Animation Source Forums

Is it because Universal just wanted to make the story more interesting? If he was full dog, do you think it would have been less interesting?

Absolutely not. I would've preferred it if he'd been a full dog, to be honest. I don't think he needed to be half wolf to make the story interesting at all. Although I did like the White Wolf aspect, as it's based on Inuit legends.

Balto had to be half wolf in order to tell the story the way it was told in the movie. His half breed heritage was the driving force behind all the ill will towards him in the entire town. It's why humans didn't trust him, it's why Steele hated him. Making him into a normal dog would have removed all of that, and there wouldn't have been a story to tell.

So yes, Universal did it to make the story more interesting.

Well, I think I'm wrong on this, but I believe that the real Balto in real life wasn't as fast as the other sled dogs, (Not 100% sure) and it wouldn't have gone well with the movie. Besides, the whole "People don't accept me as I am" thing is popular in movies.

Your correct, Balto is half wolf to make the story line more interesting for the viewers.

Heh. That basically. xD

If you ever saw the Balto Documentary which was on European DVDs (is also on YouTube I think but you'll have to look yourself as it's rather illegal. xD ) the Directors/Producers mention that they made him half wolf for the purpose of making it more interesting.
I can only guess they didn't want to have to try and explain relays and such in an animated family movie (which younger kids might not get) so having a reason for the other dogs to bully him because he's different (something kids can relate to, even if indirectly) made the story easier to translate into an animated movie.

I think it would've been just as interesting if they'd made it a bit more true-to-life than it was, having some form of more unique dynamic between Balto & Togo or Balto & the other sled dogs would've been pretty cool.

Buuuut I adore the White Wolf in Balto 1 and that would've had to been left out (I imagine) if Balto were all dog.

They were creating conflict. Though it might have been far better placed on the run itself which is rather downplayed.

I once again will clarify that the real story of the real Balto's life, as it was, was quite dramatic and controversial enough. There certainly would have been a story to tell which could still have touched kids and adults alike. There was prejudice against the real Balto by his owner (who felt him to be inadequate for anything more than grudge work); there was his first chance to lead a team when he was selected by Gunnar Kaasen (his musher during the serum run) in spite of Kaasen's being instructed to use a different dog to lead the team left to him; there was the team's experiences during the run itself; there was the team's invitation to go down to Washington state in order to film a short movie about their experiences during the run; there was the cross-country vaudeville tour by train; there was the meeting of the famous animal sculptor Frederick Roth for the creation of the Balto statue and the monument which would grace Central Park in New York City (and which Balto and Kaasen later appeared at for its dedication, and during which there was a near scrap with another dog); there was the team's abandonment by Kaasen in 1926 when he was pressured to return to Nome; there was their sale to Sam Houston for his "dime-a-look museum", where the team suffered terrible neglect; there was their dramatic rescue, led by Cleveland businessman George Kimble; there was their ride to Cleveland, where they were given a parade and a nice new home in the Cleveland Brookside Zoo...to live happily ever after.

Sounds more exciting and dramatic (with highs and lows) than anything shown in the three cartoons.

That it does, but no matter how dramatic the true story was, the half-wolf thing was still used to create drama, which it didn't do a horrible job of. I guess the writters assumed it would be easier for children to understand

Well, I am not trying to argue with you, but I don't see how children would understand the trials and tribulations of a wolf-dog over that of a domestic dog.

I mean, I get the idea of prejudice, exclusion, and the emotional baggage that goes with it. And I know that's what they were shooting for. Still, an anthropomorphized cartoon version of the real Balto would have endured enough prejudice, exclusion and emotional baggage, and then neglect, were the production team have gone with that angle instead...and been faithful to the actual history...even in cartoon form. The children could still be imparted with a variety of lessons and morality plays (of the kind seen in the existing cartoon).

If it were true that the real history of any event were far too complicated to tell in animated form, then there would be countless educational cartoons and even some entertaining ones which would never have seen the light of day...as not all are as horribly inaccurate as the Balto cartoon.

Okay:

http://www.nestlearning.com/historical-biographies_c1733.aspx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jItMg1z0v1Q

And those are just a couple of examples. I am not going to rattle off a laundry list of them however. Classic Warner Brothers and MGM cartoons were full of historical lessons...and some Disney ones were as well.