Balto: The Most INSULTING TRILOGY Ever Made

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0:00 Intro
6:22 History
19:39 Balto 1
47:36 Balto 2
1:07:21 Balto 3
1:24:44 What Went Wrong
1:31:12 Conclusion
►Video Script and Research by Saberspark
►Thumbnail Art, Video Script and Research by Rishi
/ rishicoyote
►Intro, History and Outro Section Edits by Henri
/ bviddycent
►Balto 1 Section Edits by Nowacking, Henri and Saberspark
/ @nowacking
►Balto 2 Section Edits by Astrid
/ nobisogum
►Balto 3 and What Went Wrong Section Edits by Aficionados Chris
/ @aficionadoschris
►Audio Edits by dBPony
www.dbcentralaudio.com/
►Intro Music/Outro Music by Hirosashii
/ hirosashii
Saber's Socials
►Twitter: / saberspark
►Patreon: / saberspark
►Twitch: / saberspark_
🎨Art of the Week🎨
►Art by Hansu Oddie
/ hansuoddie
A special thanks to YMS for helping us to clear our copyright claim!
/ @yms

[@Saberspark]

One of the hardest videos me and my team have ever worked on and definitely one of the hardest to get by KZbin's copyright claim system. All in all, I'm very proud that we made it to the finish line! Thank you all so much for being patient and for the support! Shout-out to Rishi for being the heart and soul of this video and a shout-out to YMS for helping us overcome the copyright battle. Expect more high-grade videos like this in the near future!

[@arkeiou_]

Of all the movies this had to be one of them

[@icantsleep1692]

Very proud of you and the team. Can’t wait to see future videos.

[@capnryna]

Congrats man

[@cian.o]

I hope this works.

[@bomberbg1249]

Day 219 of asking you to read Twokinds

[@ChillaxingJay]

It's a shame how both Balto and Land Before Time both had amazing, beautiful first movies, only to have the franchise be tainted by so many terrible unnecessary sequels.

[@RyanSoltani]

I remember those land before time movies, they definitely fell off after the first

[@foxiepixelpetz]

I loved them, but I watched them when I was 6, so I can't help with criticism. Talking about Land Before Time btw

[@andrecarpenter2432]

How dare you! Land before time had great sequels

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark’s farts.

[@cristhianmlr]

Is two too many?

[@thewalliest3956]

As a mixed race person, the line “Not a dog, not a wolf, all he knows is what he’s not” really hit me hard as a kid.

[@heitorpedrodegodoi5646]

So everyday life in Latin America?

[@robotx9285]

​@WaterWater Bruh, he explaining how he connected with the movie, chill out or I'll feed you spam.

[@numbuhilostcount]

@@robotx9285 I'm peckish.

[@strawberryshortpup3655]

@@numbuhilostcount ?

[@NeonSonOfXenon]

Nah I know that feeling dude. Mixed kid solidarity

[@briennerose2606]

Balto was a good boy. Maybe not the goodest boy, but a good boy. He doesn't deserve any animosity, and he certainly didn't deserve the shit they did to him afterwards. Togo was the goodest boy and definitely deserved better.

[@robbiewalker2831]

Let’s just agree that Balto and Togo are two good boys. Togo does deserve credit in the long run, but I don’t see why they can’t be treated as equals. It’s good to know Balto and Togo got their own statues in New York.

[@GoodKidmAAdLizard]

Guh

[@DustinBarlow8P]

As usual in this story, humanity comes in as the bad boys, Balto's master was probably the baddest boy, but Balto was a good boy, and should have the goodest boy Togo,, memorialized in a statue to go right next to the Balto statue! (Sorry for stealing your copyrighted use of Goodest Boy, lol it just seemed fun!)

[@toopink4death492]

@@DustinBarlow8P Did Leonhard Seppala do anything to be a bad boy? I looked him up in Wikipedia but he doesn't have anything particularly bad except for overworking his dogs, to exhaustion. If I had a loved one catching a disease that has a 75% mortality rate, and only me and a couple of people could deliver the cure, I too would be blind to everything that wasn't top priority. His name was also used for a sled dog award called the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian award.

[@simokoivunen6625]

@@toopink4death492 Hi, pardon my budding in, however it is important to note chances are Seppala was not entirely aware of where Balto was going to end up, Gunnar Kaasen sold Balto on behalf of Seppala to a third party, whom then sold him to the side show. There is no context as to how much Seppala knew or did not know in this transaction.

[@rainraven9881]

Conspiracy theory: The third movie is full of goose titties because the writers were actively trying to get the series taken behind the barn and put out of its misery.

[@oldscratch426]

I imagined the animators working on that and saying "Who's our audience again?"

[@theWanderersnotebook]

BUT HEY THAT'S A CONSPIRACY, A FILM CONSIRACY AND CUT!

[@davidhileman8567]

I think they were also wanting to do the same thing with the Land Before Time sequels, but instead, when they got to movie 13 (oh no...), they opted for obnoxious and stupid dinosaurs, one voiced by Cuba Gooding, Jr., and another by Sandra Oh. Lucky for the writers, it was just as effective and put the series out of its misery and made room for Illumination and the "Despicable Me" movies, and "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", which I haven't seen, but maybe *WILL* see.

[@Hirundo-demersalis]

I mean, conspiracy or not, I guess it worked, because it was the last movie

[@CattleTheCat]

GOD I miss MatPat! 😭

[@TheAbbeyRoadie]

As someone who works at DreamWorks, I can confirm that there are still tons of Amblimation veterans at the studio to this day! 👍

[@VoidHearted]

That’s really cool

[@blootube97]

Awesome… 😎

[@polsigerson1037]

I worked on the original way back when. I have never seen the sequels. But I do feel for animation crews who have had to do things like them. Hell I've doen a few projects to keep the Wolf (or half wolf) from the door myself.

[@grabble7605]

Amblin's Cats got made in some better timeline and I'm mad about it.

[@chymera8466]

A surrogate father of the main character who is a goose. Reminds me of a certain Dreamworks character. Coincidence?

[@CodyRushDriving]

The fact that they got a descendant of Togo to play him in the Disney movie is PEAK heartwarming.

[@teawrecks1243]

Togo's Bizarre Adventure

[@js8qp2pwisos]

​@@teawrecks1243 are you just gonna keep commenting the same comment over and over again

[@jrepra]

​@@js8qp2pwisosI can dig it.

[@snegluf]

REALLY?? My mom and I love that movie that makes it so much better

[@TheReZisTLust]

​@@js8qp2pwisos Tea Wrecks Bizzare Adventure 🥺

[@M1GarandMan3005]

My biggest problem with Balto II is, where is Rosy? Seriously, WHERE IN THE HELL IS ROSY!?!?!?!?!?!!!! Rosy would've accepted Aleu just as who she was, just as she accepted Balto. Hell, they could've gone a step further and have her find a human, who does not see here as a dog or wolf, but a companion who could help another human, especially an Inuit, survive some of the challenges and hurdles of living close to the arctic circle.

[@tonypringles2285]

shes not an inuit?

[@spencerjoplin2885]

As a parent who watched his young child die from a disease, the stakes hit extra hard. It’s a shame the payoff of a girl who could grow up to go on adventures was wasted.

[@doctorsphoenix4681]

So sorry for your loss 😞. Do you mean payoff as in involving Rosie in the sequels?

[@MrRedgrin]

Sorry for your loss.

[@thegunreaper3418]

sorry for your loss

[@SuperFlashDriver]

How old was he when you last saw him???

[@notsotastysandwich8205]

sorry for your loss, cant say anything else.

