Animation Source Forums

Please, don't even say Twilight in the same breath as anything to do with Balto. Gack.

Why not? The fangirlism is just as bad

Are you certain? Well, maybe,but still, I would not want Balto to have anything to do with that...movie, it would be terrible.

Except for one problem: I've yet to hear any arguments based on Edward's or Jake's character (or Bella's, for that matter). Let's face it, folks, Fairy's got this one. Edward was a stalker, Bella... well, to put it mildly, she made Stella look modest. And don't get me started on Jake. So comparing the two controversies is to deprive the matter of any and all context.

Hey hey hey. There's no reason to bring that into a topic about animated dog relationships. As a firm Twilight fan, I'm somewhat offended.. (even though I agree on what you said about Jake.)

So, let's stay on topic. I'm a Ralph/Dusty fan, even though I don't really care for either character. Ralph is cute. And he is NOT fat. He's a Giant Malamute, and they tend to be huge and fluffy. Plus, he's nothing compared to all the superfat background dogs of the original Balto movie. He seems like the shy type that doesn't usually get the girl ... which is why I like the idea of Dusty being with him. I imagine he'd be very sweet with her, and would make her laugh often - which is always very important in a relationship. Kodi seems much too dedicated to his job to have time for a stable relationship, anyway.

Plus there's more evidence for them to be an item anyway. Dusty did actually NUZZLE him, while she only ever spoke to Kodi about their job. I'm well aware nuzzling is a very casual form of affection with dogs, but hey ... nuzzling is one step ahead from just talking (about work), right?

And Phil DID say they were an official couple, they just never got time to work on their relationship more. (Which basically means wasting it on useless unwanted Boris/Stella footage, of course. I mean really, what's the point??? xD)

That much I agree with you on. If it's a question of who she was with in the movie, I agree she was with, or at least close to with, Ralph. I always have. But extrapolating, I'm not sure whether or not Ralph would be up to maintaining a relationship. I've been the victim in one way or another of more than one relationship where either I or the girl involved was not willing to make the effort necessary, and as such the myth of "easy dating" is one I am never well disposed towards. I could be persuaded of Ralph and Dusty, and I've found some reasonably good fan works about them, though not very many. For my own purposes, though, I think she'd go a lot better with someone who actually had a grasp or responsibility. And I just don't see that in Ralph.

Well, I CAN see where you're coming from. But maybe you're overlooking Ralph. He could be more than what we interpret him as. Deep down, he could be very sweet and caring towards her. And she seems like the type who just needs someone to make her smile, which is always extremely important for girls. He's dedicated to his job - so why not to a girl in a relationship?

Dedicated to what? He hardly even cared about the job until he was in danger of losing it. And I agree, caring is important. But without the will to put your feet where your heart is, in a manner of speaking, it's as useless as the typical smoke alarm is to a deaf man, and for the same reason: it gets nothing done when the heat is on.

That's not very fair. Just because he complained about silly things like broken toenails (which are EXTREMELY painful btw ... how he managed to run with it is beyond me) doesn't mean he's not dedicated to his job. I mean, he WAS eager to run ("Are you ready? I'm ready. Are you ready? Cuz I'm ready!"), and doesn't the fact that he's afraid of losing his job prove that he's dedicated to it? And besides, there are plenty of guys ot there who absoloutely despise their jobs, but are very close to their life partners and have strong relationships with them. In fact, I'm pretty sure meh who enjoy theit jobs too much end up not spending enough time with their partners, probably making her/him feel unwanted and uneeded (which is the worse feeling in the world during a relationship.) I think you're being too judgemental with Ralph. Kodi's TOO dedicated to his job to even think about a relationship anyway. And I personally don't ever see him being the romantic sort. Ralph, on the other hand... let's just say, I've encountered A LOT of boys like him at my school (friends of mine), who turn out to be hopeless romantics and really care about girls, so...

I'll agree that I've seen what you speak of happen, even in people I personally knew quite well. But with regard to Ralph's "commitment," I'll give you that he was enthusiastic at the start of the race. But notice from what he said, he seemed more concerned with not ending up a stray than he did about actually delivering the mail. Remember the "who will want us" line?
I'm not saying that Ralph couldn't be a good mate for Dusty, or that he's totally without redeeming qualities. But ultimately, I can only judge him by what I know of him from his actions. And what I see there is a guy who's only concerned about doing his best when he has something major to lose.

And you're being too judgemental, according to me. Ever heard the phrase, "Never judge a book by its cover"?
And ending up a stray is one of the worst things in the world to dogs. I don't understand how you see him worrying about losing his job and him being unowned as two completely different things. And I think that's what you are saying. And let's face it: EVERYONE has redeeming qualities - even some that don't make them appear as relationship material. Your main concern is Dusty being with someone ridiculously committed to her. She might not even be looking for anything long-term, as far as we know. They could just be dating? She seems pretty wrapped up in work too, but at least she shows affection toward Ralph, who gets pretty darn excited about it. Plus, the director said so. You may not see him as good relationship material but, no offence; you're a guy. How do you know exactly what girls want? Hell, half the time, even we don't know what we want So, why get so worked up over silly animated dogs and their silly little relationships (that might not even exist)? I just think you're being too judgemental towards poor Ralphie, and too unfair.

You are correct, Rebel, I don't know what girls want. And perhaps I am rather imbalanced in my judgement. That's why, as I said before, I am not dogmatic (pardon the pun) about it. I fully acknowledge that the matter of Kodi vs. Ralph is not a nailed-down matter, and that their respective qualities, while pragmatically comparable on some levels, do in many regards boil down to personal preference; thus, I cannot claim to have a 100% certain argument to clinch the matter any more than anyone else on either side of the debate. And, as I said, I've found some good Ralph/Dusty fanfics too. I'll grant that I was wrong to use the word "judge." I should have said "evaluate." But it's hardly unfair of me to have carefully considered my preference on the matter and be ready to back it with logical arguments. I'm not saying that my word is the last word on the subject by any means (as some might imply that I was), only that this is why I am maintaining my position on the matter. Now, as it concerns romantic emotions, you have me there. But as we all know, emotions can quite often be as changeable as the wind itself, so using them as a basis for reasoning is somewhat like trying to figure out where you are at sea by looking at the waves. If you can tell me how to map those, please do.