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 Post subject: Grand Design implies Intelligent Design?
PostPosted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:54 pm 
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Near the end of Balto II, the wolves sing a song about "the grand design". What does that term mean?

Does it have anything to do with intelligent design?


EDIT BY TOGO: Remember rule #10: "Religious or politics topics often bring wars, so they should be avoided." Please, do not discuss about creationism or any kind of religious belief, stay on the Balto 2 topic and avoid flame wars.

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Last edited by Soapy Chocolate on Sun Oct 12, 2008 6:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: What does the "Grand Design" Mean, Anyway?
PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 5:03 am 
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Wolf_Bassist wrote:
I think it has more to do with the way the world works in general. It's not a bad name, really.

Never said that it having to do with intelligent design was bad. I just don't think that ID is true.

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 Post subject: Re: What does the "Grand Design" Mean, Anyway?
PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 5:10 am 
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The Grand Design is a term similar to,but not the same as The Lion King's The Circle of Life.

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 Post subject: Re: What does the "Grand Design" Mean, Anyway?
PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 10:37 am 
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Yeah, almost what Foxy Jenna said.
The Grand Design was referring to fate, the way the world works, the fact that what happens happens because it is meant to happen, we have no control over it. etc.

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 Post subject: Re: What does the "Grand Design" Mean, Anyway?
PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 1:09 pm 
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^But does it have to do with intelligent design?

EDIT: *changed the thread title*

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 Post subject: Re: Grand Design implies Intelligent Design?
PostPosted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:24 pm 
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I kind of think the wolves saying "We are all the masters of our own design" might imply that they believe that they have a "design" created by some intelligent designer.

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 Post subject: Re: Grand Design implies Intelligent Design?
PostPosted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 7:38 am 
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I'm not sure what the song really means about 'the Grand Design." I think what Nava is trying to say is that things happen because they are meant to, and all we can do is make our decisions based on what happens around us. It's as though the world was designed to go on in this way - the caribou were meant to cross the ocean, and the wolves were meant to follow. This makes sense, because they would die if they didn't. So it might be about Time itself being a designer, rather than the world being created by something (like a flying spaghetti monster! :lol: )

Niju is against this idea, because he feels that as a wolf, it is his right to be free to do as he wishes, within reason (Note that he says, 'we take what we need,' not 'we take what we want.')
I do somewhat sympathise with Niju, because it seems he is trying to rebel against an idea that, from his perspective, is oppressing him. He doesn't want to do what the world dictates, and in a way for me, that somewhat makes him an anti-hero in that sense.

(Yes, I know Wolf Quest is a DTV movie, but I do feel that, despite the lackluster animation and slow storyline, it did seem to try and be deeper than your average 'teenage offspring runs away' sequel, even if it ends up being rather awkward. In a way, I find it the more interesting movie of the trilogy.)

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 Post subject: Re: Grand Design implies Intelligent Design?
PostPosted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 8:21 pm 
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Canis Lupus wrote:
I'm not sure what the song really means about 'the Grand Design." I think what Nava is trying to say is that things happen because they are meant to, and all we can do is make our decisions based on what happens around us. It's as though the world was designed to go on in this way - the caribou were meant to cross the ocean, and the wolves were meant to follow. This makes sense, because they would die if they didn't. So it might be about Time itself being a designer, rather than the world being created by something (like a flying spaghetti monster! :lol: )

Niju is against this idea, because he feels that as a wolf, it is his right to be free to do as he wishes, within reason (Note that he says, 'we take what we need,' not 'we take what we want.')
I do somewhat sympathise with Niju, because it seems he is trying to rebel against an idea that, from his perspective, is oppressing him. He doesn't want to do what the world dictates, and in a way for me, that somewhat makes him an anti-hero in that sense.

(Yes, I know Wolf Quest is a DTV movie, but I do feel that, despite the lackluster animation and slow storyline, it did seem to try and be deeper than your average 'teenage offspring runs away' sequel, even if it ends up being rather awkward. In a way, I find it the more interesting movie of the trilogy.)

Much agreed to that. It speaks about both sides of the issue, not just Nava's and not just Niju's. Both sides can be seen and interpreted by the viewer as truth if we wish, but each as its pros and cons . . . as we see during the climax. But of course, the real reason why this song was made was to not only speak the two sides and Nava's wisdom of the wild, but also to allow Aleu, our spirited protagonist, to understand what was eventually her destiny to fulfill . . . leading the pack to the caribou.

(And I think this is the reason why WQ was my favorite out of the sequels somehow. That deepness . . . it speaks more than what it implies. AWESOME. XD)

- Juuchan17

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 Post subject: Re: Grand Design implies Intelligent Design?
PostPosted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:53 pm 
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I found Phil Weinstein's (director of the Balto sequels) website* and sent him an email which read,
Quote:
Phil Weinstein,

I have a few questions about the film "Balto II: Wolf Quest." First off, does the meaning of the "grand design" have anything to do with intelligent design? Does Niju saying "We are all the masters of our own design" have anything to do with intelligent design?

Secondly, is the film intended to encourage viewers to believe in shamanism and/or the religion(s) of the Inuit?

I know the question about the Inuit religion has nothing to do with this thread, but I'll include Phil's response to both of my questions because I want to include his whole message.

This was Weinstein's response:
Quote:
Thanks for your e-mail. In answer to your questions, I'm not sure what 'intelligent design'
means. The Pacific Northwest Inuit was an inspiration for some of the themes in the show.
But the film is not intended to encourage viewers towards any particular belief.
We were just trying to tell a heartfelt story about a father and daughter.

Phil Weinstein


I then received another email from David King, who worked with Weinstein on WQ.

This was David King's answer to my intelligent design question:
Quote:
Director Phil Weinstein, with whom I worked on Balto 2 in a producing capacity, passed your query about intelligent design along to me.
[...]
As much as I'd like to say there is some grand scheme along the lines of your question behind the story of Balto 2, I do not believe the writers intended to imply the concept of "intelligent design" when they created the script for Wolf Quest. I cannot speak for the writers or fully know their intent, but I don't think they intended to put forth that concept as presented by Ben Stein, for instance, in his film, "EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed", which I saw during its theatrical run.


*No, I will not tell you the URL of Weinstein's website.

[off topic]
For anyone who is interested, this was David King's answer to my question about whether or not the film encourages viewers toward the Inuit religion.
Quote:
While I do believe the film gave voice to that worldview and perspective on "religion", I do not think it was ever intended to be anything other than an entertaining story that involved the Inuit culture and spiritual viewpoint. I think people with differing views of religion will come away from this picture with varied reactions. I never got the sense that anyone involved with the picture had an agenda to promote shamanism or Inuit religion.

I hope this has helped. Neither Phil nor I are authorities on what exactly the writers had in mind when they penned the script for Balto 2. Our task was to bring the movie to fruition.

Best regards,

David King
Associate Producer
Balto 2

[/off topic]

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