When the first Call of the Wild movie trailer dropped back in late 2019, the internet didn't just watch it; they dissected it. You probably remember the vibe. One moment you're looking at a sweeping, majestic shot of the Yukon, and the next, you’re staring into the eyes of Buck, a dog that looks... well, almost too human. It was a weirdly polarizing minute and a half of footage. 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) was betting big on a mix of old-school Jack London grit and bleeding-edge CGI technology.
It worked. Sorta.
The trailer racked up millions of views because it promised a return to that classic, adventurous spirit of the Gold Rush. But it also reignited a massive conversation about the "Uncanny Valley" in cinema. People were used to talking animals in Disney movies, but Buck wasn't supposed to be a cartoon. He was supposed to be a dog. A real dog.
The CGI Buck Controversy Everyone Noticed
Let's be real: the biggest takeaway from the Call of the Wild movie trailer was the dog. Or rather, the digital recreation of a dog. Harrison Ford stood there looking rugged and iconic as John Thornton, but the audience couldn't stop looking at Buck’s eyebrows.
The decision to go full CGI wasn't just a random whim. Director Chris Sanders, known for How to Train Your Dragon, wanted a performance that a real dog simply couldn't give. He needed "acting." In the trailer, we see Buck expressing nuanced sorrow, fear, and determination. A real St. Bernard-Scotch Collie mix—the breed Buck is in the book—is a lovely animal, but it doesn't do "wistful longing" on cue quite like a team of animators at MPC (Moving Picture Company) can.
Critics immediately pointed out that the dog felt weightless in some shots of the trailer. If you watch the scene where Buck is running through the snow, there's a slight disconnect between his paws and the ground. It’s that tiny, 2% gap that tells your brain, "Hey, that’s not a real dog."
👉 See also: Billie Eilish Therefore I Am Explained: The Philosophy Behind the Mall Raid
Yet, there was a practical reason for this. Using a live animal in the freezing temperatures and dangerous terrain required for a faithful Jack London adaptation is a logistical and ethical nightmare. PETA actually praised the production for using CGI instead of live animals, which is a rare win in Hollywood. The trailer was the first time the public saw the result of Terry Notary’s work. Notary, a famed motion-capture performer who worked on Planet of the Apes, literally played the dog on set. He wore a gray suit and walked on all fours so Harrison Ford had a physical presence to interact with.
What the Call of the Wild Movie Trailer Got Right About the Book
Jack London’s 1903 novella is dark. Like, really dark. It’s a story about the "law of club and fang." It’s about a pampered pet being kidnapped and beaten into submission before eventually finding his primal self.
The Call of the Wild movie trailer had the difficult task of selling this to families.
If you watch the trailer closely, you’ll notice how they balanced the brutality with wonder. They showed the majestic Northern Lights. They showed the bond between man and beast. They leaned heavily into the "adventure" aspect. They basically promised a high-stakes journey through the Alaskan wilderness, which is exactly what people want from a big-budget winter release.
The music in the trailer also did a lot of heavy lifting. It was sweeping and orchestral, designed to make you feel like you were witnessing something epic. It successfully moved the needle away from "this is a movie about a digital dog" to "this is a movie about the spirit of survival."
✨ Don't miss: Bad For Me Lyrics Kevin Gates: The Messy Truth Behind the Song
Why Harrison Ford Was the Perfect Choice
Harrison Ford is a legend. Period. In the trailer, his voiceover provides the emotional backbone. When he says, "He was a dog like no other... he'd been pampered, and he'd been suffered," you feel it in your bones.
Ford brings a level of gravitas that grounds the digital effects. Without him, the movie might have felt like a high-end video game cinematic. But seeing Ford’s weathered face against the backdrop of the Yukon made the stakes feel real. The trailer showcased a softer version of John Thornton than we see in the book, though. In London's writing, Thornton is a bit more of a hardened survivor. In the trailer, he’s more of a grieving father figure looking for redemption.
