Animation Source Forums

I think Aleu is quite a lovable character but I do see why there are people who don't appreciate her character and personality. She acted like, and please excuse my language but a brat. She doesn't deserve to be spoiled but I'd admit universal did an exceptional job of letting it show. Wolves can be generally stubborn as shown in both Aleu and Niju. So people who aren't exact fans of Aleu have a point. But still we should all be able to know the reason why. Wolves are generally stubborn!

You're right, spirit and you make a good point - Aleu is a brat. She's young, and probably in wolfdog-years, easily comparable to a typical female teenager. The fact that she is stubborn [and her father points it out too] must have been one of those strong lupine traits that was passed down from Balto's wolf side of the family anyway ["I get it from you, remember?"]; Besides, he is stubborn... or even moreso, as the first movie showed.

For some reason I have a feeling that had Aleu's character [the pup that looks like a wolf] been a male [like the more likeable Kodi of WoC], I betcha that most of you wouldn't complain as much. Clearly, the fact that Aleu is the whiny GIRL is one reason that a lot of people dislike her character. She's overly emotional, she asks lots of questions and easily blames the nearest person for something that was actually out of their control. She isn't strong or a good fighter, she does things on impulse [like running away, for example - "What am I doing? I'm running away, but I have no idea where I'm going..." - Thank you for proving my point, Aleu.], and the whole grammar checking... where did that come from ["That's 'anywhere', fleabag..."]? Thankfully, as the film drives on, she grows wiser and does embrace that which she once hated - her wolf heritage - by accepting a life amongst them. Balto, though he was more wolf than she, just couldn't leave what was more important to him - his daughter - and that's why he came back. Think about it: someone had to go, and who else was there if the only major one that fit the prophecy came back to save his child? It had to be Aleu, so deal with it.

I think that Aleu is a better version of a wolfdog than Balto ever was in the original [or even in any of the sequels, for that matter], if only because she's not perfect. Her voice is whiny and annoying. Her personality is hit or miss, but darn it, she's not perfect! She's not supposed to be. Balto, in the original and in WoC at least, was supposed to be that perfect dog that happened to be born looking like a wolf... in the end, he ended up being a hero for saving those that once scorned him for his heritage. Aleu, his daughter, looks like a wolf, acts like a wolf, howls like a wolf... and never noticed how different the world saw her until a gun was aimed at her... despite her hatred of being mistaken for a wolf, she still managed to be open about learning about spirit guides, the lifestyles of a wolf, and about "who she is" other than the obvious "what", and in the end, she matured.

...Okay, okay, maybe that is sort of like becoming a hero(ine) of a pack of wolves, but at least her hatred of that important heritage dispersed in the end... or at least when she realized that the two of them were meant to be there for the wolves and those dreams came into play.

But I've been rambling on, so... yeah, I'm gonna stop now.

- Juuchan17

I see your point there. That's just what Aleu is and nobody can chnage that.

I actually love Aleu! as a matter of fact she's so awesome!!

...Wow. That's dumb to hate a character because someone else says so. You can make your own opinion, you know. I'm sure Cat has her own reasons, but that doesn't mean they're yours just because she doesn't like Aleu. Just sayin'.

- Juuchan17

Now this is a really good,and very well self stated opinion about Aleu.

But this topic is about why people HATE Aleu,not LOVE her.

-Celtic Kate

Her character got slightly on my nerves, with her sarcastic comments and whiny voice.
I was never a huge fan of the second film..
But thats my opinion

Her voice was only high pitched for reasons that I think don't really need to be expressed. She has your average wolf personality and even though this has probably been stated before Balto didn't get as many of the wolf genes in him as Aleu did. In terms Aleu seems as if she could be pure wolf except that her mother's a husky and her father is a mixed. There seriously is nothing wrong with that but I don't want to be rude so I can but still "can't", you might say agree with all the opinions of others. They could be right and they could be wrong and that's yours and your desicion alone.

I would hope you're wrong about Aleu's gender being the issue xD I would also hope that a whiny BOY would be even MORE annoying than a whiny girl, sadly because it's more expected from girls to be.

But the real issue isn't that she's a flawed character. It's the fact that it isn't acknowledged. And if it is, it's made out to not be a big deal and that she's just "stubborn". Oh how endearing -_- Or worse, it gets everyone into trouble, and then everything is cake and kittens afterward. No punishment, no consequences, nothing.

As for her accepting a life among wolves almost directly after denying being one, there was almost no transition for that drastic a change in her views. There was a song (and a bad one at that) and then Aleu's all like "Spirit guide wut?" There wasn't even a line of dialogue exchanged that would really convince her that life among wolves is better than that with humans. Heck, it should've proved that she didn't belong with wolves OR humans, considering how dysfunctional she was in the wild on her own xD



Yea it dispersed, but what changed her mind, exactly? It's not clear, like, at all. I suppose Nava said something to her, but she asked about Niju. Why would anything Nava has to say about Niju of all people sway Aleu's perspective? "A star dies and another is born. All is a great dance of balance." - "Niju is not a coward. He is not afraid to die, but he is afraid of change. He would rather face starvation than leave the land he believes is ours." Okay, upon hearing that, it's obviously more about the wolves and Niju than our main character, so Nava saying anything that convinces Aleu is ruled out.

One could argue that she was more entertained with living with the wolves when she decided to partake in their debate club. But what brought that on? That she likes arguing and stirring up crap? xD I would've loved that, if that was the intention. But alas, she still comes off as a brat, rather than a cocky wolf girl who's mouth gets her into trouble. That may be a fine line, but there's a difference there. One is likable as a character haha.

