Nikki, Wild Dog of the North (1961)
A family film about Nikki, a half-wolf, half-dog raised in the Yukon during the gold rush era. After being separated from her master, Nikki must fend for herself amidst bears, the harsh Yukon weather, and a trapper who wants her skin.
- Jack Couffer
- Ralph Wright
- Winston Hibler
Rating: 6.2/10 by 16 users
Alternative Title:
Nikki, il selvaggio cane del Nord - IT
Nikki - HU
Nomades du Nord - FR
Country:
Canada
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 14 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: wilderness, yukon, canada
More of a documentary than a film. The premise, or at least the stuff that holds it together, to 'Nikki, Wild Dog of the North' is rather light; particularly for the first and second acts, the third has a little more meat on the bones. There's also extremely questionable animal welfare, a lot of it could be trained but it's difficult not to be cynical with some of the stuff you see - especially across the opening twenty minutes. It affected my enjoyment, way more than a few other Disney films with similar issues. Cast-wise it's almost non-existent, Jean Coutu and Émile Genest are solid as Andre and Jacques respectively. Jacques Fauteux narrates the film, he is arguably the only good part to this - his delivery is near perfect. I can't honestly say I liked this as I simply didn't, the animal stuff alongside the weak plot makes for uninteresting viewing. Each to their own, as always.
