Veteran actor Willem Dafoe stars in Disney+’s Togo, the untold story of a sled dog Togo and his dogsled trainer, Leonhard Seppala. One of the first films announced to the then unnamed streaming service last summer, Togo is directed by Ericson Core, the same mind behind the hit Disney film Invincible.

Some might have been aware of this story with a sled dog named Balto taking top billing (there is the famed Balto statue in New York’s Central Park, after all), but when it came to making the trek across the Alaskan tundra, but he wasn’t the only dog involved in this heroic journey. Based on a true story, Togo focuses on veteran dogsled trainer Leonhard Seppala and his dog Togo, who were the lead hands in the 1925 serum run, also known as the Great Race of Mercy. In the harshest of temperatures and wintry conditions, they made the treacherous journey that brought the precious antitoxin serum to Nome, Alaska when it was facing a potential diphtheria epidemic.

In an interview with People, Dafoe describes the film as a “beautiful story of an underdog (no pun intended)”, which shows audiences that one can “learn from adversity”. Through a journey that was over 700 miles in the most frigid of temperatures and snow, the film centers around the bond that existed between Seppala and his lead dog, Togo and everything they had to endure together in the harshest conditions as they made their way across the Alaskan tundra. You can check out the first-look image of Dafoe in the film, below.

Dafoe also told People that audiences can further expect to see “beautiful nature” in a “world past” which shows the “touching relationships” between characters as well as man and animal - the bond between the lead dog and his musher, to be exact. Keeping things on the Disney level of always being heartfelt as well as adventurous, Togo tells the story of one of history’s most heroic dogs - who never quite got his credit where credit was due, and everything he did to help save countless people, “including the man he loves most”.

Dafoe is currently receiving rave reviews starring in The Lighthouse opposite Robert Pattinson. Directed by Robert Eggers and winner of the critics award at the Cannes Film Festival this year, The Lighthouse tells the story of two lighthouse keepers in the 1890s trying to keep their wits about them while living on a mysterious and remote island in New England.

Togo premieres Friday, December 13th on Disney+.

Source: People

  • Togo Release Date: 2019-12-20