It's not often that we see Disney correct it's mistakes, but Togo seems to be made just to do that. Personally I've never seen Balto so I cannot attest to its inaccuracies, but Togo certainly pushes the fact that it is a correction of a mistold story. Disney's new live-action film is a grand retelling of the 1925 Serum Run, with vast mountain landscapes and well-trained dogs to lead the cast. If the dogs don't sell you on this movie, Willem Dafoe's (Spider-Man, The Florida Project, The Grand Budapest Hotel) performance is just another outstanding display of his epic career in acting. Dafoe transforms into Leonhard Seppala, a musher trying to save his townspeople from a disease.
The story of the event is pretty simple, but Ericson Core's (Point Break) direction along with Tom Flynn's (Gifted) screenplay make it intricate. Core delicately travels around in time with flashbacks that keep the viewer engaged. We get to see the lead sled dog's upbringing and I cannot imagine anyone complaining that the dog gets a large amount of screentime. Most of the story revolves around Togo's upbringing and Seppala's relationship to the dog. There are heartwarming moments, but also moments that really make the viewer think about how we treat and understand pets.
The most praiseworthy aspect of this film is the cinematography. Vast mountainscapes and blizzard-like conditions add an element of risk to the story. Core is no stranger to cinematography and that is apparent as this movie is very well done. I found myself gasping amidst the clear power of nature, with scenes of the dog sled team crossing an ice-capped lake that was sure to break. Nature is an extremely valuable asset in filmmaking and Togo proves that from the start. The adventure is daring and the film flies by without a moment for the filmgoer to ever feel relaxed.
The Bottom Line: With Disney's correction to Balto, Togo brings out the best of nature's connection with humans and expands on the discussion of human relations with animals in a dramatic retelling of a true story.
Score: 7.5/10
The story of the event is pretty simple, but Ericson Core's (Point Break) direction along with Tom Flynn's (Gifted) screenplay make it intricate. Core delicately travels around in time with flashbacks that keep the viewer engaged. We get to see the lead sled dog's upbringing and I cannot imagine anyone complaining that the dog gets a large amount of screentime. Most of the story revolves around Togo's upbringing and Seppala's relationship to the dog. There are heartwarming moments, but also moments that really make the viewer think about how we treat and understand pets.
The most praiseworthy aspect of this film is the cinematography. Vast mountainscapes and blizzard-like conditions add an element of risk to the story. Core is no stranger to cinematography and that is apparent as this movie is very well done. I found myself gasping amidst the clear power of nature, with scenes of the dog sled team crossing an ice-capped lake that was sure to break. Nature is an extremely valuable asset in filmmaking and Togo proves that from the start. The adventure is daring and the film flies by without a moment for the filmgoer to ever feel relaxed.
The Bottom Line: With Disney's correction to Balto, Togo brings out the best of nature's connection with humans and expands on the discussion of human relations with animals in a dramatic retelling of a true story.
Score: 7.5/10
Image credit: By User:Wynford Morris - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33449859