[@jjs5072]

The saddest part is... neither Balto nor Kaasen's were at fault for the whole debacle. They did made their part, and I don't doubt that even tho Seppala's and Togo's run were the most brutal, and they deserved the honors, every single man and dog team in that run risked their lives for a single goal, and the whole thing would've been impossible without their collective effort. The media blew things out of proportion and didn't bother to make their full research. Togo may have done way more than Balto, but the poor pup was not at fault for the following injustice. He didn't deserve what happened to him later. He just did what he was trained to do and he did it well. Everything else was man made.

[@ifeeldead463]

Ye, honestly, I always felt bad for irl Balto cuz as you said, the pup never asked for the fame. He just did his job like any good doggo would do. He didn't deserve the hate he got

[@megamax898]

This makes Seppala become Balto’s villain. After all he is the one who sold Balto to the greedy man who profiteered at Balto’s (not to mention the other dogs) expense.

[@Bionickpunk]

@@Firedawn73 Seppala was the villain, cause he sold all those dogs to live in horrible conditions out of spite. I dont care how hard your journey was, you do not vent frustrations on the dogs due to your petty pride of not being noticed for your work, and even then this was a group effort, the hell what gives you the right to hog all the fame as well.

[@megamax898]

@@Firedawn73 Bro the media just jumped the gun like they always did at the time. Though they are the ones who made Balto famous enough to be exploited, they also had no way of knowing Seppala would do such a heartless thing to a dog. I mean he had to have found the worst man possible, I doubt he had good intentions when deciding the dog's fate.

[@TheFimpish]

​@@Bionickpunk Saul Lester was the one who sold them to the Freakshow, not Seppala. I can't see any reason to assume that Seppala knew that Saul would do that.

[@blu_ranger71]

"I simply became one with the trees." Has the same energy as, "Somehow, Palpatine returned."

[@ChicagoMel23]

Legends did Palpatine’a return just fine and Disney ruined it

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@ChicagoMel23 Hot take: Dark Empire is even worse than that Disney movie that claims to be Star Wars

[@aegisScale]

For some reason I remember hearing that they explained Palpatine's return in a Fortnite colab which is almost more insulting 💀

[@pinesapp]

and neither are explained in any capacity woohoo!!

[@Weirdanimalboy]

“How’d you do that? With the tree?” “The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural…”

[@rhettdilley]

Balto and Kaasen deserve their credit and glory more than you may think. One thing Saber didn’t bring up is that Balto and his team ran two legs of the journey, back to back. They were originally supposed to just run the second-to-last leg of the trip, but when they got to the meeting point for the final team, the musher and his dogs were asleep. A message had been sent out that the trip would be cancelled for the day because of a blizzard. Kaasen didn’t get the message because he was already out running his leg of the trip. The next musher did get the message, and thought it wasn’t going to happen that day, so he went to sleep. Kaasen knew it would take too long to get him and the dogs awake and harnessed up, so he decided to just keep going and run the last leg of the trip, sacrificing sleep and eating

[@outdoorscholar6016]

Could you imagine being that musher, having gotten in position and ready to deliver in the morning only to find out that the person you were supposed to tag in for just kept going? I hope the poor guy didn’t get ridiculed for that

[@lulolie]

@@outdoorscholar6016 mm imagine having kids about to die and sleeping on the job.There were reasons but like really

[@jbmp1390]

They beat the crap out of sled dogs to get them to obey. It's not some cute, endearing tradition just because it involves animals. It's wrong in many ways and not something we should continue doing.

[@arcturus4762]

@@lulolie Can't blame him, if it happened as he was told there was nothing he could do. Plus, he probably thought that if they went on with it, the dogs and rider would die, and the cargo would be lost in the blizzard. Better to get meds 1 day late than never.

[@shishirupreti481]

togo lol

[@Red-jt6uu]

For me, the dumbest thing about Balto II is that they revealed that Balto is actually the wolf equivalent of a demi-god by making the white wolf in the first movie his mother. It just fails on so many levels: 1. If the white wolf was his mother, why didn’t he recognize and acknowledge her as such in the first movie? The second movie establishes that he remembers what she looked like. 2. Despite being a wolf goddess, she somehow loses her son and leaves him to live a miserable life as homeless mutt discriminated against by dogs and humans alike only to conveniently re-enter his life to play a guide role in the second movie. I’m not going to count that scene in the first film as her first true appearance to him because it’s ambiguous as to whether or not it is a hallucination. 3. Balto doesn’t show any magical abilities despite being half wolf god, yet his daughter does with being only 25% wolf god. 4. It would make more sense for the wolf half to come from his father. The trilogy suggests that he never knew his father and probably only knew he was half husky because his mother told him as a pup, so why would he want so badly to fit in with the dogs when he only had fond memories of his wolf parent and his only other parental figure was a wild goose?

[@solirablack5934]

Finally, somebody brought up this problem! Can I add some moments to this? 1. The White Wolf in the original film was a male. Both the official novel, the production materials (the scripts, storyboards and concept arts) AND the director of the original film state the White Wolf as a male. The writer of Balto-2 had no information about this, and it was her idea to turn the White Wolf into Balto's mother, 'cause she liked this character. 2. The director of the original film confirmed that the White Wolf was a symbol of Balto's wolf half and his self-acceptance. Like, he even joked "If the White Wolf is really his dad, why he didn't help Balto to take the antitoxine on mountain?". Plus, the early version of the scene had the extended ending, hinting that the White Wolf is not real, and the dogs heard only Balto's howl. Plus, look at Balto's reaction during his first interaction with the White Wolf - he feels fear and shame. Then look at Balto's reaction at the wolf pack he saw in the beginning of the movie - he still feels sadness and shame, but he is not afraid of them, i.e. more sense to assume that this pack was his family. 3. Well, the original film actually implied that Balto's wolf side comes from his father, while his mom is a sled dog. Even the director pointed it out. And the fact that Balto's mother was a dog actually explains, why he lives among humans and dogs, why he doesn't leave Nome, why he is ashamed of his wolf nature, why he so wants to be a dog and to fit in with dogs, and how humans can know that he is a half-breed. Like, he either was born in Nome, or his husky mother returned to Nome with him as a pup. And it makes sense in Balto's inner conflict and why the White Wolf scene is so powerful and emotional. Plus, Steele's mocking "Balto, I've got a message FOR your mother: Ahooo!" I always saw as the equivalent of his insulting toward Jenna "Maybe your tastes run more toward wolf", i.e. he insulted Balto's mother for her love toward wolf, and when Steele and his gang started to howl messages to her, parodying a wolf pack, that explains Balto's anger - dirty jokes, simply saying. Now about the sequel: 1. Aniu is indeed the wolf goddess. The writer described her as The Great Mother of all wolves, who represents call of the wild and helps to find true self. Plus, the film itself hints this - Aniu is depicted on the totem pole, so she is very ancient, and wolves refer to her as The Great Aniu.The writer also mentioned that Aniu is a part of The Great Guardian Spirit. Simply saying, all those totem spirits and Aniu are one and the same shape-shifting creature. And according to the writer, the spirits attacked Balto, 'cause he denied his wolf part, while Aleu didn't. Ah... then they should attack him since puppyhood. Okay, if she helps to find and to embrace the true self, why she didn't help to Balto at young age? Moreover, in the sequel he again is ashamed of his wolf half for some reason. Hence Aniu failed her duty. Plus, when he accidentally got lost, why she didn't try to find and return him? If she couldn't be with him due to her divine nature and duties, why she didn't bring him to a wolf family? And nobody among wolves knew that their goddess had a demi-god son all this time! She literally abandoned Balto to suffer among humans and dogs and to deny his wolf nature and she ignored him all his life. For what? Well, according to the writer - Balto was only a part of a greater plan, while Aleu is a chosen one from prophecy of this same goddess. 2. According to the sequel's writer, Balto's father was never developed, but was intended to be an unknown stray dog, a loner, who begets a pup and then never even knows it. I.e. there was no love between him and Aniu, he abandoned her after mating. Seriously, in the original film dogs were afraid of wolves, but here we see some crazy dog, who mates with friggin wolf goddess, leaves her without any consequences and then has no idea about Balto's existence. And the sequel itself hints this in Balto's line "My dad was a husky, who had pup with a wolf. I was accidentally separated from her, when I was young, so I never spent much time with the wolf" and in Wings of Change "Boris is the dad I never had". Since Balto was ony a "part of a greater plan", he was undesired and unneeded son for Aniu, and she mated with this random stray mutt only for this prophecy. So, here are my questions: 1. Why did Balto think that his father is a dog, if Balto never had a father and vaguely remembered only his mother? (also, he vaguely remembered his mother, how he could be sure that she was a wolf?) Why Balto considered himself as a half-breed instead of a wolf, if he was only with his wolf mother? Since he lived only with wolf mother and loved her, he'd consider himself as a wolf and perfectly know who he is (wolf), so there's no place for inner conflict, 'cause he would never be ashamed of his wolf heritage and the wolf parent he loved. He would never find out that his father is some husky (even if somehow he found out, Balto would deny and hate the dog, who abandoned him and his mother). 2. Why humans from Nome considered Balto as a wolfdog instead of a regular wolf, if Boris the goose found and raised Balto, not humans? They would think that Balto is a wolf, not a wolfdog. 3. Balto mentioned that he accidentally got lost. Why he didn't leave Nome and didn't try to find his wolf mother all this time? Since he was birthed and raised by the wolf and later by the goose (who disliked humans), he'd hate humans and dogs, who always rejected him 'cause of being a wolf (he was never accepted by dogs and humans in Nome until he saved the children of Nome in the end of the original film), he'd want to go with a wolf pack. Then why he still lived near Nome and so wanted to be with humans and dogs?

