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Please note that I'm talking about Aniu specifically and not The White Wolf, considering I believe they're both two separate characters.

So we all know that Aniu is Balto's mother, and people often draw her as a pure white wolf - sometimes with grey markings around her eyes. But recently I've been thinking.. was she ALWAYS white? I mean don't get me wrong, I love the fan art of her and everything, but lots of people have questioned the fact that she is pretty much pure white while Balto is brown and grey in colour. It doesn't make much sense in terms of genetics - you'd think Balto would have just a LITTLE bit of white on him. So this brings me back to my original point. What if, during her lifetime before she became a spirit, Aniu wasn't white? What if she was grey and white, or heck what if she was normal wolf colours. How do we know she was purely white in her lifetime? There isn't anything in the film to suggest that she wasn't xD Just something to think about, I'd love to hear what you guys think.

And I know I could've made an article about this or whatever, but I prefer forum topics and I think this could make a pretty decent conversation. If you don't like it then posting will only make you look silly

I doubt she was always white, my best guess they wanted her spirit to seem like a ghost, y'know? It worked but the second movie kinda ruined the magnificent grace she held in the first movie.

Well, for one thing, just because the mother was white doesn't necessarily mean the pups have to have white somewhere in them, as well.



Secondly, we don't actually know what Balto's father looked like. He very well could have had Balto's colors. And even if he didn't, maybe someone else down the line--on either side of the family--did.

It's like hair color in humans. My dad has black hair and my mom has red hair, but mine's dirty blonde. -shrug-

Aniu very well could have been white. It's very much genetically possible. (And personally, I've always believed her and the white wolf to be the same character, but that's a debate for another day. XD)

You're all probably aware of this already, but I thought it would be worth mentioning that Phil Weinstein has confirmed that Aniu and the White Wolf are indeed the same character.


/board/exclusive-phil-weinstein-interview-t4503.html

And as for the topic... Well, I've always just assumed that Aniu was white and nothing else (as she's always white in the movies). I remember that, in B2, Balto says something about his mother having fur that was "white as snow", so I think it's safe to assume that Aniu is in fact white, or at least she was since Balto was born. Before that? I guess we have no idea.

In this interview, the producer said that Aniu, and the White wolf were meant to be the same character. exclusive-phil-weinstein-interview-t4503.html

I actually like this topic. Thank you for posting something like this, Rebs~

Even though the director of the sequel [both...? Or was it just WQ?] stated in an interview that Aniu is supposed to be the same as the White Wolf, I can understand how some fans could believe that they're two separate characters. In my eyes, the White Wolf of the first movie is more of a spirit than Aniu of WQ was supposed to be. They appear different yet similar, and one seems more... realistic than the other [I dare you to guess which is which~!].

Darn it, I really wish Mr. Weinstein had meant that they had taken some influence from the original White Wolf character in creating this spiritual [and maternal to Balto, as revealed in the closing minute of the film] entity known as the Great Aniu, not the fact that the two characters are the same. It would have made some more sense in the long haul, in my opinion.

As for her coat color thing that you're taking an issue over, Rebs... I have to agree with Natti on this one: it's all silly science genetics. The same could go to the fact that Aleu actually doesn't look like either of her parents, save for her scruffy fur, wild markings and big paws [obviously from Balto - "Big paws run in my family - at least one side of my family."] and the "husky curl" of her tail [easily from Jenna's side], but then I'd be getting off-topic a bits. Balto, since Aniu is [supposedly] his mom, again could have looked like his father... or maybe more like someone from either side of their family line. It's the same with humans, but I doubt anyone really put too much thought into this plothole, since no one ever says what Balto's father looked like... except for the obvious "he's a husky" thing. That could mean basically ANYTHING.

