Animation Source Forums

ok, I know we were told most of them and what they were supposed to do.

fox: tricking
bear: inner knowing
wolverine: fear
caribou: life
raven: guidance?


so what was the wolf?

speaking of the spirits don't you think they should have played a bigger role or not having them in at all?

personally I find them to be unique challanges, case in point the bear and wolverines, maybe they couldn't been handled a lot better?

discuss

By looking at the different circumstances and events that occur, the wolf could represent a lot of things. There's leadership (The pack needing a leader to guide them through the difficult times they're facing and to guide them to the caribou), heritage (Balto and Aleu trying to find out who they are), determination (Balto and Aleu facing all the struggles on their journey, which really just adds to heritage), and family (Balto and Aleu's relationship with each other and when Balto's mother appears). Another possibility could be that the wolf is all of the spirits mixed into one animal.

As for the spirit's role in the movie, I think their role was really important as is because they're the whole point to the plot line. If they had been removed then there wouldn't be a Balto 2! If there was a way to make their roles bigger, I'd sure like to see it because I can't think of any way their roles could be any bigger!

Maybe this article I wrote will help clarify things for you. This one [another one I wrote] has an explanation about Aniu the White Wolf at the end and how she connects with all of the totem spirits Balto and Aleu encountered. Of course, some of this is my opinion and partly research online and in books on animal spirits, but it does make sense in the long haul... especially since it was never fully explained and left to be mysterious by us viewers. [then again, can spirits really be explained?]

I think on the role that they played, the totem spirits just were there doing what they had to do: not much. They weren't the main characters and they weren't supposed to be, but they did stir up many noticeable changes that caused Balto and Aleu to change or think in a different way. A spirit is like a guide, and in stories, guides are only supposed to help and provide knowledge to the hero - that is their role. Without them at all, the film wouldn't have been a quest - they would have been lost and trust me, the movie would have been worse than some fans believe it is already [of course, I still think it is the strongest sequel in the series... and may be stronger than the original at points].

- Juuchan17

what was the point of the bear? I remember "inner knowing" and how aleu was able to look at the "bear"'s thoughts, but for a near by ledge under the cliff? or was it deeper than that? because later on afterwards we see aleu getting more serious.

I like how most of the spirits tested balto and aleu, but the main moral this movie got across (letting go) along with finding out who you are, the latter feels rushed and could have been touched on more if you ask me.

granted it did touch on both means and it did teach balto and aleu more about their kind, all wrapped up to helping balto let go and let his daughter grow up.

I think the "inner knowing" was about helping Aleu realize that she was a wolf inside, which allowed her to accept and therefore embrace her destiny.

I believe these links may provide some answers (though I fear a lot of members here will get the wrong impressions from these sites, as many of them are based in modern spiritualistic practices and, thus, could start a whole new round of "oooh, I want to find my spirit guide!" silliness. *face palm* Ugh.):

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-totems.html

http://www.ehow.com/info_8478348_symbolism-animals-totem-poles.html

http://timberwolfhq.com/animals-spirit-power-totem/

http://mara-gamiel.blogspot.com/2011/10/wolverine-totem-animal.html


And since it has been reported several times on this forum (and I was one of the first ones to do so) that the Inupiaq peoples of northwestern Alaska (the "Eskimos") -- who were the people who lived in and around the region of Nome (and still do) -- did not carve totem poles, in spite of what is shown in Balto 2: Wolf Quest, here is some information on real totem poles, and the people who did carve, display and use them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totem_poles

http://www.burkemuseum.org/static/totempoles/

http://www.alaskanative.net/en/main_nav/education/culture_alaska/eyak/