Somehow, despite being a dog-adjacent furry since birth, I had never actually watched Balto. I knew the actual historical events around the dogs saving the town of Nome in 1925. I’ve seen a bunch of drawings of Balto and Jenna because they’re very popular with furry artists. But I’d never actually seen the film.
Until this evening! The watch group I’m in selected it and we really enjoyed it.
Warning: Spoilers ahead! Though I can’t imagine anyone reading a blog written by a Dalmatian hasn’t actually seen Balto.
Steele is easily one of the most vile villains I have seen in animation. He has zero redeeming traits. He has nothing to even like-to-hate. He is a has-been with an ego complex that could rival modern-day political leaders. It was a bit astonishing to see a bad dog played as straight as they did here. But I can also say it was done very well.
Jenna is not only beautiful, but she has a huge heart. Balto is definitely the hero of the story, but Jenna comes a close second for me. The way she cares about her family, and about Balto. She is fearless as she goes into the woods and wrestles a grizzly. “The only medicine we have”, indeed. Her snuggles could definitely cure depression, if not diphtheria!
The one scene I had a slight problem with was when Steele falls in the ravine. It felt a bit odd to me that Balto didn’t give him a second thought. His personality seemed to me like he’d still try to help him, though I definitely understand why he wouldn’t – and shouldn’t.
Other minor notes:
- Jim Cummings is definitely channeling his Be Prepared Scar in Steele.
- Boris is actually believable as a Russian character instead of a stereotype! Good job! Seriously, animation in the 1980s and 1990s had a real problem with this. I really appreciate that they didn’t leave him flat and one-dimensional.
- Sandra Dickinson’s New Yorkian accent for Sylvie is so believable. Trillian from HHGG! Who would have thought?
The animation was really something to behold. I was surprised to read that contemporary reviews panned it. I mean, sure, it’s not The Lion King, but it wasn’t trying to be, and it didn’t need to be. It has a style all its own, which reminded me a bit of The Rescuers. I think the line work that was allowed by Toonz helped that feel. I was also quite impressed by the film’s depiction of the Northern Lights. I have only witnessed them in real life once, and it’s hard to describe the iridescence in the sky that you see. The way this film showed it felt very faithful to the real thing, even if it was a slight bit more colourful in the film than typical.
Also, the closing scene in Central Park made me tear up a little. It just felt like Blaze completes the circle of life.
All in all, this gets Spots’ rare 5/5. The story is dramatic with a lot of heart; the animation is pleasing; the music is fitting; the Jenna is snuggly.
Have you seen all three movies, or just the first one? I rewatched it about two months ago, and honestly, it still holds up as a great film. The art style is so easy on the eyes. I’m surprised you say critics had issues with it!
I’ve only seen the first one so far. Watching the other two is on my list.
Agree about the art style. It’s really lovely! I’m not sure what they were thinking. Like I mentioned, it was just after The Lion King was released, so I think they were expecting all animation to somehow compare to that.
[…] dropped to the streets of NYC at that final scene atop the Chrysler Building. This is the scene I complained about from Balto done right – Georgia had every reason to not save her, but her good nature and pure heart […]