To be honest, the White Wolf was freaking WHITE... but Aniu [or at least what glimpses we see of her until the ending] looks a grayish-white, but not as "white as snow" as Balto says his mother was. If anything, surely the wolf that Balto remembers was the actual White Wolf, not what they showed Aniu to be at WQ's finale and big reveal. Or maybe she is the same, but.... got older and began growing gray hairs? Or maybe it's because she's dead and death makes you grayish. I dunno. It's not explained how spirits can be, but she can shape-shift [given that she probably was the totem animals; I do not believe she was Muru, though... but she had connections with the mouse. He wasn't a totem so.... yeah.], so maybe she shape-shifted to become that iconic White Wolf that was so beautifully stunning and actually bright-white? But again.... never explained, so it could also mean ANYTHING.

Also, it's a sequel. One isn't supposed to think so hard about the unexplained plotholes that were created. Not the original writers and all that, so give it a break [and yet when they DID get the original writers back, they messed up big time, actually making the finale look like crap compared to the original.... but I digress]. It's not perfect, and neither is the original film [that messes up everyone's perception of Balto's true story and what really happened during the Serum Run].

- Juuchan17

I believe Phil did direct both sequels, not that WoC matters much in this context considering Aniu isn't even in that movie. The fact that he wasn't involved with the first movie (and thus, not involved with the White Wolf of the first film at all) means that even though he considers them to be the same in WQ, the original writers may have thought otherwise when they created the character. Either way, I doubt we're going to get an interview with one of the original writers to explain it, so I guess all we have is Phil's interview and our own speculation.

That aside, you're probably right about this being a simple plot hole. I mean, they got quite a few things wrong in WQ (like Balto's eyes), so it would be no surprise to me if Aniu's change in color/form was simply an oversight and nothing more.

Ignoring Phil and WQ, I don't think we have that much to work with. They don't give any indication as to whether or not the White Wolf was Balto's mother, and his mother isn't really described in detail; all the first movie tells us is that his mother was a wolf, and not much more. So if we're speaking strictly in the sense of the first movie I see no reason why his mother couldn't have been another color. This is an interesting topic, and definitely something I'll consider when I write my first fanfic.

The problem with that is that I believe there is an interview (or at least a question asked) hanging around somewhere where at least one person that worked on the original film never meant the White Wolf to be his mother at all, rather just some sort of encouragement figure of some kind

So it just ends up being whomever's direction for the characters you prefer

That's what I thought - I thought he did! It would have been nice to have some mention of the wolf-side in WoC [other than the stupid "call" that the sled team did to convince Balto to lead their team against the plane. It's just a howl, stupid doggies - most dogs can do that naturally anyway] to have some sort of continuity, but this is a sequel. At least it looked a bit better than WQ with some pretty animation. Story was just... a fail. Again, I digress.

There really isn't much to work with - you've got that right. All the first movie gave the sequel writers had to work with was that the wolf was apparently on his mother's side [Not sure how Steele learned this, but meh.], but other than that? Nothing. It would have been cool if his mom looked like a normal wolf... or even cooler - a female Balto-esque-looking wolf. Why couldn't they have gone with that? But naw, they went for a character that just appeared right out of nowhere in the first movie and was originally never heard from again [not a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment, but a Howling White-Wolf Moment?], and chose to give the lupine a name and an iffy background that is still never explained, even in the sequel. How did she become a Wolf Spirit? Why did she live, fall in love with a husky, have Balto and possibly siblings and then soon abandon this pup in a place where he'd live a cruel life of never belonging because he was neither all-tame or all-wild? If anything, the third movie could have been about Aniu's story and how she became so great; if that had happened, it would have been many times more interesting than the predictable story of WoC was, despite that we'd know that Aniu would die in the end and end up as a higher entity that all wolves [most of them anyway] worship and look to for guidance and and see in their dreams.