[@Weirdanimalboy]

Honestly your god of a parent just dumping your hybrid ass to live a moderately depressing life seems about right going by Greek/Roman storytelling

[@Seelenfisch]

The whole point of Aleu being even more wolf than Balto becomes even dumber when you realize that she is only a quarter wolf...

[@warlordofbritannia]

Recessive genes, son!

[@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434]

@@warlordofbritannia genetic is weird and inconsistent

[@warriorcatkitty]

hmm I always thought it was because her internal identity was more wolf than balto's.

[@serpentmaster1323]

It’s a metaphor, actually. (Sorry) She chose to live the wolf lifestyle because her personality and goals and desires favor that lifestyle. She isn’t literally more genetically wolf. Her personality is just more wild. A wolf at heart and in spirit, where it actually matters for her to want to live with them and be able to effectively lead them(we’re shown directly in the movie that physical strength is not what is needed to be the leader)(also, I won’t be responding to this, I know I’ll only get hated on, sorry about that) I understand why that would be confusing, because the first movie’s message is that Balto’s physical wolf traits that gave him an advantage,proved he wasn’t lesser, that he had a gift none of the others had. So for the second movie to not follow that precedent is misleading and incohesive.

[@Seri-dy5dd]

The point of the movie was that she her personality or “spirit” is more like a wolf’s. It’s trying to imply that’s why she’s “more wolf”. Her looking like a wolf is supposed to represent that I think.

[@kaldurskipper6821]

Had to come and immediately support this because Universal tried so hard to not let us see it. Thanks for pushing through, Saber!! We appreciate you!

[@TheSoulWithin7]

We successfully #ReleasedTheSaberSparkCut

[@lawrup]

I posted first

[@alleyrat109]

Same ^^

[@interstellarkitten6487]

Same. I have actually never watched one of Saber's videos, but I saw the community posts about this one and had to support it.

[@silentlion_zer0562]

Same, I dont follow this channel but I saw all the updates of the struggles so I had to watch once he was finally able to publish it

[@MongooseFortyTwo]

I like Balto and Jenna’s relationship because it’s clear that Jenna is everything that Balto actually wants to be. She belongs and has a human who loves her. That’s all Balto wants. Steel is a dark reflection of the glory of being top dog, but Jenna is who he actually wants to be.

[@cheyanngluck8194]

Dude, I still get Goosebumps when he confronts his wolf heritage and howls with the white wolf. And the lighting in the movie is top notch, especially for animation.

[@lazyliongames6660]

What kind of goosebumps🤨

[@M1GarandMan3005]

@@lazyliongames6660 Peoplebumps!!

[@RheaZenko]

Honestly, a Balto sequel based on the real story of after the medicine run could of worked long as you softened it. For example, Balto gets adopted by Rosie's parents and he's living happily with Jenna. However, news of Balto's heroics get around and an evil circus master rolls into town and tries to buy Balto. Rosie's parents refused, but the villain kidnaps Balto anyway. Jenna sets out to rescue him and along the way she meets a dog named Togo (perhaps one of the non comic relief dogs in the sled team from the first movie). They find Balto and try to rescue him while he also tries to escape from the villain. When the plan fails however, it's up to the people to raise money to rescue Balto, coming together to save him. He is freed and gets to go home with Jenna and Togo, and the villain falls off a cliff or something. The End.

[@Kippykip]

That would've been a much better movie

[@warriorcatkitty]

That would work really well actually!!

[@uniserenity1414]

love the classic villain falling off a cliff ending. 😂maybe instead gets arrested for dognapping

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark’s farts

[@ladyalmathea7610]

Hell yeah, this idea needs a GoFundMe to become a reality

[@oakenshadow6763]

Man. That scene of the carpenter making kid sized coffins always makes me flinch, no matter how many times I see it. You can't be desensitized to that. That is something no one should ever have to do.

[@charlieclark9552]

It's been done before and it will be done til kingdom come, I'm kind of apathetic to it honestly

[@ArtOfShannonLee]

@@charlieclark9552 okay?? Maybe they were being a bit hyperbolic by saying you can’t be desensitised to it but this is kind of a weird moment to be like “um acktually”😅 if the moment didn’t hit for you… cool? But it’s based in reality and actual children were dying… so it’s not like it was a weak effort to get an emotional reaction from the audience. My mother had to make a gown for a baby’s funeral once. She didn’t take sewing commissions after that. It’s a hard thing to have to do.

[@LikeTheProphet]

@@charlieclark9552 you sound fun at parties lol

[@purplepartytigerd1598]

Ah, a fellow fan of the ponies I see 😄

[@kerricaine]

business must be booming for that guy nowadays

[@punkdoggo211]

Fun Fact: someone on my Dad's side of the family (I think his cousin or something but not sure) actually worked as an animator on Balto :)

[@Zextorm]

You should feel honored

[@Firguy]

I also have a family member who worked on Balto. She was my dad's affair partner who became my stepmom and her father did the background art for the Dingo Pictures' version of Balto. She also had an aunt who was in the Baader-Meinof Gang and she seduced an American soldier in order to murder him for some documents that she gave to the PLO.

[@Metroid4ever]

The first Balto is always going to be special to me. I rented this movie so much as a kid. The music, the animation, the characters, everything about it just has never gotten old. The chills I get from the Heritage of the Wolf scene still. I'll never get tired of this film.

[@user-nl8kw7lr1u]

Yeah I agree too. My dad and I saw the first Balto in theaters ages ago and that was it for me. Never really heard of the sequels that very much at all.

