Film director Chris Sanders garnered immense acclaim and financial success with his 2024 film “The Wild Robot,” a project that would have been the crowning achievement for most directors. However, for Sanders, it was simply another profitable endeavor in a long line of such projects. In the 90s, Sanders worked as a key story artist and character designer on Disney animation films like “The Lion King” and “Mulan.” His directorial works encompassed projects such as “Lilo & Stitch” and “How to Train Your Dragon.
Over the course of his illustrious career, Sanders has consistently shown an unyielding knack for creativity and a dedication to emotional impact, working seamlessly with fellow artists such as frequent collaborator Dean DeBlois and the head of story on “Wild Robot”, Heidi Jo Gilbert. Additionally, Sanders’ accomplishments encompass his sole live-action film to date, “The Call of the Wild,” which is based on Jack London’s renowned novel and marks a notable departure from the general reception of most of his films, as it sparked considerable debate among audiences this year when it turned five.
The Call of the Wild’s Unique and Familiar Chris Sanders Qualities
In “The Call of the Wild,” filmmaker Sanders used advanced CGI to bring the main canine character, Buck, to life. He also cast Harrison Ford, who hasn’t taken on many roles lately, for the part of John Thorton – this being his only other acting project since “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in December 2015. Meanwhile, cinematographer Janusz Kamiński shot “The Call of the Wild” as one of only three movies outside a Steven Spielberg-directed film he’s worked on since 2010. The combination of Sanders and the 1903 source novel proved to be quite appealing.
London’s book, which has been around for decades prior to Sanders’ birth, shares several recurring themes found in the filmmaker’s work. For instance, the bond between Buck and Jack Thornton mirrors the unlikely friendships portrayed in films like Lilo and Stitch, or Hiccup and Toothless. This theme of bonding between surprising characters is a recurrent one for Sanders – it’s also reflected in the parent-child relationship between the robot and duckling in The Wild Robot. Additionally, London’s wilderness setting can be found in Sanders’ films such as Robot and The Croods. It’s no surprise then that this material sparked Sanders’ interest to explore a new form of storytelling.
Despite director Sanders working with live-action actors for the first time, the film The Call of the Wild relied on motion-capture animation to create its canine characters. This wasn’t just a return to familiar creative ground for Sanders; it also positioned The Call of the Wild as one of several 20th Century Fox projects in the 2010s that leaned heavily on visual effects (VFX), aiming to capitalize on the success of films like Avatar and Life of Pi. These groundbreaking VFX-driven movies captivated audiences with their CGI and mo-cap characters. Fox continued to invest in films centered around innovative digital characters and settings, such as Alita: Battle Angel and The Call of the Wild. The initial Christmas 2019 release date for The Call of the Wild was a strategic move, mirroring the holiday debuts of past Fox family hits like Night at the Museum and Alvin and the Chipmunks. However, despite fitting into the broader context of both its director and distributor, The Call of the Wild received a mixed response from critics once it was released in theaters.
Why Wasn’t Call of the Wild A Box Office Hit?
The movie adaptation of “The Call of the Wild” hit theaters in February 2020, but its initial release was postponed by two months due to Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox. Unfortunately for some moviegoers, their anticipation wasn’t met when they watched the film. Critics found the computer-generated Buck, the main character, off-putting and not emotionally compelling – a stark difference compared to beloved digital characters like Toothless or Stitch from previous films. Despite impressive CGI effects, this issue proved difficult to overcome for audiences.
Due to COVID-19 causing theaters to shut down only a few weeks into the release of “The Call of the Wild,” it failed to generate much buzz or establish itself as an enduring cultural phenomenon. Contrast this with previous Chris Sanders movies like “Dragon” and “The Croods,” which remained in theaters for months due to positive word-of-mouth. Interestingly, “The Call of the Wild” stands out in Sanders’ career because it is both live-action and more controversial than his other works. However, its themes share similarities with other Sanders productions, making it a compelling companion piece to his most cherished films, such as the recent Academy Award nominee “The Wild Robot.
The Call of the Wild is now streaming on Disney+. The Wild Robot is streaming on Peacock.
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2025-02-12 02:20