before going on to careers at Disney or Pixar, is briefly seen on a bulletin board. Director Chris Sanders is a graduate of CalArts. An A113 Easter egg can be found hidden in Disney and Pixar films.

A digital version of Brody, director Chris Sanders’ and Jessica Steele-Sanders’ first dog, has a brief cameo encountering Buck’s in the Skagway dog pen prior to Buck’s purchase by Perrault, played by Omar Sy. Brody was the real “adopted brother” of Buckley, the dog who served as the model for the CG Buck.

Each sled dog on Buck’s team (besides Spitz) was given the personality of one of the Seven Dwarfs from the classic Disney animated film: Dolly is Bashful, Pike is Grumpy, Joe is Happy, Billy is Sleepy, Dave is Dopey, Dub is Sneezy, and Sol-Leks is Doc.

Unlike the source novel, John Thornton has a back story. They wanted Thornton’s experience to be like Buck’s for this film adaptation to show both man and dog finding their strength after overcoming tragedy.

If cinemagoers are looking a film that doesn’t overstrain your mind but engages your emotions –this would be that film.

Perraut (Omar Sy) & Buck in The Call of the Wild

John Thornton (Harrison Ford) in The Call of the Wild