[@oldscratch426]

I love the Heritage of the Wolf soundtrack. This last Christmas I was skating through my neighborhood while looking at Christmas lights with a full moon overhead. I reached the top of a hill right as the song crescendoed and let me tell you that felt truly magical. I first watched this movie at 23, and still got a little choked up when Rosie says "I would've been lost without you"

[@Chell1498]

I knew that Balto wasn't historically accurate because I grew up in Alaska. However, that movie meant a lot to me because it was a gift my aunt gave me right before she died in a horrible car accident caused by black ice. I just so happened to be watching that movie when my family received the news. Her death was really difficult for me and Balto essentially became a go to for comfort for many years.

[@Ronno2003]

I'm sorry for your loss...

[@maxweqill1435]

I hope you are doing better

[@JustaSpiritOnEarth]

Aww... Bless you and your family!

[@MakingtheCase]

I'm so sorry to hear about your tragic loss. That's so sad.

[@thisisnami6054]

Damn, I'm really sorry, I do hope you're doing better now

[@krisillus5249]

Jenna's character assassination reminds me of Nala's in The Lion King 2. In the first movie, she was courageous, independent, and strong, leaving her pride to find help and defending herself against Simba without hesitation (and even besting him, obviously before she recognized him). She wasn't afraid to confront him, either. She fought in the final battle and has cool action scenes. In TLK2, she's just a gentle, sweet wifey/mom character. "No worries, just let Kiara do what she wants, honey :)" She doesn't even try to help save Kiara in the ravine at the end.

[@darthcinema4262]

Yeah as much as I like Lion King 2, they did the original characters so dirty

[@whiteasparagus4331]

@@darthcinema4262 I like tlk 2 better than the first movie but I’ll admit it’s kind of a devianart fanfic of the first one 💀

[@kittyfrog0]

It reminds me more of Jasmine in Aladdin III. Not that jasmine was ever super independent, but she was a non-character in the third film.

[@darthcinema4262]

@@kittyfrog0 Yeah Jasmine definitely got shafted in King of Thieves which is another I do enjoy but that always bugged me

[@Iamthe1who]

Sarabi was sweet, playful, yet fearless. In the face of Scar, she never backed down nor flinched. In Lion King 2, she doesn't even exist. Just disappears somewhere. One of the few explanations is that she left the pride so others could eat or something? Shouldn't Simba have wanted his Mum around after being apart for so long? This has bugged me for years.

[@YanntastischGER]

I remember watching Balto 2 and 3 a few years ago when they came up on TV. I actually enjoyed them. I felt the mystical story they told, and I liked the development of Balto's daughter and son alot. But in 2 I was like "Why is this a fairy tale now? Wasn't Balto based on a real story?" and in 3 I was like "did 2 never happen?". Now I know why it felt like this.

[@RB01.10]

Agreed I vaguely remember all three airing a bit on Cartoon Network back in the day, and kind of enjoying all three despite the flaws. IDK maybe it’s the nostalgia

[@Epic11705]

Maybe the plot could have focused more on Balto helping his daughter find and accept who she wants to be, like what he experienced. And instead could have made Aleu aware that she was different but kept those grievances to herself under denial until the day she almost got shot; then Aleu runs away, without her father’s knowing, out of fear and uncertainty of who she is. This prompts Balto to search for his daughter and help her determine which side she accepts as her own; Wolf or Dog

[@loathbringer]

It always astonishes me that virtually every independent success that Don Bluth created was subjected to sequel direct-to-video hell

[@strawberryjam0585]

I actually enjoyed the all dogs go to heaven sequel! I didn't think it was that bad but time may have blinded me a bit

[@daddyyahweh9328]

I mean the American Tail sequels werent.... The worst...

[@waterbat95]

I didn't think Don Bluth had anything to do with Balto, though.

[@JuriAmari]

@@daddyyahweh9328 Fievel Goes West was a pretty good sequel. It’s one of the few where the animation quality matched up with the first film. The 3rd one - not so much

[@mckenzie.latham91]

American Tale sequels are good fivel goes west is really fun and has some amazing music The treasure of Manhattan has us deal with the genocide of the natives history while showing us exploitative and corrupt capitalism and the danger of it to workers and worker rights etc And the fourth one is a fun mystery noir like film Land before Time sequels vary but I generally like 2-5 and felt those did a very good job. I also have a soft spot for Stone of cold fire as it has Jim Cummings, Rob Paulsen and Michael York as the villains and it's hilarious.

[@VoidHearted]

Balto 2 is like a 12 year old’s Wattpad fanfic inspired by the first movie Also, I’m so glad that this video was finally able to be released. So much effort went into it and it’s great to finally see it

[@joseroa5243]

Glad to know trashy wattpad fanfic ending in big productions are still unversially hated.

[@angelheart5584]

. . . Y'know what? Fuck it. I'm going to AO3 and making it better.

[@dannyrpgninetwooak6434]

Unfortunately, I know the feeling on that Wattpad notion. It brings back so many cringe memories of my early childhood.... *shudders uncomfortably*

[@joseroa5243]

@@dannyrpgninetwooak6434 He took my hands, look at my eye and said "I love you anon" i said "illove u to" we kiss passionatedlyed and everyone in the chamber os secret cheered. Something akin to that? By the way, any gramatical error are done intentionaly. I'm not that inept.

[@dannyrpgninetwooak6434]

@@joseroa5243 Ah, I see, lol. Not that cringe, but close enough, and with better grammar. ^^'

[@orthoplex64]

When Boris desperately yelled "Stella" at 1:19:44 I was surprised you didn't show the Over the Hedge cat desperately yelling "Stella"

[@M1GarandMan3005]

Or the famous "STELLA!" form Marlon Brando's A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).

[@wannabedrewafualo]

The entire Balto trilogy really is like The Land Before Time. A gorgeous, nearly perfect film to be casted into animation hall of fame, turned into a senseless cash grab. It seems to happen so many times. Balto and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron were my favs growing up. 😕

[@leahdresser2290]

The original Balto IS a masterpiece. The score, the animation, the voice acting, all of it is amazing. When Balto shows Jenna the "Northern Lights" in the broken bottles - that scene means a lot to me. It's hard to describe. I am a "glass-half-full" person like Balto, and as a child most of the people around me were "glass-half-empty" types. That scene validated my worldview in a way that I hadn't experienced before.

[@Maspets]

It's okay, but people in these comment sections always have the hype shit up and act like they've never seen a non-kids movie before.

[@ma.2089]

@@Maspets wtf r u talking about? Ppl in the comments r talking about how it’s a good movie. Just in general. Kids movie or not. There’s some live action (nOn KiDs) movies I’d consider less mature than some animated ones, so your point doesn’t really make sense

[@Maspets]

@@ma.2089 In no way did I suggest every live-action movie is better than a kid's movie. However, the shit you're giving this movie credit for are not revolutionary and you only find it impressive because it's a kid's movie. Balto is just a fucking average movie.

[@FuzzyKittenBoots]

Just reading this and being reminded of that scene gave me shivers. I have not seen the film in at least 15 years and I still remember the exact part of the score plays at that moment.

[@angelsartandgaming]

@@Maspets You're kind of proving OP's point. You're more or less invalidating their experience by being glass half empty.

[@miloselfesteem2326]

As a mixed person (mom white, dad black) The Balto in the first movie was my actual hero. Half dog, half wolf, that line with "a dog cannot make this journey alone, but maybe a wolf can", taught me to embrace both sides of my heritage and find the things to love and embrace about both sides of myself. He is my animated spirit animal.

[@genarotorresvargas5513]

Cool!

[@hxjjdjd606]

Same homie

[@icantarttoday3536]

Same goes!

[@kropotkinnie]

wtf this is beautiful

[@poppajournee8323]

I used to watch treasure planet. I used to mess things up a lot as a kid. I looked at his journey and wanted to learn to be a hero too.

