You probably remember the trailers. Harrison Ford, looking rugged and weary in a thick grey beard, trekking through the snowy Yukon. Beside him is a massive, soulful dog named Buck. But when The Call of the Wild hit theaters in early 2020, people didn't just talk about the adventure or Ford’s performance. They talked about the dog. Or rather, the fact that the dog wasn’t actually a dog.
Honestly, it was a weird time for cinema. We were just coming off the "uncanny valley" nightmares of the Cats movie and the original nightmare-fuel Sonic design. Then along comes this $125 million adaptation of Jack London’s classic novel. Instead of a trained St. Bernard or a husky mix, we got a 100% digital creation. It was a bold move by director Chris Sanders, and even years later, the harrison ford dog movie remains a fascinating case study in how technology can sometimes get in the way of a good story.
The CGI Elephant (or Dog) in the Room
Let's be real: why would you make a movie about a dog and not use a real dog? That’s what most fans asked. If you've ever seen Togo on Disney+, which came out around the same time, you know how powerful a real canine performance can be. But the creators of The Call of the Wild had their reasons.
For one, Buck does things in the book that would be incredibly dangerous—if not impossible—for a real animal. He survives a massive avalanche, fights a vicious pack leader named Spitz, and hauls a sled across breakneck ice. Sanders, who has a background in animation (he directed How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch), wanted Buck to have human-like expressions. He wanted to see the "gears turning" in the dog's head.
The problem? Humans are hardwired to recognize when a face looks "off."
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Even though the fur was rendered with insane detail, Buck's eyes often felt a little too "knowing." It was a bit like watching a Pixar character dropped into a National Geographic documentary. Some viewers loved the expressiveness, but others found it distracting. They couldn't connect with a digital dog the way they could with a real one.
The Man Behind the Dog
What's actually wild is how they filmed it. Harrison Ford wasn't acting opposite a tennis ball on a stick. He was acting with Terry Notary.
If you don't know the name, you know his work. He’s a legendary motion-capture performer who worked on Planet of the Apes and played King Kong. For this film, Notary wore a grey suit and literally crawled on all fours using arm extensions.
Imagine being Harrison Ford. You're a Hollywood icon, and you have to spend your workday petting a 50-year-old man in a spandex suit while trying to look emotionally devastated. Ford, being a pro, actually credited this for his performance. He said having a human presence allowed him to find the emotional "hooks" in the scene.
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Is the Story Still Accurate to Jack London's Book?
If you read the 1903 novel in middle school, you might remember it being pretty brutal. Jack London didn't hold back. It’s a story about the "law of club and fang." It’s about a pampered pet being beaten, starved, and forced to find his inner wolf to survive.
The harrison ford dog movie definitely softens those edges.
- The Violence: While Buck still gets beaten with a club early on, the movie makes it feel less visceral.
- The Ending: No spoilers, but the film changes the fate of several characters to make it more of a "family-friendly" adventure.
- The Tone: The book is a bit of a philosophical meditation on Darwinism. The movie is more of a "man and his best friend" road trip.
That said, Ford’s portrayal of John Thornton is arguably the best part of the film. He plays Thornton not just as a rugged survivalist, but as a grieving father. He’s a man who has lost his way and finds redemption through this dog. It’s a quiet, soulful performance that reminds you why Ford has been a leading man for five decades.
Why the Movie "Bombed" (And Why That's Unfair)
Financially, The Call of the Wild had a rough go. It cost somewhere between $125 million and $150 million to make. It only grossed about $111 million worldwide.
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Part of that was the timing. It was released in February 2020. We all know what happened in March 2020. Theaters shut down, and the movie was quickly shuffled onto digital platforms. It never really had a chance to find its audience in the cinema.
But there’s also the budget issue. If they had used a real dog and filmed on location in Canada instead of using massive green screens in California, the budget might have been half of what it was. By chasing "photorealism" through CGI, they made the movie so expensive it was almost impossible to turn a profit.
Should You Watch It Now?
Honestly, yeah. If you can get past the "cartoonish" look of the dog in certain scenes, it’s a genuinely moving movie. The landscapes (even the digital ones) are gorgeous. The score by John Powell is sweeping and epic. And again, Harrison Ford is just great.
It’s a movie about the bond between humans and animals, even if the "animal" in this case was a guy in a grey jumpsuit.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Fans
- Watch for the Chemistry: Pay attention to the scenes where Ford and Buck interact. Now that you know Terry Notary was there in person, you’ll see the physical connection is actually quite real.
- Compare the Versions: If you’re a film nerd, watch the 1935 version with Clark Gable or the 1972 version with Charlton Heston. Seeing how they used real dogs back then versus the CGI Buck today is a great lesson in film history.
- Read the Source Material: If the movie feels a bit too "Disney" for you, go back to Jack London’s book. It’s short, sharp, and much darker.
- Check Out "Togo": If you want a "real dog" movie that hits similar emotional beats, Togo is the perfect companion piece to this film.
The harrison ford dog movie might not be a perfect adaptation, but it’s a sincere one. It captures the spirit of the wild, even if it had to use a few million lines of code to get there.
Next time you’re scrolling through a streaming service and see Buck’s digital face, give it a chance. Just don't expect a National Geographic documentary. Expect a high-budget fable about finding where you belong.