He finally gets the girl!
Spoilers Off applies to all "Moments" pages, so all spoilers are unmarked.- Muk and Luk affectionately calling Boris their uncle, and saying how they love him.
- When a depressed Balto is walking home he notices a pack of wolves from atop a hill. The leader howls at him as if asking him if he would like to join them.
- The moment Balto sees Jenna's aurora beacon guiding his team home and lets out a triumphant howl, knowing he's made it back in time.
- Before then, when Balto shows her how the bottles create aurora lights and their Almost Kiss.
- Also from the end, when Kaltag wholeheartedly agrees with Star's suggestion that there should be a statue of Balto, after spending the entire film hitting him for speaking up."You said it!""...I did?"(Kaltag smiles at Star)
- The scene where Balto saves the medicine after tapping into his wolf heritage, with the sled dogs cheering him on is quite heartwarming. When he succeeds in bringing the medicine back to the top of the cliff for the sled dogs to tie back to the sled, they all gather around Balto and express their admiration and pride for him. Balto's humble smile seals the deal. You can tell that they all idolize Balto with 100% sincerity, in stark contrast with how they pretended to idolize Steele but absolutely hate his guts behind his back. That alone proves that Balto is a much better dog and leader than Steele will ever be.
- Boris trying to convince Balto not to go after the missing sled team all alone: "Who's going to tell you how cold you are?"
- And Boris saying the film's Arc Words: "Let me tell you something, Balto. A dog cannot make this journey alone. But, maybe a wolf can."
- Balto heading off to try for a position on the dog sled team.Balto: Wish me luck!Boris: Luck? I don't wish you luck! I wish you sense! (Pause, quietly.) Good luck, kiddo.
- Jenna lying on the sick Rosy's bed, comforting her.
- Sylvie telling Jenna and Dixie she heard a rumour that Jenna's dating Balto, the town outcast. Jenna's response is basically, "Yeah, I am. (You got a problem with that?)" Given how much the other dogs ostracize Balto, this is quite sweet of her.
- Specifically, Sylvie says that Jenna is "running with Balto", which is a bit of a Genius Bonus; Jack London was partial to the term as a kind of euphemism for dogs mating. Sylvie is straight up accusing Jenna of having sex with Balto and her response is still "yeah, so?"
- When Steele's team gets lost and Balto decides to go into the storm, Boris angrily tells him off and says how crazy it is to risk his life for Steele. One look at the sick and bedridden Rosey through the window and you see Boris's heart melt, deciding that they immediately must get the medicine.
- After Balto takes a dip in a frozen lake after fighting the bear, Jenna lays atop him to warm him up.
- Shortly after when Balto decides to go on alone, he sends Muk, Luk and Boris back to town with her, having them carry her after she was injured battling the bear. Jenna gives him her scarf and the two nuzzle their faces against one another.
- The dog team, at first supportive of Steele's fight and wagering against Balto, decide its going too far when he actually bites Balto, with Star asking whats wrong with him, since all Balto wants to do is help.
- They also react with horror when Steele violently knocks the crate full of fragile jars of anti-toxin over in his rage; for all their flaws, they clearly cared more about getting the medicine through than their narcissistic leader ever did.
- The injured musher, half conscious, is pushed and pulled back onto the sled by the dogs, with him whispering "Good boy."as Balto uses his snout to put his hand up onto his lap.
- The dog team cheering and encouraging Balto as he uses his abilities to pull the medicine back up the cliff.
- It's a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but when the team nearly goes over a cliff, they're saved by Balto getting his teeth around a thin little sapling tree sticking out of the snow. On the way back up, he quickly pats it back down into place.
- Boris cuddles with Muk as Muk wraps a blanket around the trio, saddened by the loss of Balto. Then Boris's shocked and heartened reaction to Balto's return.
- The end of the first film counts as this. After everything he's had to endure, Balto finally gets the reward he deserves, as the people of Nome surround him and pet him, calling him a good dog. Even he seems surprised by this reaction.
- Boris flies in and embraces Balto after he returns with the medicine, happily exclaiming for him before Muk and Luk pile in and literally bear hug to pair.
- Boris: Not dog, not wolf! You're a HERO!
- Balto is pet by Rosy's father and invited into the hospital to see the inoculated Rosy. Earlier in the movie, he had told her to stay away from him because of his wolf blood, showing Balto had changed his perception.
- At the same time, we see other children being inoculated and their parents being ecstatic that their loved ones will live.
- So does the epilogue. Even after decades, Rosy still remembers the dog who saved her life, and travels every year to visit his statue. Also, the little girl pretending to ride a sled with her husky dog.Older!Rosy: Thank you, Balto. I would have been lost without you.
- The flashback sequences of Balto bonding with his pups in both of the sequels are pretty touching as well. Wings of Change in particular shows Balto helping Kodi out as a pup when the little guy kept getting left behind by his siblings.
- Balto and Aleu making amends at the end of Wolf Quest, assuring each other that while this is goodbye, they will never forget one another. Doubles as a Tear Jerker.
- Aleu's spirit guide Muru making a brief reappearance to happily howl alongside her.
- Despite Niju being the antagonist, at the end of the film Nava vows to find him saying, "We are still a clan and would not be whole, without each other." which shows that he still considers him a companion.
- On a similar note, there's also Kodi coming to Balto's aid in the climax of Wings of Change. Initially, Balto is the only one wanting to help the pilot after he crashes, as Kodi and the other sled dogs were willing to let him die so he wouldn't take their jobs. However, Kodi has a change of heart following a What the Hell, Hero? speech from his mother and manages to convince the team to help his father save the very man that threatens their job. It is particularly heartwarming as Balto is about to slide off a crumbling ledge, only to be then caught and saved by his son.
- As Steele falls down the mountain, Balto is shown looking down as he falls, he was probably considering to go down and help him.