[@StinginqNettle]

I absolutely LOVED Balto as a kid and thought it was underrated. I never knew there were sequels and I'm glad I never watched them.

[@RB01.10]

I don’t think they’re too bad though. Maybe that’s my nostalgia though

[@Hihowareyoutoday0]

I actually watched the Togo movie with my mom and aunt and I literally cried. It’s such a good movie and I’m kind of mad at the fact that Seppala and Togo didn’t get credit, I’m so glad that someone talked about this! Thanks again, Saberspark. (I’m so late omg)

[@RLane-xz5cj]

Ok, but imagine if the sequel HAD been about Balto being sold to be paraded around the country, and then Jenna and a slightly older Rosie (or maybe the musher Balto saved) could have embarked on a journey to bring him home.

[@whiteasparagus4331]

I would’ve watched that over whatever the fuck those wattpad fanfics adapted into movies are

[@egg_bun_]

Omg yes 😭😭😭😭

[@gothicMCRgirl]

Yup, and it could cut between Balto struggling to survive and/or escape and Jenna and her own pups making the hazardous journey to rescue him. Like, if they wanted Balto to have puppies and serve as a driving narrative force, there were ways to do that to make them more interesting.

[@x10sam]

This is the sequel we deserved. I loved this movie as a kid. I remember not even wanting to finish the 2nd movie. What 8 year old who loves dogs and wolves doesn't want to watch an animated dog movie? I didn't even know there was a 3rd. Boob goose will haunt my dreams. 😰

[@rebecca_rh]

About the “I know they are dogs” regarding Balto and Jenna being weird around each other: Their relationship feeling non committed is actually even more inexcusable when you consider wolves in the wild mate for life and are monogamous, and the only reason we don’t see dogs usually doing that is because they are usually from different owners and are kept separate, but their commitment to each other can be seen when both are kept by the same owner. So these sequels can’t be even excused with the “they are dogs” thing

[@iller3]

_(that's really more of a side effect of their pack hierarchy. I think foxes are the ones that life-pair more universally)_

[@shwahgamer]

The real glaring issue here is just Balto not being adopted. Like, if the town accepted him at the end, wouldn't it make sense for someone to adopt him too? Like maybe that musher for instance? "This dog helped save my life, even my best dog abandoned me. I could adopt him and return the favor with a loving home but... nah, just let him stay a stray who occasionally has to father puppies." I don't know. I guess Rosie's parents were too skeptical to let her actually keep him, but "yeah we'll let our dog breed with him."

[@flora-tea]

I honestly don't mind them not being super-duper close in the sequels; gave me the vibes of a pair who were head over heels and then the attraction faded with time, so they just became friendly co-parents rather than a passionate or 'comitted' couple (which is fine imo). Would've been nice to see a friendship between them though. The thing that REALLY baffled me was Balto not being adopted at this point. It taking some time to accept Balto to the same extent of the other dogs would make some sense, but him remaining a stray after the events of the first film is so strange to me!

[@otterbells]

@@iller3 Wolves don't really have a pack hierarchy. Not in the way media portrays, anyway. Leaders of the pack are typically just the parents, while the rest of the pack is mostly their surviving children that haven't left the group to start their own yet.

[@Wolf-Chalk]

@@shwahgamer it's funnier too when you realize the family just let Aleu live out on the boat too when Aleu clearly wants to live in a house with humans lol like Rosie's family could of easily adopted Aleu themselves but didn't and just were like "fuck it, let the puppy live outside on the streets"

[@yellowpowr8455]

I love the way you express yourself sometimes. The way you say things like "I know they're dogs," and "Because it's BORING!" is great.

[@kourtneyjackson3179]

Tbh i loved the second movie as a girl growing up. Feeling like the odd sibling out because i knew i was gay and didnt really fit in. It resonated with me that her father helped her find her pack and supported her choice to leave. I also loved how free spirited Alieu was and she learned to trust herself and her abilities.

[@LamarDobbins-ml9uo]

Cool

[@lukerabon7925]

It sucks Seppala and Togo didn't get proper credit but... it's weird to hold a grudge against a dog. Particularly when the dog just did its job and happened to be at the right place at the right time. Balto didn't do anything wrong and selling off that entire sled team out of spite is messed up

[@cm9231]

Ikr?

[@olenickel6013]

As said elsewhere, I'm not convinced it was spite. Seppalas job was breeding dogs, he sold dogs all the time. Balto wasn’t a dog he wanted to breed with, he wasn't part of his sledding team. Someone comes and wants to buy him at above normal price range? Of course he sells him, that's his livelihood.

[@cm9231]

#freemymanbalto

[@a.llizard.7176]

Disney plus has a Togo movie I watch when I want to cry. Balto was my hero as a kid but I wholeheartedly wish the emphasis was put on the fact that so many teams risked their lives to save Nome.

[@selamandreykum5844]

​@@olenickel6013 first part of your 3rd sentence sounds sus af

[@leecoffill8425]

The truth is that every single one of those dogs, as well as the sled drivers, was a hero. Togo lead the most dangerous part of the run, and h absolutely deserved the fame that Balto recieved, but in the end, Balto still ran an impressive and heroic run that saved a thousand people, mostly children. What happened to Balto and his team is horrific, and Seppala bears a great deal of the blame for what happened - carelessly selling his own dogs into imprisonment out of sheer resentment of misplaced praise. Celebrate Seppala for what he did to save those kids, but don't forget the price of his pride.

[@simokoivunen6625]

It is worth noting, Seppala was in Alaska at the time of Balto being sold, for all anyone knows he only knew the name of who he was selling his dogs to. Gunnar Kaasen (a long-time leaser & friend) was at hand on tour with Balto, he and another were trusted to act on Seppala's behalf in selling Balto & his team. Without a doubt Seppala certainly carries an amount of the blame, but I also think Kaasen & his co-handler are to blame, being on hand & failing to (as far as is known) let Seppala know the true ground conditions. He trusted those to act in his stead, and in a certain capacity they failed. Not defending Sepp, just adding context as to why he was so non-chalant

[@Sputterbugz]

its one of those situations that makes you think: if you want the job done right, do it yourself. rarely do things go well when you blindly leave things up to others, thinking, "I'm sure someone else will take care of it"

[@simokoivunen6625]

@@Sputterbugz A very true and very fair assessment, Sepp made the mistake of trusting his friend & co-worker Kaasen to handle his affair, and I would say that is his biggest failing. Although he possibly might have sold Balto out of spite, nothing really suggests he intentionally sold those dogs into abuse, but he did misjudge those he trusted, and chances are he never knew where they ended up.

[@olenickel6013]

I'm not so sure he actually sold Balto out of spite. People tend to forget Kaasens livelihood was breeding dogs. He was selling dogs all the time. Someone comes and want to buy off Balto, a freight dog he didn't want to use for breeding and that was not part of his main team? And he offers an above normal price for the famous dog? Of course he sells him.

[@simokoivunen6625]

@@olenickel6013 To be honest, there is nothing to explicitly say he sold out of spite, to arrive at that conclusion is just how someone may interpret Seppala's actions & words. I imply he might have, because while there is not much to prove that he did, there is also not much to prove that he didn't. Personally I would find it to be uncharacteristic, due to the fact Seppala was often very considerate to quality of where his animals ended up. Balto was just about worthless as a sled dog, and Seppala would confirm as much, with no record of Balto ever having a race victory to his name. While he hated the attention Balto got, hated the fame and fortune For a dog he did not believe deserved it, but nothing suggests Seppala actively tried to hurt Balto. My conclusion always comes to: he was offered a few thousand dollars for the dog, but he was in Alaska and not directly on-hand, and he misplaced his trust with Kaasen to act in his stead.

