The following contains spoilers for Arthur the King, now playing in theaters

Summary

• The film, “Arthur the King,” is based on the true story of Mikael Lindnord, not an American athlete named Michael Light.
• The Adventure Race took place in Ecuador in 2014, contrary to the movie’s portrayal of the Dominican Republic in 2018.
• After the race, controversy arose over Arthur’s ownership, and the real-life Arthur passed away in 2020 before filming began.

Arthur the King is a feel-good film that recreates a heartwarming story that swept the world a decade ago about an unlikely Adventure Race hero — a dog named Arthur. The film focuses on a team of athletes taking part in one of the world’s most difficult physical challenges, Adventuring Racing. In 2014, they became a global sensation when they encountered a stray dog on their journey, who quickly became an unofficial member of their team.

The team’s captain, Mikael Lindnord, eventually adopted the dog and wrote a memoir about the experience before establishing multiple charities in the dog’s name. The memoir of the true story inspired Arthur the King, which largely recreates the events in question — albeit it with a little extra Hollywood storytelling tropes to flesh out the characters of the Mark Wahlberg movie‘s characters. Here are the biggest differences between the true story of Mikael Lindnord and the film it inspired, Arthur the King.

Mikael Lindnord Is Swedish, While Michael Light Is American

The Nationality Shift Doesn’t Really Change The Overall Story

The events of Arthur the King are broadly the same as the real-life story that inspired the film, but there are distinct differences between the two in specific details and the aftermath of the race. From the onset, one of the most obvious differences is the film’s focus on Michael Light. Played by Mark Wahlberg in Arthur the King, Michael is an American-born athlete who spends the film struggling to finally earn a victory in the Adventure Race. Despite having competed in the global event numerous times, Michael’s efforts to win have largely come up short.

In real life, the events of Arthur the King happened to Mikael Lindnord. Instead of being American, Mikael was a Swedish athlete from the locality of Örnsköldsvik. Alongside his wife Helena, Mikael regularly represented his nation in global sporting events. Mikael has notably remained a prominent figure in Adventure Racing, even after formally retiring from the sport in 2015 following the fateful race Arthur the King is based on. Mikael has been honored by the Adventure Racing organization for these efforts and has earned a place within the sports’ hall of fame.

The Adventure Race Was In 2014, Not 2018

This Isn’t The Only Tweak To The Real Life Adventure Race For The Film

In Arthur the King, Michael Light’s attempts to claim victory in the Adventure Race happens in 2018. An annual challenge for athletes from around the world, the 2018 Adventure Race is treated as Michael’s last chance to earn glory in the sport. Following an embarrassing loss in a prior Adventure Race that became widespread across social media, Michael rallies an unexpected team in 2018 to make another attempt for victory. This also requires him to accept a reduced budget, which puts additional pressure on the team and prevents them from getting the proper amount of training ahead of the race.

In real life, Mikael Lindnord’s first encounter with Arthur came during the 2014 Adventure Race. Many of their interactions during the race went on to directly inspire Michael’s connection with Arthur on-screen in Arthur the King. This includes Mikael sharing meatballs with the dog, the animal keeping up with the racers during their journey, and swimming alongside them during a kayaking portion of the race. Although the timing of their race is different, the real-life Arthur and the cinematic reimagining of the dog experienced many of the same challenges.

The Adventure Race Was In Ecuador Instead Of The Dominican Republic

There’s A Few Reasons Arthur The King Wasn’t Filmed In Ecuador

In Arthur the King, the 2018 Adventure Race was held in the Dominican Republic. The island nation served as an ideal location for the race, with a varied environment of massive rivers and expansive jungles for Michael’s Team Broadrail to journey across. Thanks to the unique paths mapped out by the team’s navigator Chic, the group is able to sneak a lead for a good amount of the race thanks to some death-defying ziplining and intense racing. In real life, the 2014 Adventure Race where Mikael found Arthur actually happened in Ecuador.

