BALTO
A Furry Role Model For Children
A film review by John Paul Powell
Copyright 1996 John Paul Powell
Published In The Outreach Connection Newspaper (Dec. 22, 1995)
Voices by: Kevin Bacon, Bridget Fonda, Phil Collins, Bob
Hoskins, Jim Cummings and Juliette Brewer.
Directed by: Simon Wells.
Story by: Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser.
Screenplay by: Cliff Ruby, Elana Lesser, David Steven Cohen and Roger
S.H. Schulman.
Produced by: Steve Hickner.
A Universal Pictures release.
Once upon a time, there was a real Balto. While cosmopolitan city folk raised their glasses to the roaring twenties, a catastrophic epidemic cloaked the top of the world.
Diphtheria. Highly communicable bacteria which infiltrates the human body. Potent toxins saturate the bloodstream. Air passages are progressively obstructed. If antitoxin isn't administered, the victim can suffocate and die.
Savage blizzards assailed the North. Helpless citizens of Nome, Alaska, held vigils at their children's bedsides. The much-needed antitoxin couldn't be transported by boat, train or airplane. Mother Nature had scrapped that plan.
Sled dog "musher" Gunnar Kaasen hooked up his dogs (Balto as the lead), braved the treacherous weather, completed the final leg of the relay and delivered the medicine. The "Great Race Of Mercy To Nome" succeeded. The children were saved. To this day, an annual race is held to commemorate the altruistic actions of man and beast.
Balto, the animated adventure, reinvents history. Half-wolf and half-dog, Balto is an outcast. The residents don't trust his unpredictable nature. They fear he will let the wolf in him assume control, gobble up their children and drink from their toilets when they're not home. About as popular as TV's Central Park West, Balto lives in a wrecked ship on the outskirts of town. He ain't got cable but he's got pals: two cuddly polar bear (Muk and Luk) and Boris the goose (who Balto asserts is the reason the other geese fly South).
Balto falls head over tails for Jenna (Bridget Fonda's yap). Eyes meet. Tails wag. Noses nuzzle. Dreadful news pours cold water on their tender courtship. Jenna's owner (Rosy) has contracted diphtheria and the sled dog team is MIA. Rosy's chances of surviving are slimmer than an anorexic attending Weight Watchers. Balto won't play dead. He's determined to locate the missing team and lead them home.
It is abundantly evident that the producers were mindful of their audience. The Northern terrain tests Balto's endurance. Avalanches, blinding snowstorms and frigid temperatures pound our hero. Fearsome foes test his wisdom and relay a profound message to children. Early on, Balto is set upon by an irrational, gargantuan bear. Back against the wall, Balto defends himself. He does however attempt a peaceful resolution when his arch-nemesis Steele (Jim Cummings' pipes) won't hand over the antitoxin. Steele slaps him down over and over. Balto absorbs the blows, appealing to Steele's conscience.
Kids don't have to be Little Man Tates to connect the dots.
The British animators commissioned to work on Balto bring something old, yet new to the sketch board. Most commercial animators these days are cranking out high-tech polished work. The idea is to fool us into thinking we aren't watching a series of moving drawings. The settings in Balto emulate this pervasive notion. They are gloriously rendered, airlifting us to the heart of Alaska. What differentiates Balto is the characters truly look like illustrations. The simple drawings are curiously attractive.
For a long while, kiddie flicks have been appallingly depressing. As chipper as a funeral in the rain. As uplifting as a six-storey F on yesterday's homework assignment. Babe. Pocahontas. Toy Story. Balto. Hollywood has come to its senses. Better late than never, I suppose. Lucky us. Let's keep our fingers and toes crossed.
Balto is rated I for Inspirational. Gorgeous scenery + one snowball fight a tune sung by Steve Winwood x one bad ass bear + a live-action wraparound sequence x no annoying, cute musical numbers + one doggy make out scene = a furry role model for children.
Outreach Rating: 7.5 milk bones / 10
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