[@laraendlight9887]

58:28 - Fans: What if the white wolf is Balto's mom's ghost? Second movie writers: Write that down! Write that down!

[@EddieUrsus]

The editors did an amazing job on this, made me legit laugh out loud at some parts ESPECIALLY at 54:40 LMAO

[@rainalystre1877]

Agreed! Actually went and clipped that bit to show my friends. Amazing edit

[@wyvern0ne]

“I simply became one with the tree” has the same energy as “somehow… palpatine has returned” 💀

[@Chara_Dreemurr001]

LMFAOO

[@baileyhollywood8327]

REAL

[@kurizu1510]

The story of Balto is great, but the story of Saber's fight against Universal to get this documentary uploaded may be equally as legendary. 😂

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark’s farts.

[@ninab.4540]

Tbh they made the curiousity to rewatch these bad movies (except 1) more than before

[@RuinQueenofOblivion]

Yeah! Saberspark vs. Universal the movie when?

[@sweetcherry7759]

Saber’s fight to post thus should be a documentary in itself (fr)

[@leighadawn6783]

3:08 So far; as a person that loved Balto 2 I’m so sad. I get it’s likely nostalgia but seeing a female protagonist rebelling against her father and carving her own path really spoke to me as a child…

[@baffledbrandon3132]

Clicked on this video just expecting a simple review of the films. Was not expecting to get a full-on history lesson on not just the real-life story, but also the story behind the making of the film itself. Really fascinating stuff, mate. Would love to see you do this same thing for the Land Before Time and An American Tail series too.

[@RubberbandEntertainment]

After hearing the actual history I'm just, "no wonder they tried so hard to stop saber"

[@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434]

Fictionalized version of history. Just like Don Bluth Anastasia, some of the characters clearly real but of not with magic, talking bat, and other things

[@THAT1ZELDAFAN]

@@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434 I'd call Anastasia a nice "What if" scenario. I believe at the time of Anastasia's release, the whereabouts of her were still unknown, and her remains weren't discovered until shortly after the film's release. So it's a nice alternate reality scenario

[@THAT1ZELDAFAN]

Wait till Saber looks at the animated Titanic films. Hopefully, all 3 (because yes, we live in the timeline where 3 animated Titanic films exist, and none of them are good)

[@gracekim25]

@@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434 that movie is based on the whole ‘Anastasia survivor’ claims people may with the whole ‘what if she actually survived’ thing. We don’t see any more movies do this since they confirmed she indeed died in real life 😅

[@Wulf-sq9zw]

​@@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434 wait... So you're saying Rasputin is not an undead necromancer? 🙀

[@faragar1791]

Something kind of funny I realized about making Balto, the character, a wolf-dog is that wolf-dogs are significantly bigger than most other dogs. If you look up KZbin videos of wolves and dogs playing together, wolves are 50% bigger than the dogs, if not more so. Even if Balto was only half-wolf, he probably would have towered over all the other dogs in Nome.

[@wakomikro]

My thoughts as well. It drives me nuts.

[@falcolf]

Not necessarily true; while wolves can indeed be very big puppers, especially males, Canis lupus pambilasileus or the Interior Alaskan Wolf (presumably the subspecies of wolf which lives near Nome,) is just big, not towering. Males tip the scales at an average weight of 56.3 kg (124 lbs) and females 38.5 kg (85 lbs) which overall is not much heavier than a German Shepherd (34-43 kg/75-95 lbs.) Siberian Huskies on average weigh 16-27 kg/35-60 lbs so yes definitely Interior Alaskan Wolves are bigger than a husky, but there are plenty of dog breeds which outstrip wolves size-wise; randomly, Great Danes weigh in at 45-90 kg/99-198 lbs, Anatolian Shepherds 40-65 kg/88-143 lbs and English Mastiffs 54-100 kg/119-220 lbs. There's also bigger wolf subspecies elsewhere, like the British Columbian Wolf (Canis lupus columbianus) which weighs 36-68 kg/80-150 lbs and the Arctic Wolf 32-80 kg/70-175 lbs. The biggest male wolves have enormous paws bigger than a man'a hand. Also since wolfdogs get blood from both parents they are just as likely to be small like their dog parent. And it really depends on what subspecies of wolf their parent is, because some wolf subspecies are quite petite. The Arabian Wolf/Canis lupus arabs for example averages just 25 kg/55 lbs. So it depends. 😅 Some wolves are definitely pretty enormous (albeit none as big as the most gigantic dog,) but others? Not so much.

[@3starperfectdeer233]

Genetics: Allow me to introduce myself. Thats like saying I should be 6'2 MINIMUM but genetics is a bitch

[@samamies88]

Even if Balto was bigger because of wolf genes it still might not be a good sled dog. Huskies have extremely great stamina and most importantly: they can poop while they are running. All other dog breeds and i believe wolves too have to stop to take s**tbreak. Huskies can run that smooth 11 miles per hour for 100 miles straight or 22 mph for shorter while - wolves don't have the stamina and they'd need to stop during the race. If (this fictional) Balto got any of those genes he would suck as a sledge dog.

[@faragar1791]

@@wakomikro Don't forget about the two polar bears. Polar bears are absolutely massive and are arguably more dangerous than the grizzly bears Balto fights. Now, one could argue that the two polar bears we see are probably still juveniles, which explains why they are so small, but they stay juveniles through all three films.

[@SJFPenguin1854]

I first saw Balto circa 1996 on VHS. While I was never obsessed, I enjoyed watching it many times over the years, most frequently in the years preceding the sequel. It still has a certain nostalgic quality. I watched Balto II when it came out in 2002 and didn't watch it again until last year, 20 years later. Balto III I didn't know existed until around 2018, and I bought it on DVD soon after. But I didn't end up watching it until last year. After watching, I wrote that "Surprisingly for a second direct-to-video sequel, I found it to be pretty good. It could stand on its own as a fun, family friendly film." I haven't seen it since, but I still stand by having enjoyed it. The friendly rivalry between the dogs and the pilot was an interesting plot. The movie didn't need a juicy Stella, though. Still, I rank Balto III above Balto II. Balto's white eyes in Balto II were indeed an odd error that should have been caught five minutes into the artists' work. That Balto still lives apart from Jenna and without full acceptance of the town is kind of sad as well. I have not seen Togo, but I knew the true history of the 1925 serum run differs greatly from the 1995 film. One of the places I learned more of the true history was a 2008 episode of the Weather Channel's When Weather Changed History series. All the dogs and mushers involved were heroes. When watching the 2018 Winter Olympics, I thought that since there are equestrian events at the Summer Olympics, dog sledding might be cool to see as a winter event. Soon after, I found out that it was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Placing first was Canadian Emile St. Godard. In second was American Leonhard Seppala, Togo's musher in 1925.

[@annasilvestre2984]

I went on a mission trip to Nome! It’s a beautiful place. I had an opportunity to serve with Alaska Missions on the 2023 Iditarod-the first Iditarod won by an Indigenous person. We stayed at a local church that was literally next to the finish line, so I got to wake up to sirens every time a finisher rode up. We also got to talk to the first place biking finisher. It was incredible!! Nome is a jointly-founded Indigenous and American community, and the race is a thrilling event that brings everyone together. The serum run had a profound effect on the little town, and basically all of its tourism revenue is from the Iditarod. The way the Balto trilogy treats the story is appalling and disrespectful. Please watch the Disney Togo movie! It’s really good, and it does the story so much justice!

[@annasilvestre2984]

Obvi not dunking on the og. It’s a love letter to the true tale, but why did they have to make it spiral?

