The Call of the Wild (2020)

A sled dog struggles for survival in the wilds of the Yukon.

Director:

Chris Sanders

Writers:

Michael Green (screenplay by), Jack London (based upon the novel by)

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, Cara Gee

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford	...	John Thornton
Omar Sy	...	Perrault
Cara Gee	...	Francoise
Dan Stevens	...	Hal
Bradley Whitford	...	Judge Miller
Jean Louisa Kelly	...	Katie Miller
Michael Horse	...	Edenshaw
Karen Gillan	...	Mercedes
Colin Woodell	...	Charles
Micah Fitzgerald	...	Red Sweater
Heather McPhaul	...	Head Cook
Adam Fergus	...	James
Stephanie Czajkowski	...	Postmaster
Abraham Benrubi	...	Skookum Bench King
Thomas Adoue Polk	...	Assistant Postmaster

Storyline

The Call of the Wild is a vibrant story of Buck, a big and kindhearted dog, a crossbreed between a St. Bernard and a Scotch Collie, whose carefree life of leisure was suddenly upset when he was stolen from his home in Santa Clara County, California and deported up north, to be sold in Skagway, Alaska, and taken further north, to Dawson City, Yukon, during the late 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. As a newcomer to the dog team delivery service - and not before long their front-runner - Buck, a dog like no other, who had been spoiled, and who had suffered, but he could not be broken, is having the time of his life. Forced to fight to survive, eventually taken by his last owner, John Thornton, to proximity of the Arctic Circle, somewhere between Yukon and Alaska, he progressively depends on his primal instincts, sheds the comforts of civilization and responds to "the call of the wild", as master of his own.

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Plot Keywords:

1890s | remake | alaska | snow | dog | 

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Taglines:

Based on the Legendary Novel.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some violence, peril, thematic elements and mild language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first 20th Century Studios' live-action/animated hybrid film with its current 2020 name.

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Goofs

While writing a letter to his wife, Sarah, John Thornton writes the word "every" but says the word "each" in his voiceover.

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Quotes

[first lines]
John Thornton: [narrating] It was in all the papers at the time. Men searching in the Artic had found a yellow metal. Gold. A mad fever spread as far as word can travel, and thousands more rushed to the North to try their luck. These men needed dogs. Big dogs with strong muscles to pull their sleds.

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Crazy Credits

This is the first film released under the 20th Century Studios banner (previously known as 20th Century Fox).

Thus, there is a new 20th Century Studios logo, which is an updated version of the classic Fox logo.

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Alternate Versions

Prior to re-shoots, Mercedes, Charles, and the remaining dog team die (off-screen) on the broken-up river; only Hal survives to return to Dawson and confront John Thornton in the Argonaut saloon. (Paraphrased: "I lost everything because of you: my dogs... my sister...") Despite successful test screenings, studio heads changed this to Hal saying, "My dogs ran off" -- indicating the team and (one assumes) Mercedes and Charles survived -- in an attempt to keep children from being upset.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movies of 2020 You Can Watch Right Now (2020)

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Soundtracks

Johnny Todd
Traditional

User Reviews

Cheesy but good

As it's dads 92nd birthday we went to see a movie I knew he'd love, Call of the Wild. Based on the classic novel by Jack London the movie tells the story of Buck the dog and his adventures as a comfortable city dog to a working dog in The Yukon, this is squarely aimed at the family market, playing down the cruel treatment of sled dogs and the harsh life. The CGI animals were good but didn't take me out of myself. It's schmalzy and cheesy but good fun and I shed a few tears. 3.5 stars George: A very dramatic movie with fantastic scenery of The Yukon! The animal animation was fantastic and Harrison Ford played a good role as the curmudgeonly loner. I remember reading Jack London's novels and I enjoyed this adaptation very much. 4 stars PS Meredith cried several times.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

21 February 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Call of the Wild

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$135,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,791,624, 23 February 2020

Gross USA:

$62,342,368

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$110,954,519

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Studios, 3 Arts Entertainment, Halon Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (DTS: X) Dolby Surround 7.1 Auro 11.1 Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1