My design for his mom [whose name is Anyu, pronounced the same as Aniu - yes, that was a coincidence.] is more like the WQ design, except a lighter white-gray. Plus she's got the eye markings. But in the end, it's anyone's guess what Aniu really did look like when she was apparently still alive and caring for Balto. My background story tries to connect with what we know from the movies [as much as they give us, anyway] to still make Aniu an interesting character, but I'm sure everyone has their own version, as the official one will never be given an official and more detailed backstory. Good luck with your own version and that fanfic you have planned!



I would have believed it that the White Wolf was like symbolic of the wolf side of Balto, the side that he felt so ashamed of and wished he never had; it was thanks to that White Wolf that he realized that Boris's parting words at the Icy Lake were right - that perhaps the "wolf side" of him could overcome this challenge when the dog side of him just couldn't. Those words and the wolf's howling gave him a newfound strength, and he raised his voice, apparently accepting that he was meant to be both, because the others were just dogs while he was both dog and wolf. Of course, his accepting of his wolf side seemed to be lost some by the sequels [as in, if he had truly accepted being both dog and wolf, why didn't his kids learn about it? I mean, it would have saved us a pointless argument after Aleu's near-brush with death anyway. Argh... ranting again.], so... yay for continuity errors!

If the White Wolf had just remained as the encouragement guardian that the first movie had him/her be [it is genderless, but thank the interview, we all know that the big wolf was a meant to be a CHICK! XD], I would have liked that. I could say that Aniu in WQ was a bit encouraging, both for Balto throughout his journey when he met with the totem spirits [who might have been his mom - never explained, but they probably were; the fog gives it away!] and for Aleu with the bear incident [and maybe with Muru? There was fog there, but I just consider him to be a magical side-spirit that's probably BFFs with Aniu. Read my fanfic about him and yeah... it's just my canon.].

...And yeah, I'm sure we all have our own canons on Aniu and the White Wolf. Like I say, whatever the writers don't answer or explain in a movie, it's a free-for-all for the fan writers and artists! This is especially in sequels.

- Juuchan17

-nods- This exactly. Because so many of the specifics were left undiscussed, it REALLY opens the doors for fan interpretations, stories, and characters.

In my personal version of her story, Aniu was born as Nava's littermate in the wolf "clan", as so called by WQ. Nava eventually rose to become leader and Aniu, as his trusted sister and, like her brother, a rather "spiritually in-tune" individual, became his adviser and took on a bit of a shaman-like role in the pack. She often communicated with local spirits in her dreams, as Nava mentioned doing with Aniu herself in WQ ("Aniu, the white wolf, has come to me in a dream vision...").

Later on, Aniu stumbled across a fainted husky hidden in the forest near Nome. She pulled him out of the tangled plants and brought him back to the pack. Nava, choosing compassion decides to let him stay as long as he needs to. A few hours later, the husky regains consciousness, but was too weak to move much. Some of the wolves tried asking him questions, but never got much of an answer. He was clearly very antisocial and the situation made him skittish and uncomfortable.

The husky, named Samuel, did stay until he recovered strength, but as soon as he could, he ran away without a word. It would be another few years before Aniu saw this husky again; one spring, she noticed him trailing her. He seemed to be doing it rather often, and curiosity finally got the best of her and she approached him, questioning what he wanted. Samuel awkwardly stammered out that he desired to mate with her. Of course, that wasn't at all what Aniu had been expecting, and she told him that she would think about it and to come back the next day.

That night, she consulted with the spirits. While they wouldn't give any specifics, the spirits--a bit to her surprised--encouraged her mating with the dog. (What she didn't know at the time was that their posterity would eventually aid in the saving of not only her pack, but also the town of Nome.) She was still unsure of the spirits' motives, but she trusted them and agreed to mate with Samuel. She wasn't the only one who wasn't sure about the decision, though; many of the Clan wolves began to loose a bit of trust and respect for her for mating with a dog, though Nava did his best to uphold his sister's reputation. Aniu became a bit of a loner.

