The Call of the Wild is a 2020 American adventure film based on Jack London’s 1903 novel. Directed by Chris Sanders, the film follows a dog named Buck, who is stolen from his California home and sent to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. Buck befriends an old outdoorsman and embarks on a life-altering adventure. Buck, a mix of Saint Bernard and Scotch Shepherd, lives with his master, Judge Miller, in Santa Clara, California. During the voyage, a crew member beats him to enforce discipline. Buck is sold to Perrault and Francoise for their dog sled to deliver mail across the Yukon. Buck is introduced to other dogs, including Dolly, Pike, Jo, Billie, Dub, Dave, Sol-leks, and the pack leader, Spitz. The film stars Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, Cara Gee, Dan Stevens, Karen Gillan, and Bradley Whitford.
Buck, a sled dog, gains the loyalty and trust of Perrault, Francoise, and other sled dogs after proving himself. He rescues Francoise when she falls through the ice and antagonizes Spitz, who has ancestral visions of a black wolf. Buck’s speed and strength allow the sled to arrive with the mail on time, and Thornton hands over a letter expressing his feelings about their dead son. Perrault learns the mail route is being replaced by the telegraph, forcing him to sell the dogs.
Hal, a mean-spirited gold prospector, buys the pack and works them to exhaustion carrying a heavy load, including three people. The exhausted dogs collapse before they can cross an unstable frozen lake. Buck recovers under Thornton’s care, but Hal attacks him, revealing he is the only human survivor. Buck attacks Hal, who is thrown out.