One could also argue that when Maru asked her "WHO" she is, that may have sparked something in her noggin, but again, WHAAAAT was sparked? She could've talked out loud to herself "Well, if who I am isn't someone's pet, then what?" Or something around those lines. Cue the wolf pack and bang. There's a decent (enough) transition for her no longer wanting to be someone's pet, and her continuing her journey. Saying "I know /what/ I am, but not /who/ I am. And I'm not stopping till I find out" is vague. Like 90's Disney Princess vague. Any older watcher of this movie that almost every "coming of age" movie IS about WHO the character is and what they do to find that out. Aleu finds a way to be blunt and vague at the same time.

Anyway, I digress. If Aleu would've had her tail handed to her a time or two, or had better reasoning behind joining the pack, I'd forgive the movie. But the issues would've been so easily fixed, it's...buh xD

Ok! Listen up. I dont hate her I love her and in a matter fact in all of the scripes I would love to be Aleu because I have a hight pitched voice when I talk, like when I get mad. Thats how Aleu is, she is calm, my favorite character and Balto and Jenna and Aleu are all my favorite!

Hey Cat: Just remember that it's a DTV sequel. There's no way in HECK that it's going to end up being perfect [and neither was WoC, which I still think is the weakest of them all], so just chill out. It's not like we can reanimate it and fix all of the problems, you know. That would make it worse, in my opinion.

And to be honest, there wasn't enough time to explain everything, nor did the writers or directors choose to develop the obvious weak points of Aleu's character. It would have been nice to see some moments of her puppyhood other than the usual repeats of playing horsey on her dad's back and getting eskimo kisses from him. Argh.

And the gender issue...? I hope I'm wrong too, but THINK ABOUT IT. A whiny male lead seems to be more liked than a whiny female lead any day - look at Scamp [Kiara from TLK2 is a good and RARE female example that averts this.]... and I'm sure there's more out there. I just think that had Aleu been male, she not only would have been more liked, but also I bet she wouldn't have been so whiny and "annoying" to the hater public. I honestly like her as a female, if only because I'm a believer in "Girl Power" and whatnot. She's not strong, but at least the film ending with her leading a pack of wolves is, to me, rather encouraging to young girls, helping them believe that they can do anything, even if they seem different from everyone else.

But I digress.

- Juuchan17

Yea I have the same issues with Scamp as I do Aleu, actually. But he at least felt bad about telling his dad off. Aleu didn't apologize or anything! DB Even THAT would've been nice to see. People can dislike Balto all they want, what Aleu said to him was at least worth an "I'm sorry." I don't think she's a very good role model at all, species aside. True she "follows her dreams" and all that stuff, but like Ariel in the Little Mermaid, it's difficult to move past the stuff she's done in order to reach her dream. If I were to recommend positive female role models, Aleu wouldn't be on the list. xD Hidden text : click to show

From movies that came out the same year, I'd recommend Haru (the Cat Returns) Lilo (Lilo & Stitch) Jane (Return to Neverland) and ironically Eliza Thornberry (The Wild Thornberrys Movie).

Well, maybe some dog breeds apologize differently? I dunno. That and age-wise, Scamp was younger [at least 6 months old and days if you think about it] and grew up in a fancy manner-dominant household. He knew he had to apologize for his actions after he learned the hard way after living a day of that wild dog life that his father was right and that living without the warmth of family really sucks balls.

Aleu, on the other hand, seemed to be raised more by Rugrat-aged polar bear cubs, a Russian goose that speaks Yiddish, and a worn-out first-time wolfdog father that hid the truth for over a year about the heritage they shared. Perhaps Balto's own experiences molded Aleu into who she is? It'd be nicer if Jenna made more of an impact on her than Balto did... you know, other than the grammar-correcting thing [I'm sure she got it from her or Rosy's family... it definitely wasn't Balto, that's for sure!], and even BETTER if the movie showed it. Compare Aleu to Kodi on that... and I think even Kodi managed to close an open wound through his actions. Aleu, I'll admit, really didn't... but Balto probably wouldn't have lasted out with the wolves without being worried about Aleu, wondering what she's up to and hoping that she's safe from harm's way. At least Balto learned his lesson about being protective when it came to his sled-dog son... but again, GENDER... and I digress.

But what did Aleu learn when she ran away? I'll admit, the only thing was stuff about the "Grand Design" and wanting to know "who she really is"... oh, and the power of dreams, but that might have been it. Perhaps she preferred the life with wolves [which a couple of times in the film, she was called one... so why not reside in their world?] and didn't seem to fit in with her parents [even though Balto's probably an exception; if he could live there, couldn't Aleu manage the loner life too? At least she'd be near most of her family... but she was too selfish and stubborn to think of someone other than herself.]? Again, the teenage stereotype plays... and I think she ended up in the right place. I just wish she could have given her family a more proper farewell... and I agree, Balto deserved an apology for saving her life a few times [the hunter's gun, the bear, the wolves, the ocean, Niju... yeah.].

And sure, that does sound fair enough. If you take this one, can I take that awful finale film that we call WoC? I'd completely rip it a new one. And LOL, I love the Wild Thornberrys Movie... it's weird how I hear Aleu whenever Eliza speaks, and yet one is honestly a much stronger heroine than the other. [Why yes, I am agreeing with you, Cat. I don't really agree with Haru though... but I did like that movie a bunch.]

- Juuchan17

I think Alue is a great character