The story of the sled dog, Togo, who led the 1925 serum run, but was considered by most to be too small and weak to lead such an intense race.
What is the 1925 serum run? It sounds like a bunch of bandits trying to smuggle booze during the prohibition, doesn't it? The serum run is, however, something much more serious. In 1925, Nome was an old secluded town that existed purely because gold had been found there in the past. Not because of its accessibility to any other resources, infrastructure or roading. Not too much of an issue until a disease takes hold, and all of a sudden, you need those resources quickly. Combine that with a severe storm that wipes out any chance of early aircraft making a drop and you are left with only two options. Either send a man with a team of sled dogs to travel 938 miles in five and a half days through the Alaskan tundra in a major storm event to collect an anti-toxin, or allow 1000's to die from Diptheria.
A heck of a true story, that I would have actually loved to see in theatres. Unfortunately, this movie is only available on Disney's streaming platform, Disney+. Considering how poorly the CGI has been handled with their streaming movies to date (Lady and the Tramp and Noelle), there was justifiable cause for concern, knowing that much of the film was shot in the studio. Luckily, unlike the upcoming Call of the Wild--which will involve fully CGI dogs--Togo has 100% real canines (with no horrible CGI mouths). Real dogs, performing real stunts, showing evidence of real training. Because of this, Togo is a thrill to behold.
The film is directed by Ericson Core, who also does the cinematography. Now he has had some questionable titles in his filmography, having been involved in the 2003 Daredevil film and the 2015 Point Break remake, but let's not hold the man's past against him, because Togo is pretty invigorating and engaging. The film stars Willem Dafoe, and while he performs well, the film is not focused so much on his character, as it is on his character's dog, Togo. This is the type of quality that has been missing from Disney films as of late, because the dogs have been expertly trained. The strain, frustration, aggression, happiness and joy, the inquisitive and mischevious nature, it is all there on the faces of these puppers. It is as authentic as it can get. With some great scenes shot on location, you really feel like you are there alongside them as they toil away on their journey.
Granted, it isn't all shot on location (for obvious reasons), and some of the computer-generated environments leave a lot to be desired visually. Even on a small screen, it is very obvious as to what is real and what is not, but--to Core's credit--the cinematography and acting performances still keep you gripping the edge of your seat. When knuckle-deep in the action, Togo has your full attention, and you will find yourself holding your breath, and tensing up during many of the scenes. The film is not set up in a linear fashion though and ends up having to rebuild that tension every time we return to our main characters.
This is due to a lot of emphasis being placed on developing the relationships between Leonhard Seppala (Willem Dafoe), his wife Constance (Julianne Nicholson) and their pooch Togo. The relationships were not in the form that we saw in the opening scenes of the film, and the development is necessary to ensure that the audience is fully invested with the characters. The non-linear structure does have some downsides, however. Initially, it works well, with clear visual differences between the past and present timelines (the entire colour palette is different changing from blue-white to orange-brown), but this isn't simply one or two flashbacks. Frequently, the adventure is interrupted to show more tiny parts of their history, and as it progresses closer towards the present timeline, it gets harder to tell the two apart as they start to look visually similar.
The film also interrupts the main story with present-day subplots and scenes with minor characters. It's almost as if Core was trying to find any way possible to limit the time spent on the present-day "adventure" portion of the story in order to reduce the budgetary needs. In a film that spans nearly two hours, we only get four set-pieces, which is rather lacking (in this reviewer's opinion).
There is always something so raw and powerful when you look at the emotional connections that are forged between dogs and their owners. Dafoe and Nicholson pull this off well, and Togo's dog actors seal the deal. I read up on the story of the 1925 Serum Run directly before watching this film, and yet I still found myself with teeth gritted, my breath caught, as I willed this team of sled dogs to fight on. There are no antagonists here, just some great character development and man and man's best friend go up against the elements. A vast improvement from the Disney+ Original roster.