Not all heroes are human. Togo is the story about two key figures in the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska, in which dog-sled teams relayed to transport diphtheria antitoxin serum through harsh conditions over nearly 828 miles to save the Alaskan town of Nome from an epidemic. The two key figures are Leonhard Seppal, played by Willem Dafoe, and his lead sled dog Togo.
Now I know what you’re thinking: this sounds a lot like the story of Balto, and you would be half right. Balto was indeed one of the famous dogs that was part of the 1925 serum run and has gained most of the credit, but he wasn’t the dog that took on the longest and most hazardous stretch of the run despite what reporters and filmmakers would have you believe. That honor goes to Togo and his musher who were basically robbed of the credit they deserved.
When it comes to Disney adapting true stories they can certainly be a mixed bag. Some can be decent and some can be a drag or just plain uninteresting. But Togo shines through as perhaps one of the best true story adaptations I’ve seen from Disney in a really long time.
This is an adventurous story of the bond between a man and his dog, a pair who would save the lives of many. The film flips between the historical dangerous run both of them went on, and how their bond began years before the run. The way the film balances tone in both points of time is really excellent as it establishes the stakes and emotion effectively, not just through the narrative but through the cinematography and colors.
This is a gorgeous film, featuring truly spectacular views of untamed wilderness. Every shot establishes the wilderness as both beautiful and terrifying, which is again reflected in both points of time. The same can be said about the music, which enhances the experience of every scene.
Willem Dafoe delivers a very strong performance, delivering humor and heartfelt moments as he bonds with a dog who started out as wild runt and became his true best friend over time.
Togo is a good boy. The best boy in fact. The amount of training this dog had for this film is incredible, and the fact they were able to accomplish so much with a real dog for this story is absolutely incredible. Obviously there were some scenes where CGI was used to protect the animals but for the most part everything was real.
The story itself is both adventurous and at times cute and charming. But it can also be impactful emotionally, especially when you see Togo and Seppal going through death defying feats at a large cost.
There was a lot at stake and they did so much to get the medicine to the people of Nome. They did the most miles of the run out of the 20 sled teams that were involved and what happens? Another team that barely did any of the hard work gets glorified as Champion of Nome. The movie really makes you look back at how various forms of media always seem to praise Balto as the hero that saved the town from a pandemic.
Togo was an old dog of 12 years and despite the odds managed to pull through the worst thanks to his iron will and the faith of his master. The world may not have given him recognition, but the people of Alaska and other mushers certainly did. In a way this movie does reflect how we don’t really recognize some heroes in our society now because we never really hear about them, either because others fail to recognize their efforts or others take the credit. This movie aims to give recognition to two major heroes who saved countless lives, but in order to make it really impactful the movie had to show the key moments of their past where they were drawn close together before showing how it culminated.
This is a movie that has been seriously slept on and is now available to watch on Disney +, yet with the huge streaming binge going right now on I’m absolutely shocked no one is talking more about this movie. This movie needs serious attention from everyone. The performances are great, the dogs are amazing, the filming and environments are stunning, and the story is very impactful in many ways, and it really can teach you some serious life lessons. Also I think it goes without saying that we should never ever underestimate the loyalty of dogs. I’m going to give Togo an A.
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