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.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford	...	John Thornton
Omar Sy	...	Perrault
Cara Gee	...	Françoise
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:

snow | remake | 1890s | alaska | skagway alaska | 

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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

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 visible 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, as well as other films.

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Goofs

In the 1890s, business signs atop town store facades would still be using periods in the names displayed. So, for example, the signs would say "Barber Shop." and "Post Office." (using periods) rather than simply "Barber Shop" and "Post Office" (no period).

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Quotes

John Thornton: This is a map of the Yukon. My son was always reading adventure stories, crazy about the news coming out of the Yukon. Wasn't the gold, he didn't care about that, it was the mountains. He spent all day looking at maps and pictures of the mountains, dreaming about was on the other side, places no one had been, wild places. We could go, you and me, see what's out there. What do you think?

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Crazy Credits

Film title at the end of closing credits

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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

Referenced in Geeks + Gamers: Box Office - Call of the Wild Bombs - Invisible Man Surprises - Sonic Speeds to Profit (2020)

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Soundtracks

Great Unknown
Performed by X Ambassadors

User Reviews

When a dog barks instead of talking...it is a dog!

Not sure what the critics saw that was so bad with the CGI on buck the dog... if anything the ability of having animal like emotions displayed felt much better than looking at lions trying to speak...I thought the movie was well put together. Harrison Ford does a very simple yet good performance, the narrative is simple and easy to figure out for adults but still very relate-able and, the whole journey of the protagonists is really good a true adventure of self-discovery... What really told me that the movie nailed it, was when in the end I asked my 9 year old, what was it all about... and she goes it's about being you, not letting others tell you what you can or cannot do... and my 12 years old, goes like it's about finding your place in the world...take the kids, have them be quite and listen...they might just get some life lessons out of it.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

USA Canada

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:

$107,604,626

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Studios, 3 Arts Entertainment, Province of British Columbia Production Services Tax Credit

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