Samuel only saw Aniu on-and-off as their unborn pups grew. His visits actually became less frequent as timed progressed. He met his pups face-to-face when they were around a month old or so, two females and a male. Unfortunately, actually seeing his offspring seemed to trigger some type of mental snap in him (Samuel was a bit mentally unstable; see his character page for more info) and in a crazed spasm wound him killing the first little pup who'd ran up to greet him, a little female. Horrified and overwhelmed with motherly instincts, Aniu leaped onto Samuel, in turn killing him before he could cause any more harm to their remaining pups. Unfortunately for her, a hunter had stumbled across the scene and had watched her murder the dog. Quickly deeming her dangerous, he took aim and fired. He managed to get the remaining daughter, as well, thinking she may grow up to be equally dangerous. The little male, though, who had been huddling fearfully behind a bush, was unseen by the hunter and survived the ordeal.

Being the shaman-like wolf that she was, Aniu's spirit rose to join those of the other spirits. She often visited her brother via his dreams, as well, and later, she would play a similar role in the life of her son, Balto. She reminded him of the strength of his wolf heritage by appearing to him (in a more "majestic" form) while he was helping to bring the medicine back to Nome and, of course, his dreams and experiences with the totem animals in WQ.



Of course, that is just my FAN THEORY. It's not official in the least, but it's fun to work with. And there are other fan theories out there that are no more or less canon than that, they're just fan works. XD

Natti: I like your head-canon, by the way! You made Balto's dad into a total woobie and that is d'aww-worthy.

But yeah, it's almost like with all the other unanswered questions in the sequels [and even in the first movie, if you want to think about that], like the fan-theory that Aleu went to Russia [Um, she didn't. At the furthest, she and the pack are in the Aleutians. LAWL, irony much?] or that Ralph and Dusty actually are a couple [just because the director said they were supposed to be a couple, yet it didn't quite make the final cut, doesn't mean that it's actual canon]. This is like the whole "Aniu is the White Wolf" dilemma... and I'd give it the same answer - it's the fan's choice on how it should be~

As for the coat color thing, I'm sure that could be solved in one's head-canon too.

- Juuchan17

If Aniu is anything like my white husky, she would have spent most of her life as an off colour, slightly muddy type of white... and I doubt that she had the luxury of a hose pipe in the yard to clean her after each walk

For the whitewolf/Aniu side, the original production crew for the original movie did not intend the whitewolf to actually be Balto's mother. They used the whitewolf to symbolise his mother's, i.e. his wolf side. The fans can interpret this how they wish but that was the intention. The whitewolf could therefore be live wolf, zombie wolf, male wolf, female wolf, fursuit wolf, any wolf you like...

To me, just because a cheap half baked movie with nothing in common with the first movie aside from the name of the lead character says that Aniu was meant to be the whitewolf from the first movie doesn't make their story true. To me it is no different from fan-art or fiction and shouldn't be taken seriously by anyone.

There was doubt that Aniu and the White Wolf were the same character?
It's incredibly obvious, I got that as soon as I saw her in Wolf Quest and didn't need an official confirmation.

I don't think that anyone can deny that "Aniu" was meant to be the "white wolf" because she was - and agreed that people didn't need confirmation for that...

My point is that the "white wolf" wasn't meant to be Aniu


Did I just blow anyone's mind

You didn't blow mine, Ac.

I think the writers of WQ just wanted to try and make a connection with the original film [I mean, did you catch some of the connections that they actually snuck in, like the "FRAGILE" box where the pups were during the adoption scene? Even though there's a flaw there too, but I digress...] by making this new character of Aniu seem like the White Wolf from the "Howling White-Wolf Moment" in the first movie, but the differences.... it just doesn't work too well, size-wise.

Of course, she COULD be the same as the White Wolf, given the magical transformation powers Aniu tends to possess, but it's not explained. Thank you, WQ writers, for giving this to the fan-base to make their own answer themselves.

- Juuchan17