Togo movie review & film summary (2019)

We all know that Disney would never tell this story if it ended in extreme catastrophe. But this context helps the tension of “Togo,” as it’s comprised of brief rises of conflict during both its past and present parts, which are united with the crystallized message of not giving up in the face of adversity. In the past, it’s lighter, goofier passages of Togo showing how he won't stop proving himself, even if he gets locked into a pen (or a barn) by the curmudgeonly Seppala, who would rather get rid of Togo than believe his potential. (“Saint Francis of Assisi would shoot this dog,” Seppala says, while puppy Togo zips in and out of frame.) Watching the fluffy rapscallion then devise and wiggle his way out of these small challenges is as gratuitous and giddy as any dog lover may hope. 

But then in the present, Core fashions some truly thrilling dog sled scenes, honoring the life-or-death aspect of people like Seppala, who enter into the unknown and trust the skills of their dogs to get them to the latest road house. The snowy terrain can be relentless, emphasized early on with a bracing scene that suddenly sees Seppala and his dog crew unwittingly dashing toward a cliff’s edge. And the movie has a bravura scene later on with Togo and crew blitzing across a rapidly breaking field of ice—it feels too close to death in the best way, and it's an incredible example of when green screen usage enhances storytelling. Throughout such lean action sequences, “Togo” has a clear skill for grip-and-release entertainment. 

When setting up the drama, it’s the adult aspects that prove to be a little clunky. Seppala and his wife Constance (Julianne Nicholson) are used to create a type of tension within a loving marriage—they disagree about Togo, and later disagree about Seppala taking the dangerous journey—and yet instead of making heartfelt stakes, the bad-theater dialogue will make you wonder, Who talks like that? But Dafoe, whose presence can feel like as much of a treat as close-ups of a cute dog, gets a few good moments—a highlight being a monologue that he mumbles as his dogs zip across the ice, performing it as if it were a cut paragraph from his previous gig, “The Lighthouse.”