Zoe Leininger
This fun, fast paced film directed by Chris Sanders is the most recent in a long line of screen adaptations of Jack London’s classic novel, The Call of the Wild. It is an enjoyable, family-friendly adventure story about a domesticated dog, Buck, who gets stolen from his life of luxury and taken into the Alaskan Yukon. The story follows Buck as he finds his place and identity in the wilderness of Alaska.
Given Sanders directing background of films such as How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and Lilo and Stitch (2002) perhaps it is not surprising that his take on the well loved story uses a CGI model for the main character, as well as all the other animals in the film. While this choice picks up a lot of criticism from fans of the original story, I personally found it to be one that enhanced the overall style and aesthetic of the film.
Given Sanders directing background of films such as How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and Lilo and Stitch (2002) perhaps it is not surprising that his take on the well loved story uses a CGI model for the main character, as well as all the other animals in the film. While this choice picks up a lot of criticism from fans of the original story, I personally found it to be one that enhanced the overall style and aesthetic of the film.
CGI Buck takes the lead role in this interpretation of Jack London’s classic novel.
From the first time we are introduced to Buck, he and the world around him appear the slightest bit fake. This is not a bad thing. The story is told from the point of view of Buck and he is a big dog with a big personality. The CGI gives us more of this personality than would be possible with the use of real animals. This fact, combined with really nice POV shots of what Buck sees, help us as an audience to get inside Buck’s mind the same way we could with any human protagonist.
John Thornton (Harrison Ford) confronts Hal (Dan Stevens) about how he treats the dogs.
The hyper realistic feel of Buck adds to the overall feeling that the film is slightly larger than life. The picturesque landscape is bright and colorful as the dogsled team flies over the snow in a way that accents this style. The towns and the humans in them are animated and colorful as well to give a sense of playfulness to the fantastical quality of the film.
Perrault (Omar Sy) and Buck come to an understanding about who leads the sled team.
With this aesthetic in mind I found the casting choices to be particularly excellent. Harrison Ford as grumpy old hermit John Thornton is the obvious star as he uses his understated and subtle method to offer a convincingly heartfelt performance when communicating with the CGI Buck. This style of Ford’s contrasts with and accentuates the personality we see in Buck and the almost surreal nature of Buck’s interactions with the wolf pack near the end of the film. Omar Sy and Cara Gee are also extraordinary as the dog sled drivers Perrault and Francoise who take Buck on their mail driving team. They play off of each other very well and are able to add to that larger than life feeling with their performances with the CGI animals.
Overall, this film offers a fresh take on the classic novel that hasn’t been done in any of the previous adaptations of the story. The mix of amazing live action performances and stunning CGI work adds a modern flavor to the film that makes it playful and heartwarming at the same time.
Overall, this film offers a fresh take on the classic novel that hasn’t been done in any of the previous adaptations of the story. The mix of amazing live action performances and stunning CGI work adds a modern flavor to the film that makes it playful and heartwarming at the same time.
