Chances are good that you gobbled up Jack London’s beloved classic, Call of the Wild, as a child. 20th Century Fox now brings the book to life to mine that nostalgia, and you’d better believe folks will be opening their wallets for this welcome dose of adventure. Of course, this isn’t the first time the masterpiece has been adapted, given that there’s been 1935 and 1972 versions, starring Clark Gable and Charlton Heston, respectively, and this time around, we’re seeing a semi-grizzled version of Harrison Ford in the driver’s seat. Oh, and since this is a live-action/animation hybrid film, the very good boy in question, Buck, happens to be CGI rendered.
That’s gonna stir up some feelings about man’s best friend not truly existing in this movie, but this dog (and all of the animals who run with him) do look, you know, photorealistic. This trailer doesn’t quite throw the same weird vibes that the Lion King evoked, but then again, this dog doesn’t speak or appear to be anthropomorphized (this ain’t Marmaduke, after all). Also, we can take some comfort in knowing that a real dog did not land in perilous conditions during the making of this movie. And it’s not like they added a CGI James Dean to the mix or anything. Here’s a synopsis:
Adapted from the beloved literary classic, 20th Century Fox’s THE CALL OF THE WILD vividly brings to the screen the story of Buck, a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Alaskan Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team–and later its leader–Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master.
The Call of the Wild also stars Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, Karen Gillan, Bradley Whitford, and Colin Woodell and arrives in theaters on February 21. Check out a poster below.