It’s a subtle shift, but it was necessary for a PG-rated blockbuster.
Breaking Down the Visuals
Visual effects have come a long way since 2020, but looking back at the Call of the Wild movie trailer, the lighting is still impressive. They used a "Pre-vis" system that allowed the filmmakers to see a rough version of the digital dog in the camera's viewfinder while they were filming.
This meant the cinematography, handled by the legendary Janusz Kamiński (Steven Spielberg’s longtime collaborator), could be incredibly dynamic. The trailer features some "impossible" camera moves—sweeping through the legs of the sled dogs or flying over a collapsing ice bridge—that wouldn't have been possible with a real dog on a real sled.
🔗 Read more: Ashley Johnson: The Last of Us Voice Actress Who Changed Everything
- The Sled Sequences: The trailer highlights the speed and chaos of the mail run.
- The Scenery: Most of the "Yukon" was actually filmed on soundstages in California or in the mountains near Santa Clarita.
- The Interaction: The moment Buck licks Thornton’s face in the trailer was a key "sell" for the CGI technology.
Honestly, the trailer was a masterclass in marketing a difficult concept. They had to convince parents that this wasn't too scary for kids, while also convincing fans of the book that they weren't totally ruining a literary classic.
The Financial Reality Behind the Scenes
It’s worth noting that this movie was expensive. We’re talking a budget in the $125 million to $150 million range. Much of that went into the digital rendering of Buck and the other dogs. When the Call of the Wild movie trailer first premiered, industry analysts were skeptical. Could a dog movie—even one starring Indiana Jones—recoup that much money?
The film eventually made about $111 million worldwide. Unfortunately, because of the massive production and marketing costs (and the fact that its theatrical run was cut short by the 2020 global shutdowns), it struggled to turn a profit during its initial release. However, its life on streaming services has been much more successful. People found the movie at home and realized that, once you get past the first ten minutes of "CGI adjustment," the story actually holds up.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Fans
If you’re going back to watch the movie after seeing the Call of the Wild movie trailer again, keep these things in mind to get the most out of it:
- Look past the Uncanny Valley: Give your eyes about fifteen minutes to adjust to Buck. Once you stop looking for the "seams" in the CGI, the emotional performance by Terry Notary actually shines through. It’s a very expressive film.
- Compare it to the 1935 and 1972 versions: If you’re a film nerd, it’s wild to see how the "real" dogs in the Clark Gable or Charlton Heston versions compare to the digital Buck. Each era used the best tools they had.
- Read the book first (or after): Jack London’s prose is much more visceral than the movie trailer suggests. The movie is a "softer" version of the tale, but it retains the core theme of finding where you truly belong.
- Watch the "making of" clips: Seeing Terry Notary in his gray suit jumping around like a dog makes you appreciate the final product in the trailer much more. It’s an incredible feat of physical acting.
The Call of the Wild movie trailer remains a fascinating artifact of a time when Hollywood was trying to figure out exactly how much digital "humanity" we want in our animal characters. It’s a beautiful, flawed, and ambitious glimpse into a classic story that continues to resonate with anyone who has ever felt the pull of the great outdoors.
Whether you love the CGI or hate it, there’s no denying that the trailer successfully captured the heart of London’s wilderness. It’s about the wild that lives inside us all, just waiting for the right moment to come out and play. If you haven't seen the full film yet, it's a solid Saturday night watch, especially if you have a dog of your own sitting on the couch next to you. Just don't be surprised if they bark at the screen when Buck starts howling.
For the best viewing experience, watch the film on a screen with high HDR (High Dynamic Range) capabilities. The snow and the Northern Lights sequences were specifically color-graded to pop on high-end displays, making the digital environments feel much more immersive than they did in the compressed YouTube version of the trailer. If you have the 4K Blu-ray, that’s the way to go. The detail in Buck’s fur and the texture of the Alaskan ice are significantly sharper, which actually helps bridge that "uncanny" gap by making the digital assets feel more tangible.