Outside of his most iconic roles we haven’t seen a ton on the big screen from Harrison Ford, but when he has branched out it has been to take on films skewed towards families, like his first-ever voice role in The Secret Life of Pets 2. And now Ford finds himself alongside a canine friend rather than voicing one in The Call of the Wild, based on the classic Jack London novel.
The Call of the Wild is a survival adventure story centering on Buck, a domesticated dog who is stolen from his California home and sold into servitude in the Alaskan Yukon during the 1890s Gold Rush. As leader of a sled dog team, Buck learns to master the dangers of his exotic new home, ultimately answering to the call of the wild. Ford plays John Thornton, a gold prospector whose kind-hearted ways earn Buck’s complete loyalty.
The film is directed by Chris Sanders, who knows a thing or two about family films as director of The Croods, How to Train Your Dragon, and Lilo & Stitch. This is the third adaptation of London’s novel, with Ford joining Clark Gable and Charlton Heston as Hollywood legends who have played John Thornton. Pretty good company. A mix of live-action and CGI, the great Terry Notary (Kong: Skull Island) gave the mo-cap performance for Buck.
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 opens on February 21st 2020.