[@evehellod9776]

It’s actually amazing how Togo was twelve years old, but also ran at the longest and most dangerous part of the journey, I wish all dogs and mushers had gotten the credit they deserved during that run Although it sucks how Balto and the others got mistreated like that, and ending up in a zoo is a bittersweet ending like mentioned

[@commonsense-og1gz]

i read that one of the mushers had to pull his pack and sled, because two of the dogs had severe frostbite.

[@commonsense-og1gz]

@@simokoivunen6625 i think it was charlie evans that i am thinking of, that towed his sled.

[@simokoivunen6625]

@@commonsense-og1gz hm, that would not be surprising, multiple of his dog's also suffered varying freeze type injuries during that leg he ran. Mushers leading the gangline themselves is not uncommon if the lead dog gets hurt, chances are you might be thinking of both, as both had that happen to their teams. Or a third fellow named Wild Bill Shannon.

[@commonsense-og1gz]

@@simokoivunen6625 i am only understanding the story through Wikipedia, so it could be entirely wrong. however, it speaks of charlie evans as the one who filled in for his two dogs, and Kalland was the one who had boiling water poured on his hands. shannon ran with the sled due to hypothermia.

[@simokoivunen6625]

@@commonsense-og1gz yeah, the Wikipedia article on these fellows is quite bare to be honest, which is not surprising, given the mushing community has always been incredibly word of mouth, lots of those names & their accounts will probably be lost forever soon enough. As for Edgar Kallands, I think my memory just failed me on that one, I am trying to recall most of what I say from the last time I visited Alaska, and how the story was told to me, my apologies.

[@dragonlover7196]

i'm still mad that balto and jenna's children don't have more traits split between the two. like there's just aleu who looks like her father and then the rest of them look exactly like normal huskies give some of them grey fur and yellow eyes! give them different character designs too actually... i hate that they all look like badly traced carbon copies of their parents' body types

[@umarthdc]

I hated that in the lady and the tramp too, like if they lack imagination to show a mixed dog.

[@Kalleron]

Truthfully, none of their pups should have been red and white, and only 1-2 should have had blue eyes. In huskies, blue eyes are a resessive gene, and the red coloration is a double recessive on black. Movie Balto is not black, so there should be no red and white puppies. 🤷‍♀️

[@dragonlover7196]

@@Kalleron neither balto nor jenna had blue eyes either, and i think if balto can inherit yellow sclera from his mom, i think some of the pups deserve to inherit yellow sclera from him too! i love that part of his design and i would've loved to see it used for more characters

[@homuraakemi103]

“One of these pups is the main character,” vibes from the animators.

[@Vuurengeltje]

i only started the video and i think you explained enough... i had to stop to avoid any more spoilers and tainting since i never saw the sequels. i'll go and take your advice to heart and NEVER EVER EVEN THINK of watching 2 and 3 se that the memory of the only film that matters stays pure and solid

[@rizzymont4514]

This makes me so sad, WHY DIDNT PEOPLE JUST TAKE THEM IN AS PETS?? They didnt need to go to a Mesume or a Zoo, they needed families, HOMES. UGH

[@tonypringles2285]

take the stuffed animals as pets?

[@vilmublues752]

I did like how in the second movie, the youngster (the villain) is afraid of change and new things while the elder accepts and embraces them, as it's often the other way around. And I like how the villain was motivated by fear.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

OMG I didn't even think of that but that's a good catch.

[@NicoleDragongirl]

To be honest I liked the second one better than the first one i'M sorry ^^° unpoular opinion I guess. (But I also like TLK 2 more than the first one so Idk).

[@pleasantdashi7112]

not all change good

[@RaphBlade7]

I kinda like the idea of a youngster afraid of change, while the elder embraces it as it makes some sense, especially if the elder in question lived long enough to see change is a constant, having the wisdom that nothing lasts forever, while the youngster fears change cause the status quo is all they know!

[@Scarshadow666]

That's something that I hadn't thought much about until I was older and (regardless of whether the second sequel was good or not), that aspect of the villain still sticks with me into adulthood. It pretty much taught me that while it's okay to be afraid, fear shouldn't always be a governing factor in life. And I'm proud to see that there's other art/media that continued to teach that onward (like in Paranorman and Over the Garden Wall). ^^

[@TwinkleTwinkleTruly]

It’s actually really well-written that: 1. Steel isn’t simply the antagonist because he’s trying to steal Jenna from Balto. 2. Jenna isn’t the main reason Balto and Steel fight. 3. Jenna isn’t completely defenceless and needs saving all the time. 4. Jenna doesn’t just stay back because she’s the girl and has to, since only the male main character can be the hero, but because she just fought a bear and got proper hurt and can’t go with Balto to save Rosie. Like, she’s not just watching from the sidelines going “oh, no, Balto!” She’s in the story and contributing to it! She’s not a decoration, an price to be won over or a background character. She’s well-rounded, has her own motivations that aren’t just related to Balto but she’s also not solely focused on Rosie only! 5. Balto isn’t just “if I do this thing for my love interest, she has to love me back, right?” He’s not just fetching her a thing she wants, his motivation isn’t to win her affections or become the hero of the town. It’s literally to save children, specifically one child that he also cares about himself! It’s not a selfish act to try and get recognition or glory like Steel! It’s such an important part of the story, because it makes him stand out compared to most other main protagonists in many older animated movies. It’s so refreshing! 6. The main couple isn’t antagonistic towards each other at the start or have a “love at first sight!”-moment. It’s a slow, healthy process, that’s clearly been going on for a while and it’s not just one character being a bumbling fool around the other. Instead, it’s clearly mutual and Balto doesn’t need to prove that he’s good enough for her. It’s sweet. Bonus: the character with the Russian accent isn’t evil/used to work for the Russian mob. It is a shame that the humans, aside from Rosie, are a bit flat in character, but I guess it’s hard to also focus on the adult humans as well as the animals? Like, if a movie has animal characters, you often need to either show what the animals look and sound like to the humans, like *animal is saying something extremely important to human companion, cuts to human perspective where animal has no exaggerated expressions and is just barking* or they need to have it so that the humans can “read” the expression of the animals, like Pascal and Maximus in Tangled. It’s a bit like how in the original Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”, it seems … weird … that the mer-people can understand the talking and read the expressions of the other ocean creatures, but the humans cannot. Or in the original Cinderella, she can somehow, perhaps as the only one in-universe, understand mice. Not birds or cats or dogs, but mice. She can read the expressions of the other animals and interpret what they mean by said expressions, but they cannot talk to her like the mice. Of course, in the 3rd(?) movie, the one with the time shenanigans, The Prince is shown to understand the mice when they talk to him to resolve the whole situation, but I dunno how canon that is? Ultimately, I guess they just can have both talking animals that aren’t supposed to be understood by their humans AND humans that are more than flat cardboard cutouts? Unless you need to care about a specific human, then they can have some emotions. The Swan Princess is actually a good example of showing how an animal looks to the humans vs how they look to us: to us Odette can talk and can convey clear emotions, but to Prince Derek, he just sees a swan flapping at him. It explains how he cannot “see” what she’s trying to tell him. Welp, that was a ramble.

[@abiean222]

jenna helped bring the sled team home, using the northern lights as a beacon.

[@-velsbellz-]

@@20SuperbMe858 not superb.

[@WobblesandBean]

Dude. Stop. "Brevity is the soul of wit". And defend it all you want, it's still BS that Jenna didn't help with the run. "Wah she was in a bear attack". You know they WROTE that, yeah? As in, they didn't have to? They wrote the bear scene explicitly to exclude her from pulling the sled. Every single one of the dogs pulling the sled was male. I guess that's just a coincidence, right? 🙄

[@abiean222]

@@WobblesandBean but jenna did help with the run. if jenna didn't go back home then the sled team would have been lost and unable to find the town in time. jenna lit a beacon for the team to find their way back after steel sabotaged the team. jenna might not have been on the team to bring the medicine home, but without her they couldn't have made it.

