Movie Project - Day 37: Balto

My in-laws raised Old English Sheepdogs and my sister-in-law still has one, thus my daughter has been around dogs for most of her life. True, Siberian Huskies are not the same, but they both fall under working class dogs. Based on the true story of the 1925 serum run to Nome, I was surprised this movie did not do better when it was in theatres. That surprise vanished once I found out it was released 22 December 1995, which was one month to the day after Toy Story hit the screens and changed the world of animation. Had the studio known what a powerhouse of a movie Toy Story would be, I'm sure they would have tried to push for an earlier release date.

I thought it was a good movie outlining the importance of standing for what you know to be right and determination to achieve the impossible. And even more facinating, was the live action scenes in which a grandmother and her granddaughter are walking through Central Park in New York City. They're searching for a memorial, and they pause so the grandma can catch her breath, then she explains to her granddaughter what they're looking for and why it was so important.

The main character, Balto, is half wolf and half sled dog and is outcast by both communities because of this mix. His friends are oddballs as well, a goose that does not migrate and two polar bears that don't swim, and rounding out the protagonists is Jenna, the dog of Rosy, who is later revealed to be the grandmother in the live action sequences.

While you can't change history, Hollywood tends to pick and choose the parts of the story they like in order to make their story work on screen. There was an outbreak of diphtheria in Nome, Alaska in 1925, and the only way they were able to get the antitoxin to the town was via dogsled, and it was pulled into town by a team lead by Balto. Everything else was added for the story's sake.

I understand that a movie only has so much time to tell a story, and in this case the story is more about Balto and the strong personal choices he makes in the face of adversity, therefore historical accuracy was not high on the list. Togo and his team were not mentioned at all, even though they carried the serum through the more dangerous part of the run from Nenana to the checkpoint where it was handed over to Balto's team.

Most all Siberian Huskies registered with the American Kennel Club can trace their pedigree back to the dogs that participated in the 1925 Nome serum run. In fact, because of the serum run, the Siberian Husky became a very popular dog, and was accepted into the AKC in 1930. Some people might think that the granddaughter's dog Blaze is a descendant of Balto. This might have a sliver of hope if that dog was animated, because the real Balto was born, raised, and trained with the goal of making him a sled dog, so he was neutered at a very young age. This fact was left out, as it would would have crippled the series, since the sequels are about the adventures of Balto's pups.

Erini loved the dogs, and since this wasn't her first time watching it, she was able to pick up on a few more things, such as the relationship between Jenna and Rosy. I'm not sure if she just remembers parts at the end of the movie, because she told me her favourite part was when the children were all hugging their parents because they were getting better.

She also likes the memorial statue they find at the close of the film, which I ignorantly thought was made just for the movie. Unless they had this movie planned back in December 1925 when the statue was unveiled, I was very wrong. Not the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last.