The relocation to the Dominican Republic for Arthur the King was met with dissatisfaction by people in Ecuador, who complained about the change. The original intention for Arthur the King was to film in Ecuador as well. However, filming was set to begin in 2021, and faced numerous complications. Tax credit issues with filming in the nation threw things off, as did Mark Wahlberg’s busy filming schedule. Filming was set to begin during the COVID-19 pandemic, and problems with regular testing only exasperated those complications. This led the filmmakers to shift the location of the race to the Dominican Republic.

Mikael’s Adventure Race Team Was Different From Michael’s Team

Team Broadrail Was Tweaked For The Film

In Arthur the King, Michael’s four-person Team Broadrail is each given a bit of depth and drive to establish them as characters. Simu Liu plays Leo in the movie, a social media star who has a less-than-stellar relationship with Michael at the beginning of the film. Nathalie Emmanuel plays Olivia, a young mountain climber looking to make her dying father proud. Ali Suliman plays Chik, the team’s navigator who was cut from a rival team following a knee injury.

In real life, Mikael and his wife were part of Team Peak Performance. Mikael’s teammates in the 2013 Adventure Race included Simon Niemi, Karen Lundgren, and Staffan Björklund. Although Mikael formed the deepest bond with Arthur, the entire team would speak after the event about the connection they’d formed with their unofficial fifth teammate during the race.

Michael’s Adventure Team Finished Better Than Their Real-Life Counterparts

Team Broadrail Still Does Pretty Good In The Adventure Race

By the third act of Arthur the King, Michael and Team Broadrail can eke out a surprising lead over their competitors. Heading into the final stretch of the race, the team initially decides to leave Arthur behind instead of risking bringing him onto a kayak. When they see Arthur struggling to keep up in the water (even at the risk of drowning,) Michael and Leo turn back to help the dog. As a result, they give up their lead and lose the race. Ultimately though, Team Broadrail finishes among the race’s top competitors.

In real life, these events played out slightly differently. The climactic kayaking that occurs in the film largely occurred overnight, with spectators who’d been following their race cheering the team on from the side after they rescued Arthur. This also more seriously impacted their overall placing in the race, with Team Peak Performance finishing twelfth. However, similar to their on-screen counterparts, the team made sure to finish alongside Arthur. Arthur even accompanied the team for a charity race, the Wings For Life World Run, in 2015.

There Was Controversy Over Whether Arthur Had An Owner Or Not

Did Arthur Have An Owner Before Being Found By Mikael Lindnord?

A major part of Arthur’s story in Arthur the King is the fact that the dog was a stray left to fend for himself. This is the main reason given in the film for all the injuries that the animal had suffered, and why he required such extensive medical assistance following the events of the film. This differs from real life, where questions about the ownership of Arthur drew international controversy after the events of the 2014 Adventure Race.

After Arthur was more or less adopted by Team Peak Performance, an Ecuadorian citizen named Vicente Quiñónez claimed to be Arthur’s true owner. The man claimed the dog’s real name was Barbuncho, and asserted that Lindnord had effectively stolen their dog. Lindnord rebuffed those claims, arguing that the injuries Arthur had suffered implied an animal that had primarily lived in the wild — otherwise the lack of treatment for would have been animal abuse. Quiñónez initially argued for compensation to buy a new dog, but relented after public support swelled for Lindnord.

Arthur Passed Away In 2020

How Arthur The King Carries On Arthur’s Story

One of the more notable elements of the filming of Arthur the King was their commitment to using a real dog for as much of the filming as possible. Dog trainer Mathilde de Cagny (whose credits include Anchorman and the Back to the Future) found the dog Ukai in Northern California. She helped prepare Ukai to play Arthur in the film. Sadly, Arthur didn’t live long enough to see the film adaptation of his story.

After the 2014 Adventure Race, Mikael and his family adopted Arthur and gave him a safe home for the rest of his life. However, Arthur was eventually diagnosed with a malignant tumor. The real-life Arthur passed away in late 2020, shortly before filming on Arthur the King began. However, the inspiring story of Arthur and the family he made will live on thanks to films like Arthur the King.

Arthur the King
is now playing in theaters.