Juuchan1
7

8 / 10

The one that began it all - BASED on a true story, August 01, 2011

A couple of weeks before this film came out in theaters in the late fall-early winter of 1995, my eyes took its first glimpse into a world of the past and the story of a real hero - "Balto", the adventure of a brave dog that saved lives and regained hope in a period of crisis. It was then that I grew obsessed with the true story, reading and buying books based on dogsledding and the famous journey that the movie showed... Despite not being popular in the theaters, it is still one of my favorite animated films to this day, despite the problems of it being "based on a true story".

Loosely based on the true story of the Serum Run of 1925 that inspired the annual Iditarod dogsledding race, the movie starts out as a simple journey between a grandmother and her granddaughter looking for something in Central Park, New York before the grandmother rests to spin her tale, shifting the film into an animated world of sled dogs, snow, and the untamed Alaskan wilderness. In Nome, Alaska, our main characters are introduced - Balto, shown as a wolfdog that longs to run on a dogsled team; a Russian snow goose named Boris and Muk and Luk, a couple of orphaned polar bear cubs; a young girl named Rosy and her beautiful scarlet husky, Jenna; the proud, arrogant lead dog, Steele and his team of lackey dogs - and soon the plot of the diphteria outbreak begins. Balto is left behind, due to his wild appearance and Steele's tricks, though Steele's team is lost in a blizzard, and with hope waning in the town and his gang of true friends by his side, Balto is Nome's only hope for a miracle.

For a movie based on a true story, there are a ton of things that were altered or not even mentioned in the film. For one thing, Balto was never a wolfdog; he was a real purebred husky, black and white with the obvious role of leader. Also, it seems impossible that one team could run such a long distance by themselves; in reality, many teams of dogs worked together to make sure the medicine arrived safely and so that each team wouldn't overwork themselves. It makes you want to read more about the real story though, and to me, Balto's real story is more interesting, especially since it wasn't just him that should be considered as the hero of this tale. And even worse is that the film makes it a total happy ending, only hinting on how serious this disease was at the time with strong images of the town carpenter working on a small wooden coffin and with the dogs' dialogue once the sled team is considered as lost. Children and people really did die, though the film made it seem like everyone lives afterward.

The characters.... eh, they weren't too bad. Balto as our hero is one everyone can relate to easily - he's different only by looks, yet he doesn't seem to fit in amongst either huskies or wolves and it's hard to get others to give him a chance due to their instant judgment of his breeding. As his nemesis, Steele is a strong bad guy with selfish intentions - being the champion lead dog, the fastest dog in town, be that guy with the hottest girl... you get the idea. Jenna, the obvious love interest for both hero and villain, is just wonderful and is all-around the most likeable character; despite being a husky, she can see the honest goodness in the wolfdog, as well as tell when someone's got bad blood - in her eyes, it's clearly not Balto. Also, she is one of the bravest female dogs I've ever seen in an animated film, only for the action scene she gets in this film; it's unfortunate that the following sequels leave her in the background most of the time, but that was her greatest moment. Boris stands out as a voice of reason - though we can all ignore his stupidity in "Wings of Change"; I'm sure it was the whole "love thing" that made him completely bonkers - and the tagalong "uncle" of the playful polar bears that never seem to age at all. Actually, Muk and Luk were the perfect humorous kick that the film needed on the adventure sequence midway.

Unfortunately, Steele's "trio" of Nikki, Kaltag and Star were... the same old routine every time, always one playing off on the other and usually Star was the one that ended up getting hurt. I don't see what's so appealing about them, but I'll admit that by the third act of the film, Star actually is the stand-out of the three, as you can see how he's growing to trust Balto as a leader. Yeah, compare that to how badly Steele and the other two in the trio treat him throughout and never give him a chance to speak his mind. They all see how badly Balto cares about the fate of the dying children while Steele seems to be nothing but wild fight within a large, dark Malamute's body that no one, save for Balto, is brave enough to challenge for leadership. It's a huge turning point for all the characters in that scene, that's for sure.

However, that's not the main scene that everyone seems to remember as the key moment of the film. The biggest scene is the one that has Balto face-to-face with a mysterious white wolf - the embodiment of his wolf heritage, you could say. He is at his lowest point, a moment of failure... and then he soon realizes that the side of him is something that makes him special, makes him different, makes him the right dog... or wolfdog... for the job. The music and the visuals are some of the best in the whole movie, and it makes you want to howl along with Balto as he accepts himself without any dialogue! The actions and sounds work with the score to show the emotions of the characters in a way that is almost like a throwback to the classic moving Disney moments that lack any speaking lines... ah, other than the howling, of course!

There is strong writing from the main writers, making the conversations sound realistic and at times comedic or inspirational to both the characters and the viewers. The story is still very predictable, even moreso if you know of the actual Serum Run and also if you've noticed that the hero's name is the title of the movie. Hello, Captain Obvious.

The traditional animation is rather clean, fluid and very appealing, also like how Disney's works were in the early 1990s. The background details are just stunning and probably accurate to the time period. Even the musical score is beautiful, dramatic and moving at all the right moments. The movie's theme, "Reach For The Light", is hauntingly perfect for Balto's story of persevering against all odds. Unlike the two sequels that would follow, "Balto" begins and ends in live-action, eventually showing viewers of the statue of Balto that is forever placed for all to remember and reflect on the bravery of those mushers and teams of dogs that worked so hard to save a little town in Alaska. Consider that as another piece of the true story coming to light despite the movie's obvious changes, and one of those dream locations that every Balto fan should go find in Central Park; some years ago, I was lucky enough to hug the Balto statue myself, and a part of me felt that it was worth the pilgrimage.

Overall, "Balto" is one of those rare pieces of animation that is appealing to all. You'll want to cheer for the half-breed hero, cry at the helplessness as the disease takes its toll on the town's spirits and probably get upset at how unfair others treat the wolfdog without giving him a fair chance. However, the fact that it's based on a true story and that many important details were changed in the movie to make it "kid-friendly" without having to scare them or something with a message about heroes being measured by their actions instead of their heritage or some other aspect that's out of our control.

One last thing... Honestly, the movie feels rather short for such an epic story of courage and heroism. I really wish it were longer and added more character development with these deleted scenes that I've heard about. And released on DVD/Blu-ray in its original widescreen aspect with a lot of extras about the film. One day, fans.... I'm sure that will happen.

- Juuchan17 [7/31/11]

"Let me tell you something, Balto: A dog cannot make this journey alone, but maybe... a wolf can." - Boris, "Balto"