Balto (film)
From BaltoWiki
| Balto | |
 VHS cover | |
| Directed by | Simon Wells |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures Amblimation |
| Release date | December 22, 1995 |
| Running time | 78 minutes |
| Classification | US: G GB: U AU: G |
Balto is a 1995 animated (and partly live-action) film produced by Amblimation and directed by Simon Wells. The film is loosely based on the 1925 serum run to Nome.
Plot
The film starts off with an old woman starting to tell her daughter about the story of Balto, a dog who helped save the sick townspeople of Nome in 1925. This part is in live action, and fades into animation.
The story of Balto begins in Nome, where he is portrayed as an outcast wolfdog in the town. Balto is bullied by a champion sled dog named Steele and his sidekicks, Nikki, Kaltag and Star, and his only real friends are Boris, a Russian snow goose who treats Balto like a son, and two polar bears cubs named Muk and Luk. Balto admits to Boris one night that he has a crush on the beautiful female husky, Jenna, and with some persuasion from Boris, proceeds to ask her out.
He finds Jenna at the hospital. He attempts to flirt by asking her to "chase a few sticks by moonlight", but she is uninterested, too worried for her owner Rosy, who has fallen ill with diphtheria, as well as many other children of Nome. Balto is later chased off by Rosy's father after Steele frames him of breaking into the butcher's meat locker.
An urgent request is sent for more antitoxin. With extreme blizzards and icebergs surrounding Nome, the only hope of transporting the medicine to the town is for a train to go to Nenana, and for a team of sled dogs to carry the medicine the remaining 500(+) miles back to Nome. A race is held in Nome to find the fastest dogs. Balto enters the race, and wins it quite easily, but Steele tricks the musher into thinking that Balto is aggressive, so Balto fails to make the team.
The team then leaves without Balto. They reach Nenana successfully, but on the way back, they miss their second checkpoint and fall of the trail. Steele only makes things worse, when he is struck by mental disorientation, caused by his need for glory and admiration, which results in the musher being severely injured and the team being lost. News of their crash reaches Nome, but it is seen as too dangerous to send a search party, or another team. The dogs of Nome, while being eavesdropped by Balto, admit that there is no hope for the children.
After seeing Rosy suffering in the hospital, Balto, accompanied by Boris, Muk and Luk, set off to find the team, but not to their knowledge, are followed by Jenna. What seems like a few days go by, then one day the party is attacked by a furious grizzly bear. Balto is nearly crushed by the bear's paw, but Jenna leaps out and saves him, the bear is then lured onto thin ice and drowns, almost at the cost of Balto's life. However it is revealed that Jenna hurt her paw in the fight and is unable to carry on the journey. Balto advises Boris and the bears to take Jenna home, while he carries on alone.
Eventually, Balto locates the team and offers to lead them home, having "marked the trail" to Nome by scratching his scent into the trees on the way to find them. But his help isn't taken with a friendly reception, when Steele refuses to accept Balto's help and attacks him. Balto refuses to fight back, which results in Steele falling off a cliff in his anger and distraction. Balto takes control of the team, but somehow Steele climbs up the cliff and follows them.
Before long, Balto becomes lost himself, figuring out that Steele has overtaken the team and had messed with Balto's trail. Meanwhile, Steele makes it back to Nome, lying to Jenna and the other dogs about Balto's fate. Jenna refuses to believe him and storms off.
The film skips back to Balto, who is anxious and worried for the children. He almost leads the team off a cliff, however when he tries to save the falling medicine, himself and the crate end up falling. He survives, but, believing that the crate was destroyed in the fall, gives up and admits failure. As if he is dreaming, Balto is approached by a mystical white wolf (due to the appearance of similar character in the second film, many fans believe this wolf is Balto's mother). The wolf howls, and Balto turns away, only to notice the in-tact antitoxin create. Balto howls back, learning that being part wolf is a strength, and not a weakness. He climbs back up the cliff, with the medicine, and the journey continues.
The team come across an avalanche which nearly swallows them, but they make refuge in an ice cave. However, as they walk through the cave, sharp icicles fall from the roof and threaten them. Nearly losing the medicine, the team barely makes it out of the cave. They then continue to Nome, which Jenna has illuminated using a glass bottle trick that Balto showed her, and return to a triumphant welcome. Steele is cast aside as a liar, and the medicine finally makes it to the hospital, curing all the children. It can be guessed after here that Balto becomes the town hero, and also becomes Jenna's mate.
The film then fades back into the real-life scene. The elderly woman is seen with her granddaughter, is revealed to be Rosy, in old age, paying a visit to Balto's statue in Central Park, New York. The film ends with the famous line "Thank you Balto. I would have been lost without you.".
Cast and characters
- Balto, a wolfdog and the hero of the story, voiced by Kevin Bacon
- Steele, a pedigree champion sled dog and the main antagonist, voiced by Jim Cummings
- Jenna, a pedigree husky and Balto's crush, voiced by Bridgit Fonda
- Boris, a Russian snow goose and a father to Balto, voiced by Bob Hoskins
- Muk and Luk, polar bear brothers and good friends of Balto, voiced by Phil Collins
- Rosy, a young girl (and also Jenna's owner) who becomes gravely ill with diphtheria, voiced by Juliette Brewer and played by Miriam Margolyes
- Nikki, Kaltag and Star, Steele's sled dog sidekicks, voiced by Jack Angel, Danny Mann, and Robbie Rist
- Sylvie and Dixie, close friends of Jenna and big fans of Steele, voiced by Sandra Dickenson
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by James Horner. The album contains 13 tracks with a total duration of 53:30 minutes.
- "Reach for the Light (Theme from Balto)" (performed by Steve Winwood) (4:25)
- "Main Title/Balto's Story Unfolds" (4:41)
- "The Dogsled Race" (1:41)
- "Rosy Goes To The Doctor" (4:06)
- "Boris & Balto" (1:30)
- "The Journey Begins" (5:07)
- "Grizzly Bear" (5:23)
- "Jenna/Telegraphing The News" (2:22)
- "Steele's Treachery" (4:38)
- "The Epidemic's Toll" (3:29)
- "Heritage Of The Wolf" (5:54)
- "Balto Brings The Medicine!" (4:53)
- "Reach for the Light (Theme from Balto) (Long Version)" (performed by Steve Winwood) (5:27)
