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| Figure 1: Balto (1995) [Poster] |
Balto is a 1995 animated drama/history film based around the true story of a dog named Balto. The film takes place in Nome, Alaska, in the winter of 1925 when there was a diphtheria scare that threatened the children that lived there. The animated film revolves around the story of how Balto led a team of sled dogs 600 miles across Alaska, in blizzard weather too harsh for airplane or train travel, in desperate attempt to get the medical supplies back to Nome before it's too late for the children. Balto in the film is different to the real-life Balto- who was a husky, the film revolves around the character Balto being different to stand out from the rest, a lot of his journey to save the children also comes with him battling internally about being half-wolf.
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| Figure 2: Balto [Film Still] |
Balto's personal history is revealed throughout the film as the depths of his internal struggle with being half-wolf is provoked non-stop since the beginning. By about 20 minutes into the film, the audience is aware that he is a stray, almost an outlaw from the city of Nome. He is obviously unwanted by the city from the start, he is seen creeping in over rooftops and jumping fences to get into the centre of town. Balto is also seen to be bullied by the other dogs, called a half breed, mocked and beaten up as a whole. He is the unwanted mutt, that no dog nor human trusts in Nome.
The way Balto views the world is that it is big and exciting, all he wants to do is race with the other dogs. But the sad part is that he is aware of the reality of his world. Balto knows he is unwanted, the tramp/stray of the town (he was even raised by a Goose, Boris, who takes care of him- so he was not even raised by his own family). Everybody knows who he is, all the characters know of him and his name in attempts to avoid him. So Balto knows that the world he is in is a cruel and unforgiving place. Although despite this, he does get some attention from Rosy and Jenna.
Balto's inherited world is being the 'outlaw' or 'stray' of Nome. He lives with a Goose named Boris and sometimes is visited by two polar bears named Muk and Luk. Balto lives outside of Nome in an old washed up (and iced over) big wooden boat. He is used to being a loner.
Balto is a character that wants to run in a dog sled race more than anything else. He wants to be noticed for his skill and to be accepted as a dog; not a half breed. He wants to be accepted and deep down, he wants to be loved and have a home just like the other dogs- he wants to run and have a job like everybody else and to fit in. But what Balto needs is to be loved and understood by somebody, to be told that being a half breed doesn't mean a thing, luckily, Jenna is quite patient and understanding of Balto, despite nobody else ever taking an interest.
The internal traits of Balto consist of being a gentle giant, he is a bigger dog due to being half-wolf, but despite this, he is a complete softie (as seen when he jumps in the race to get Rosy's hat). He is also a very observant animal, he notices smaller details and is able to be very smart and analytical in his approach to things in order to help others. But externally Balto is a little more rough around the edges, he comes across as a badass, hackles up and ready for a fight but more often than not, he backs down before the fight. He is very smart on the outside and the inside, and despite all the things the people and dogs of Nome put him through, he remains externally unbothered and never goes to harm anybody like they do him.
Balto himself has a few minor flaws, despite being the hero character and therefore never really doing anything particularly out of line or bad. The main flaw Balto has is that he does not accept himself for who he is: 'Not a dog, not a wolf, all he knows is what he is not. If only he could see what he is.' is what Boris says while Balto walks away from the town of Nome, and then away from a wolf pack. Balto just does not have the ability to accept himself and see himself as who he is, only what he is not. Balto also seems to have a struggle with standing up for himself, the people and dogs of Nome give him a very difficult time and he seems to be far too forgiving- this is very much a debatable flaw of his character as being forgiving is a positive trait. But Balto could do with standing up for himself to his bullies a bit better.
The overall story arc of Balto is about him going on a journey of self-discovery, to finally accept himself for who he is. He becomes a hero and is able to finally be at peace with himself after saving the children of Nome and winning Jenna's heart.
The conflict that takes part throughout the film is based around the hatred and lack of trust that the city of Nome has for Balto. He is disliked and untrusted by everybody, there is a literal conflict between Balto and Steele a lot throughout the film, fighting on at least three separate occasions. There is the physical battles with Steele's hate for Balto, the towns distrust of Balto and an internal battle of Balto wrestling with being part wolf.
Balto does not really change all that much within the film, but he is finally able to accept himself for who he is by the end of it when the city of Nome finally interact with him positively for saving the children. Balto learns that being different does not have an impact on his skills and abilities- if anything being half-wolf arguably enhances his abilities to be a stronger, better leader.
