The Call of the Wild (2020)

The Call of the Wild parents guide

It stays inside its PG, with mild language and nothing scary.

Our estimate: fine from about 7. Rated PG.

Scare

Not scary

Jump scares

A couple

One or two sudden jolts.

Gore

No gore

Violence

Some violence

Some fighting or peril.

Sex and nudity

None noted

Language

Mild

Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

What is The Call of the Wild about?

Buck is a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team—and later its leader—Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master.

Cast and crew

More like The Call of the Wild

• A Dog's Journey (2019)Feel good · family watch · measuredA devoted dog’s soul journeys through multiple lives, always finding its way back to beloved humans.
• Togo (2019)Uplifting · family watch · emotionally heavy · measuredA man and his lead sled dog brave the treacherous Alaskan tundra in an uplifting, true-life adventure.
• Balto (1995)Heartwarming · family watch · mildly scary · emotionally heavyAn outcast half-wolf braves the Alaskan wilderness to deliver life-saving medicine and become a hero.
• The Lion King (2019)Wholesome humor · epic · family watch · mildly scaryA young lion's epic journey to reclaim his destiny unfolds with heartwarming, wholesome adventures.
• Interstellar (2014)Epic · full attention · emotionally devastating · measuredExplorers traverse a wormhole, confronting vast distances and the melancholy of a dying Earth.
• The Boy and the Beast (2015)Heartwarming · family watch · emotionally heavy · measuredA lost boy finds an unlikely beast mentor, embarking on a heartwarming, epic journey between two worlds.
• Anne with an E (2017)Heartwarming · family watch · emotionally heavy · measuredAn orphaned girl in the 1890s earnestly fights for love and acceptance in a heartwarming, measured drama.
• Bridge to Terabithia (2007)Whimsical · family watch · emotionally devastating · measuredTwo lonely children forge a whimsical, imaginary world, discovering heartwarming friendship and poignant melancholy.

The Call of the Wild is on our Dogs, Drama on Disney+ and Family on Disney+ lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “a fun halloween movie, not too scary”
• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”

Lists with the same feel: Feel-good and Family night.