Today with great pleasure I write a review of Netflix originals White Fang. This will be the first review I have written for anything Netflix I have watched but I swear that words cannot describe the sheer wonder I felt watching it. I felt like a child again. I remember reading the book when I was younger the nostalgia hit me hard.
Spoiler warning for the following:
While most networks would go with the talking animal approach this does not every action and reaction White Fang and his mother Kiche have with each other is beautifully and creatively animated. It feels like they are speaking to the audience with just motion.
We can understand their pain hunger and Her occasional annoyance at the young pup. The wolf pack is also well animated and feral to the point I felt the same fear they all did but was rooting for to flee. Even the snow being lightly tossed around is made clear.
White fangs stubborn determination to pull that sled got a good chuckle out of me. Also the berry thing is funny you will enjoy that also. A cute pup becomes a strong wolfdog in front of your eyes and his eyes display his emotion without like I said before that Talking animal routine. It is so refreshing to see a streaming platform like Netflix create such beauty.
The relationship between White Fang and his Grey Beaver master is also charming. The sadness I felt at White Fang having to watch his mother leave is just as powerful as the book was. It is such a touching moment when he has to learn to be big and now without Kiche.
White Fang shows the other dogs who is master and he is finally a sled dog for Grey Beaver. White Fang caring for him is another cute aspect. I wish I had a dog this loyal. Then the shady fools steal white fang. It’s cruel and a little painful to watch even for a tough individual like myself. I sympathize with White Fang the anger the harm he felt. All this just for a pretty penny. Grey Beaver trained him with kindness. Those thugs put him through fear. I know that feeling.
Him as a fighting dog was also cruel to stomach. Even against the wildcat. His new owner surely is the devil I thought. You could see his spirit was almost gone until that last fight. He looks up at the moon before hand as if that reminds him who he is before he is saved from that fate and helped to heal.
White fang helping with that log is also touching he is able to find more bonds. His reunion with Weedon was also nice. Can we laugh at the fact one of the villains is called Beauty? Not with looks it’s funny just that his soul is nasty. That is the true irony. White Fang once again proves his loyalty listening to Maggie and not killing Beauty.
Although it does not quite end like the book this ending is a bit more fitting as it is left to the viewers interpretation as to whether he Joined the wolves in the wild embracing the wolf or turned back to follow Weedon and Maggie and become a farm dog and a father like in the book, Though the song at the end credits assures me that is exactly what happened.
After a life that started with struggle A wolf dog has found his family and we can all understand that. My dear readers I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. All the people at Netflix who worked hard on this adaptation well done.
As someone who often does not approve of movie adaptations you have done well to covey this perfectly. Farewell readers give your dog or other pet a hug and thank them for their loyalty as I will do with mine!
-Roxanne Wolfe
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