Oh boy... things I didn't like about the Balto film... Surprisingly, this is a long and descriptive list, so please bear with me:
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"Based on a true story": ..Um, it's more like "VERY LOOSELY BASED" here. This is my biggest gripe, even for a G-rated film. I wish more "truth" was in this film, though I do still like it... however, my liking of this film is for other reasons. Many of my other dislikes follow this main reason, as you can clearly read.
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Balto is a "wolf-dog": This is just... I mean, I do like wolves and I understand that this aspect would make the titular character feel like an outcast before he takes that challenge to eventually become a hero to save those that once teased and bullied him for his heritage... but still. This is the big reason why many kids think the real Balto was a wolf-dog - because of the movie. Heck, I even have two different books that talk about Balto's heroics in reality... yet one of them actually states that he was a husky while the other calls him a real wolf-dog. I'll be honest that I bought the other book from the Goodwill store just because of that real mistake... I'll scan the story for you guys for an article on site one day. At least the original design of Balto's character in the film looked more husky-like than what he eventually became.... and then they turned that into Aleu eventually, but I digress...
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One team to save the day: It was impossible for it to really happen in reality, it NEVER happened in reality, so why'd they do it? Just to put the main baddie and his lackeys in danger for the outcast titular hero to save? Yep, of course. Argh, how... perfect. And not only that, but he also manages to win the lead girl dog's heart and become a praised hero by the town of humans that once feared and shunned him for being half-wolf. Talk about your triple whammy for the imperfectly perfect hero! Anywho, this just just boggles the mind. The
dogs were the hero here, not just Balto. There were so many other dogs that could have been used, but only the first animated scene of the race towards Nome seemed to show how awesome it would have been to have the burden of saving the sick people being shared by every dog in a harness, not just Steele and his team. Actually, that also makes him almost a imperfectly perfect opposite to our lead hero.
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...wtf, no Togo?: I wish they had Togo in the film, just like everyone else said. He was just as much of a hero as the real Balto was, and for him and the other dogs involved to only get unnamed credit from the inscription on Balto's statue - "to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs" - when clearly all the real dogs in all of the relay teams risked their lives [as well as those of their mushers] to save dying children from a horrible disease that could have wiped them out. Speaking of which...
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No death?: ...O-okay, yeah. It's a G-rated movie and there were obvious hints that mention how serious this was for the children affected [via some dialogue and the scene of the carpenter making wooden coffins], but there was no mention of the facts that before it became an epidemic, several children did unfortunately perish. Honestly, you'd think that would really up the drama in this movie.
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Jenna's role: Okay, seriously... this was the only film were Jenna physically played a crucial role in the story's plot. Had it not been for her knowledge of a blocked path and her attacking that big bear, Balto would have been dead, the lost team eventually would have died of the cold, and the most important thing, those kids - including Rosy - would have died as well and perhaps the whole town would have been wiped out as well. It would have been a complete catastrophe, basically. So, admit it: because of what Jenna did, Balto saved the day and was called a hero. What happened to that later? Her character totally got downgraded, even if there really wasn't a real Jenna.
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Muk and Luk's role: Again, I have to say the same thing about these guys. At least they recovered from their fear of the water to save Balto's life... because, yet again, if they hadn't, there would have been no happy ending... for a lot of characters. At least they were awesome here, though dumbly downgraded for the sequels... This isn't really a dislike; I'm just stating that I thought their role was also like the outcast hero himself, as they were teased for their fear of water and being unable to swim like regular polar bears... though they still had some sort of happiness and weren't so depressed like Balto made himself to be at times. They knew they weren't perfect, but they also knew that someone loved them enough regardless.
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The humans' role: The only human that was interesting here was Rosy. [Hey, purist Balto fans - it is spelled as "R-O-S-Y", not "R-O-S-I-E". The movie proves it.] I hate to say it, but it's true! At least she's a likeable character and perfect for the role of "catalyst", given that she's the main reason Balto wants to play a role in bringing the serum to Nome. She's the only human that seems to not be scared of Balto, and just so happens to be the owner of the potential love interest. Even better, we see her before the story even begins - she is the narrator and the grandmother, but we don't learn this until the last two lines of the film [or just the grandmother's echo of "Thank you, Balto; I would have been lost without you", before the granddaughter calls her by name].
Any other human - like the mushers, doctor, the telegraph operator - just seemed to be a waste, though each one played a little bit of a role. I could also say that this was even worse for any other dog that wasn't a member of the main cast, but this section is for the humans and I already mentioned it above. It's sad that the mushers don't really have much of a character when they are just as important as the dogs on the team. Instead, the movie makes them "wolf-dog haters" or near "racists" until Balto saves the day and that all changes for good. ...Really? Steele's musher was even about to accept Balto after that race to see which dogs would make up the team, but then noticed the teeth and shunned him again, much to Steele's joy. Uh, dude? All of your dogs have teeth like that. Stop being racist and dumb, mushers. Rosy's dad, we could understand why he shooed Balto away: to protect his daughter from possibly getting hurt; the musher, who deals with dogs all the time and has possibly enough protection with those gloves and long, thick coats, we do not understand the stupidity of your actions except to follow along with big bad Steele's plan to keep Balto off of the team.
And that's another thing: most of the dogs that were in that team didn't really win that race. Nikki was in or near the lead at one point [even in front of Balto!], but where were Kaltag, Star and the other dogs that weren't important enough to have names? Heck, Steele never even participated in the race, yet he was still the lead dog of that team. Musher preference much? In other words, this knowledge made that race around the town pointless, save for the overview of the town in daylight and Balto showing off his imperfectly perfect skills of perfectness that Steele doesn't like at all.
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The movie's too short: It was only a bit over an hour long! There was so much more that could have been added to this film, now known thanks to storyboards [including that one awesome scene of Star taking off Steele's prized collar - ooh, that would have been the ultimate "take that" ever!]... so why didn't they add it? I'm sure the kids in the audience would have liked it if they can survive today's much longer films in the theaters.
... If I missed anything, I'll say it later. Most of these are in my review
HERE on the Balto Source, but yeah. I still find myself liking it despite the flaws nowadays, but not as much now that I know more about the true story behind it.
- Juuchan17
Now, here's what I thought was wrong on the movie:
