Chris Sanders is making his live-action directorial debut with The Call of the Wild but one of the movie's biggest stars, its dog, was rendered through the use of CGI. Buck, the domesticated St. Bernard/Scotch Collie mix, is at the front and center of the latest adaptation of Jack London's 1903 novel. Here's why 20th Century's The Call of the Wild took the photorealistic animation route and how a real dog still played a role in the movie.
The Call of the Wild follows Buck, a beloved pet from a prominent family, who gets stolen and sold before ending up in the unfamiliar world to the Alaskan Yukon. The dog is forced to leave domesticated life behind as he's trained to become a sled dog for a mail-delivery team. Buck struggles with the rest of the pack, especially the alpha, Spitz. After encountering harsh conditions from the environment and his handlers, Buck meets John Thornton (Harrison Ford), an outdoorsman who understands how to treat an animal the right way. It's not until Buck travels with John does the dog find his true calling.
Rather than rely on real dogs and other animals, The Call of the Wild features heavy use of CGI. London's adventure novel incorporates a lot of violent scenes, particularly when it comes to the dogs. The studio found a way to lessen the violence and scares so that they could create a family-friendly film that still hits on the themes of the classic tale. CGI and motion capture technology are getting more and more common and it most likely seemed like the easier option due to the vast reliance on animals for the movie. It's also important to note that The Call of The Wild wasn't shot on location and instead, was filmed on sets and green screens. Using CGI for Buck and the other four-legged stars were always part of the plan from the early stages of development. That's not to say dogs were completely left out in the making in the film since Buck technically had a real-life counterpart.
A Rescue Dog Named Buckley Served As A Stand-In For Call Of The Wild
During the filming of The Call of the Wild, seasoned stunt coordinator Terry Notary stood in Buck during particular scenes, including those alongside Harrison Ford. In addition, an actual dog was used for light and camera rehearsals. The dog, named Buckley, was rescued by the director's wife, Jessica Steele-Sanders, after filming already started for the movie. Buckley was found wandering around a Kansas town and was taken in by a shelter. Steele-Sanders saw that Buckley was a mix of a St. Bernard and collie, the same description of Buck used in London's novel. She then drove to Kansas to adopt Buckley and brought him to set where he served as the perfect stand-in for the star dog.
From a family-friendly standpoint, the use of CGI made sense since the mix of live-action and animation usually engages the younger audiences. The technique, however, has seemed to turn off a lot of critics and potential viewers with the animation being cartoon-like by giving animals human expressions. Some are arguing that the CGI cheapened The Call of the Wild, especially with Disney's recent release of the live-action film, Togo, which used real dogs. One major fan of the film, despite the story, will be PETA, the organization that has been fighting for lessening the use of live animals for films and TV projects.
