Awesome / Balto

aka: Balto III Wings Of Change

Spoilers Off applies to all "Moments" pages, so all spoilers are unmarked.

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The Original Film

"A dog cannot make this journey alone. But maybe… a wolf can."

• Jenna's response to Steele crashing her date with Balto. That is to say, charming him into walking butt (and groin)-first into a furnace.
  Jenna: These days I prefer my meat....cooked.
• Boris telling Balto the thing that inspires him to to press on when things look hopeless.
  Boris: Let me tell you something Balto. A dog cannot make this journey alone. But maybe… a wolf can.
• The moment Balto accepts his wolf heritage and lets out a mighty howl, joined by a magnificent white wolf. He then proceeds to climb up the side of the cliff, dragging the medicine crate up with him. Afterwards, the other sled dogs cheer for him and idolize him with 100% sincerity.
  • When the team reaches the crossroad of marked trees again, Balto actually uses his keen sense of smell to find the right path, finally embracing his wolf instincts.
  • The white wolf, if the sequels are to be believed, is his mother.
• Balto taking over as lead dog definitely counts. He walks up the line of dogs to find Star holding the harness, smiling the biggest smile you've ever seen. When Balto hesitates, Star holds it up a little higher, and Balto finally slips it on — then looks at it with pure astonishment. The music just clinches it.
• The scene where Steele returns to Nome after trying to kill Balto. He's lazing in front of the furnace, boasting to everyone about how he's the noble, victimized Determinator who fought to stop Balto from destroying the medicine. And Jenna is just sitting there, watching. Once Steele has finished talking, she stands up and whispers- with absolute conviction- "You're lying." Then she tells the other dogs that Balto is alive, and that he will return with the medicine, before walking out.
  • How did Jenna know Steele was lying? Because he tells her that Balto's last request was that Steele take care of her. Even after just a couple of days, she already knows Balto so well that she easily figures out Balto would've never wanted Jenna to go out with the likes of Steele.
• Jenna saving Balto from the bear...by leaping into the air, biting onto its paw and kicking it in the face. Then, after being thrown off, immediately gets back up and bites it again. The fact she was able to track Balto and his friends down so quickly counts too.
• Luk and Muk saving Balto from drowning, despite being scared of water. Not only did they not hesitate in slightest, they cannonball right through the ice.
• Steele, when Balto comes to help, repeatedly attacks him, knocking him down and biting him. Balto refuses to stay down, which, along with Steele's aggressiveness, gains Balto the support of the other sled dogs.
• Dixie slapping Steele once he's been revealed as the lying dirtbag he really is, especially after spending most of the movie as his biggest fangirl.
  "Steele, you are positively DISPOSABLE!"
• While the Deleted Scene showing Steele’s original fate is mostly Nightmare Fuel, Balto does get one last good shot at him.
  Steele: You can keeps your precious little friends… but the Golden Collar is mine.
  (The other sled dogs begin to advance on Steele, growling)
  Balto: …Let him keep it. I wouldn’t want anyone to mistake him for a stray.

The Sequels

• Aleu chasing the caribou.
  "Tell Mom...I've finally found my home."
• Balto's determination throughout Wings of Change is also noteworthy, given how he was leading the team to ensure they wouldn't lose their mail run jobs to the pilot, but also putting that same determination into finding and rescuing said pilot after he crashes. (In particular, the scene where Balto carries the injured pilot on a sled made from a piece of metal off the wrecked plane comes to mind.)
• The race itself has a few moments of this, most notably in how the sled dog team manages to keep up with the plane despite their respective problems.
• Kodi and his fellow sled dogs initially don't care what happens to the pilot because his disappearance and/or death would mean they get to keep their jobs. But after some time and getting called out by his mother, Kodi comes to realize his father was right and sets out to help him rescue the pilot. However, Kodi doesn't go alone, as his fellow sled dogs also have a change of heart and come with him, putting their skills to good use to save the day.
  • His What the Hell, Hero? speech to his fellow sled dogs, especially considering how devoted Kodi is to his job.
    Kodi: All I ever wanted to do was be a part of your team. Bringing the mail and supplies is all about helping everyone. And now when somebody really needs our help, we're sitting on our butts! If this is what it means to be a mail dog...I'm not sure this is what I want to be. {He walks out, determined to help his father.}

Soundtrack

• Keep the film's story in mind and just try to listen to Steve Winwood's "Reach for the Light" without tearing up.
  • The music for the White Wolf scene is Awesome Music.
  • While the sequels have their flaws, many of the songs in them are actually pretty good, but Jenna's You Don't Have To Be A Hero stands out.

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