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| Figure 3: Steele and Balto [Film Still] |
Steele is introduced into the film before Balto is. The first time we meet Steele he is running in a sled dog race and bites another dog in order to win. He is introduced as a reckless bully of a dog. The first time the audience hear his name is when the losing teams human yells his name after being knocked far behind, by Steele biting one of his team members. The fact that one of the first introductions we have to Steele is a human yelling after him in a world full of talking dogs is a little bit striking. This clearly communicates to the audience that Steele has done something like this before, or is typically the cause for trouble: he cannot be trusted and must be a well-known character.
Steele's view of his world is that he is admired by all. He truly believes he is the best of the best, the ultimate lead dog in sled racing. He is quite literally the complete opposite to Balto, he believes the world is his and that he can take whatever he wants. Everybody cheers his name in glee and never catch him doing anything wrong: therefore there are no consequences for anything Steele does. He is a winner, born and bred.
Balto and Steele share the same world: the city of Nome, Alaska. But Steele gets all the attention, he has a home, he is the lead sled dog- which is the ultimate position to be in and he never has to work hard for what he wants.
Steele wants to always be on top, always be the winner and always be top dog, first choice. This is what he believes he is and what he deserves to be. Alongside always wanting to be the winner, he also wants Jenna (Balto's love interest). But what Steele needs, is to become more laid back. He needs to be kinder, less hardcore and be more understanding of others. He should be able to understand and accept that the world does not revolve around him.
Externally, Steele is over the top and angry. He's a very aggressive character and it would be fair to assume that this is just as internal as it is external. He's a nasty piece of work with lack of respect for anybody but himself. Even his crew get ignored for the majority of the time they communicate. Steele just sees himself as a leader, and therefore presents himself externally as such. Internally it would be fair to say Steele is most likely misled, born and bred to be the best of the best and eventually turning aggressive with a misdirected path of passion that has turned into jealousy and anger.
Steele's flaws relate back to his external and internal traits. He lacks compassion for others and believes the world revolves around himself and acts like it too. His flaws come from his desperation to always win, he wants to win the race, the next race and then Jenna as well. But you cannot win somebodies heart in the way he attempts to, he just tries to take whatever he wants and is incredibly aggressive in doing so.
The overall story arc of the film is the same, it is about the mission to get the diphtheria medicine to Nome. But in Steele's case, the overall story arc would be about him trying to get rid of Balto and win Jenna's heart while always remaining on top of the pack.
The conflict for Steele is constantly bullying Balto from the start of the film until the finish. Even when Balto stayed out in the freezing cold blizzard to help deliver the medicine, Steele returned to Nome and continued to try and pass on a fake story about how Balto demanded to take the medicine from them and become a hero in Jenna's eyes. This was obviously not the case at all and Steele is quickly called out for being a liar by Jenna. The pair, Balto and Steele, fight continuously throughout the entire film until Balto eventually returns to Nome and becomes the hero that Steele so desperately wanted to be. Steele even goes upon crazy lengths to mess up the sled team with the medicine, he causes trouble with their marked path home so then Balto has to figure out which way to go and work double as hard than before. So it's arguable that there are some internal battles going on as to why Steele wants to always be a winner so badly.
There is no real value change in Steele, the last time we see him is when the rest of the dogs of Nome completely turn their backs on him upon Balto's return with the medicine. Steele spent too much time lying to them about Balto's terrible behaviour when in reality Balto was the hero all along. He loses every shred of respect that he ever had from everybody in town.
In conclusion, it can be said that Balto and Steele are extremely different characters from one another. Balto just wants to be accepted for who he is, while Steele wants to be accepted and praised for who he is not. Balto manages to take challenges head-on and learn from every mistake, while Steele is a terrible animal throughout the duration of the film. The two contrast each other as a hero and villain would be expected to, and the better dog comes out on top in the end.
Figure 1: Balto (1995) [Poster] Online At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112453/mediaviewer/rm1608389888 Accessed on: 12/11/19
Figure 2: Balto [Film Still] Online At: https://www.ranker.com/list/true-story-behind-balto/erin-mccann Accessed on: 12/11/19
Figure 3: Steele and Balto [Film Still] Online At: https://www.animationsource.org/balto/en/articles/Was-Steele-Part-Wolf/85671.html&id_film=10 Accessed on: 12/11/19
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