The Call of the Wild is a short adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. The story opens at a ranch in Santa Clara Valley, California, when Buck is stolen from his home and sold into service as a sled dog in Alaska. He becomes progressively more primitive and wild in the harsh environment, where he is forced to fight to survive and dominate other dogs. By the end, he sheds the veneer of civilization, and relies on primordial instinct and learned experience to emerge as a leader in the wild.
","wikipedia_plot_html":"no_plot","wikipedia_adaptation_html":""},"wikipedia_html":"The Call of the Wild is a 2020 American adventure film based on Jack London's 1903 novel of the same name. Directed by Chris Sanders, in his live-action directorial debut, and his first film without a co-director, the film was written by Michael Green, and stars Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, Cara Gee, Dan Stevens, Karen Gillan, and Bradley Whitford. Set during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, the film follows a dog named Buck as he is stolen from his home in California and sent to the Yukon, where he befriends an old outdoorsman and begins a life-altering adventure.
","wikipedia_plot_html":"\nDuring the late 19th century, Buck, a large, gentle mix of Saint Bernard and Scotch Shepherd, lives contentedly with his master, Judge Miller, in Santa Clara, California. One night, Buck is abducted and shipped to the Yukon aboard a freighter. During the voyage, a crew member beats him with a club to enforce discipline. Once in Alaska, a man named John Thornton drops his harmonica which Buck retrieves for him, moments before being sold to Perrault and his partner Francoise for their dog sled to deliver mail across the Yukon. Perrault hopes that with Buck, he can make the long trek to the mail depot before the deadline. Buck is introduced to the other dogs; Dolly, Pike, Jo, Billie, Dub, Dave, and Sol-leks, including the pack leader, a husky named Spitz.
\n\nBuck gains the loyalty and trust of Perrault, Francoise and the other sled dogs, after proving himself along the way. He rescues Francoise when she falls through the ice. All of this antagonizes Spitz. Buck begins experiencing ancestral visions of a black wolf that acts as his guide throughout their travels. One night, Buck catches and then releases a rabbit. Spitz kills it before attacking Buck to assert his dominance. Spitz seems to win, until the rest of the pack encourages Buck, who pins Spitz down, displacing him as pack leader; Spitz then disappears into the wild. Perrault grudgingly makes Buck the lead when no other dog can do it. Buck's speed and strength allow the sled to arrive with the mail on time. There, Thornton hands over a letter he has written to his former wife expressing his feelings about their dead son. He and Buck readily recognize each other. Soon after, Perrault learns the mail route is being replaced by the telegraph, forcing him to sell the dogs.
\n\nHal, a mean-spirited and inexperienced gold prospector, buys the pack and works them to exhaustion carrying a heavy load, along with three people, in weather unsuitable for sledding. The exhausted dogs collapse before Hal can force them to cross an unstable frozen lake. When Buck is unable to move, Hal threatens to shoot him. Thornton appears and rescues Buck while Hal forces the other sled dogs to cross the lake; Hal is the only human survivor. Under Thornton's care, Buck recovers. Later, at a saloon, Thornton is attacked by Hal, who reveals the dogs managed to run off leaving him with nothing. Witnessing the scene, Buck attacks Hal who is subsequently thrown out. Buck and Thornton then travel beyond the Yukon map where they can freely live in the wild. They come across an abandoned cabin in an open valley and settle in. Meanwhile, Hal relentlessly hunts them, from revenge and believing Thornton is hiding a source of gold.
\n\nIn the open wilderness, Thornton and Buck bond over their daily activities, primarily fishing and gold panning. Throughout their time together, Buck is drawn to a female white wolf. Buck goes between his domesticated life with Thornton and his place with the wolf pack that the female belongs to. After some time together, Thornton believes it is time to return home. Never wanting the gold from the start, Thornton throws it back into the river except for some \"grocery money\" and tells Buck he is leaving in the morning, and to come and say good-bye. Buck heads into the forest and sleeps beside the white wolf. That night, Hal finds and shoots Thornton, demanding to know where all the gold is. Thornton throws the \"grocery money\" at him, but it does not placate Hal. Buck returns and kills Hal by pushing him into the cabin, which is aflame. Thornton wants Buck to live for himself and hugs him as he dies reassuring him with his final words, \"It's okay, boy. You're home.\"
\n\nThe next morning, Buck returns to the hills looking down on the burnt out cabin with sadness. In the wilderness, Buck mates and has offspring with the white wolf, becoming the pack leader and fully embracing the call of the wild.
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