Willem Dafoe leads sled dogs in heartbreaking trailer for Disney’s Togo

I'm not crying, you're crying. I just can't handle these dog movies, and there are a few moments in the recently released trailer for TOGO which I know are going to make me shed a few manly tears. Based on the untold true story, TOGO stars Willem Dafoe as Leonhard Seppala, a champion dogsled trainer who is tasked with transporting an antitoxin serum more than 600 miles after a deadly epidemic strikes the town of Nome, Alaska. Leading Seppala's team of sled dogs is Togo, an aging Siberian husky with a tenacious and mischievous spirit. You're going to love him.

Directed by Ericson Core and written by Tom Flynn, TOGO also stars Julianne Nicholson, Christopher Heyerdahl, Richard Dormer, Michael Greyeyes, Michael McElhatton, and Michael Gaston. The film is one of the first of Disney's original features to debut on the Disney+ streaming service, following in the footsteps of LADY AND THE TRAMP and NOELLE.

The official synopsis for TOGO:

When a deadly epidemic strikes the town of Nome, Alaska, and the only cure is more than 600 miles away, the town looks to champion dogsled trainer Leonhard Seppala (Willem Dafoe) to help transport an antitoxin serum. Seppala turns to Togo, an unassuming, undersized and aging Siberian husky, to be his lead. His wife (Julianne Nicholson) has championed Togo since his days as a mischievous puppy who could dig himself out of any situation—literally and figuratively—and Seppala, having observed Togo’s loyalty and tenacious spirit, knows Togo offers his only chance of surviving this mission. Undaunted by the massive storm heading their way or his wife’s urging him not to go, Seppala and Togo set out on the deadliest leg of what becomes a larger relay involving multiple mushers and gale-force winds and a wind chill factor dipping to 70 degrees below zero with little to no visibility. It is a harrowing journey on which Togo saves Seppala from certain death, causing the veteran musher to grasp the depth and intensity of his feelings for his lead dog, even as he risks running him to his death. They complete the task in time with Togo going down in history as one of the greatest sled dogs ever, but it is this unbreakable bond between man and dog which is the ultimate prize—and which truly saves Seppala.

TOGO will debut on Disney+ on December 20th.

Togo, Disney, poster

Source: Disney+

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Based in Canada, Kevin Fraser has been a news editor with JoBlo since 2015. When not writing for the site, you can find him indulging in his passion for baking and adding to his increasingly large collection of movies that he can never find the time to watch.