[@rRecoveryProd]

I hope Saber covers the Swan Princess as well.

[@TheAndrewj96]

The original Balto was part of my childhood. Still love that one. Saw the sequel when I was a kid and hated it. I’m very glad I went unaware there was ever a third one. It would’ve ruined everything.

[@saltystick_99]

Oh man, tell me about it. I only saw 8 minutes of Balto 2 as a kid on TV and immediately went "No" and switched the channel back to Cartoon Network.

[@MayheM_72]

I have a friend with 3 generations of huskys in their home, and they are just AWESOME doggos! And yes, I'm sure the animators were covered in husky fluff after spending time with the puppers! I know there's much more to the story of the serum run to Nome than Balto, but it's not HIS fault the press focused on him! He was a VERY good boy! Sadly, the dogs were treated as tools, like a horse, ox, or mule, instead of like living creatures...😢😭

[@WhaleManMan]

Love how it's not "Kassan took credit from Seppela" but "Balto took credit from Togo" as if the dogs were beefing

[@Weirdanimalboy]

In real life… Balto: Running in the snow is dope Togo: Bro for real, feels amazing

[@lunastar89]

I wouldnt be surprised if they wanted to make a sequel movie for each puppy balto and jenna had, with balto becoming increasingly tired after each one.

[@Detective_asparagus]

The last movie: Balto: leaving the country

[@Vampire_Bat-]

Balto 4: Heading to the milkstore Balto 5: no return

[@teawrecks1243]

Balto's Bizarre Adventure

[@xinsomniacaddictx1218]

Balto 17: So fluffing done

[@legendofrayquazagaming5125]

Clevelander here, that enclosure that Balto and the other dogs were in is still there, and is now used for wolves. The enclosure is located in the Wolf Lodge in the Wilderness Trek area. I think there’s even a statue to Balto next to the path from the exit. Edit: I don’t think Balto’s body is viewable right now as the History Museum is currently under renovations. Edit V2: Northern Trek was what it used to be called, now it is called the Wilderness Trek and there is also a statue for Togo as well.

[@alvarostockle]

I'm sorry about how hard it was to you to drop this video, it truly shows how much care you and your team put into it!

[@animeluigiboy]

After an entire copyright war, he and his team have finally won and can now show us the masterpiece that they have created. Godspeed Saber.

[@RyanSoltani]

They pulled off the impossible

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

@@RyanSoltani Will these corporate suits ever learn? Will they ever understand what fair use is? No, they're greedy to the core, and must be challenged at every turn.

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

600th like

[@MrRawrCEO]

@@ramenbomberdeluxe4958 Oh they know what fair use is. But they also know the power of money, and money > legality. Of course Sabre was stubborn enough to where it wasn't worth it for them to fight anymore, so credit to our lord and saviour Saberfart

[@Ayeayecaptain667]

Such a sad story....but at least the first movie will stay in everyone's hearts!❤

[@LamarDobbins-ml9uo]

It's really not that sad but it's history accurate

[@LamarDobbins-ml9uo]

Not the movie just to let u know

[@xela12345]

Man, but Balto 2's mysticism stuff was so freaking cool, if it did have the animation and production quality of the first, it would have been just as good. The nightmare scenes legit terrified me as a kid, and the idea of spirits taking physical form as animals in order to help the characters in the journey, its cool as heck!!!

[@catholiccontriversy]

The child coffins shot hits a lot harder now that I'm old enough to really understand what was happening. As a kid I thought that was kind of weird, hut I didn't really have a good concept of death since I was limited to easily replaceable goldfish and video games with extra lives. Now that I have a better concept of death it's a reality heavy shot.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Balto went hard, it had that dawwwwg

[@behindthecookie8653]

@@warlordofbritanniadid you know that the people who made the movie had that dawg in them?

[@MelonTartVA]

I'm convinced that Star, the smallest of the comedic dog trio, was possibly based on Togo. He is the most supportive of Balto and was the most willing to let him lead.

[@Dragzilla66]

So the dopey one is Togo? That’s wild.

[@simokoivunen6625]

Fun-fact, there is only one photo of Togo and Balto together, it has Togo running Lead whilst Balto runs behind him as point dog

[@timroehm1728]

@39:32 The fact that SaberSpark puts Tigger’s voice onto Steele’s voice looks so hilarious

[@mightywants-to-draw5511]

Considering Jim Cummings voiced Eggman in the Sonic Satam show (which tbh his voice is a huge part of why he feels threatening), I didn't even need to hear the threatening voice to know it would sound evil And yup, sounds amazingly evil as always

[@JoshuaPictures99]

I was originally not really that interested in this video but the struggle of Universal blocking you from producing this really interesting me a lot more. Good job.

[@Panda-cute]

Same, I went from eh might be interesting to oh I have to watch this

[@midnights2631]

Same

[@laurenedge6392]

Same. I've never watched any of the films so I wasn't too bothered but then I saw the struggle he went through and now I have to watch it out of respect and intrigue

[@CodeNameX001]

The Streisand Effect in full effect. If they don't want you to see it, it begs to be seen.

[@PikaLink91]

I was gonna watch it to celebrate that he finally got approved, but when he then tries to attract viewers with ducktits I see why Uni declined him in the first place.

[@MewJoy]

I have 2 huskies. Learning what really happened to Balto broke my heart. 😢 Huskies are incredibly intelligent and emotional dogs. Balto and his team deserved so much better.

[@BeachBear64]

What really happened?

[@kamogirlz]

​@@BeachBear64 they were sold to a dime museum were for years they were malnourished and mistreated for years till people found out, raised 2000 dollars to buy the remaining six sled dogs then they lived out their days in a zoo until balto died at 14 and he was taxidermed and put in a museum in Alaska I think.

[@user-ok2lw9cc1z]

@@kamogirlz Thank you for saying that so that I didn't have to. Also humans are jerks!

[@farkbett699]

​@@user-ok2lw9cc1z So you're a jerk too?

[@lindsayleightner403]

​@@kamogirlz he's actually taxidermied at the Cleveland Natural History Museum. He's right at the entrance. I've seen him a bunch since I live in the area.

[@tommynookr6968]

It’s sad to see the sequels take the route they did. I remember I really loved Balto when I saw it as a kid

[@Indie_Calls]

To be fair, Jim Cummings has range. Steele isn't the only antagonist he's voiced, there was also Robotnik in SatAM Sonic as one example.

[@Syxxth]

I'm 42 and I still tear up when the sick girl gets the medicine she desperately needed. She hugs Balto and says "I'd be lost without you.". I'm tearing up right now, stupid feels.

[@Jarod-vg9wq]

Me to dude.

[@gothimaya2776]

That’s how you know the writing is good, and they actually cared about the quality of the first movie. Damn dude there’s a couple movies that get me every time. Controversial take: black cauldron (Disney) deserved better. And every damn time Gurgey sacrifices himself I cry like a little bitch… even though I know he’s gonna be okay! I still feeling cry!

[@oldscratch426]

That part brought a tear to my eye as well. That's how you know it's good, art should make you feel.

[@andreasmeelie1889]

Watched the movie last night and started crying over that part!😭 XD

[@whyiamafs]

I don't blame you one bit 😢😭

[@elizabethburns-gundel1052]

Balto was one of my favorites as a kid too. Then as a teacher, I watched this movie with my first graders over the pandemic. That guy was making child coffins; the doctor puts the sign "quarantine" on the door; we even pointed out the fact that Steele essentially knowingly killed all those kids by sabotaging Balto's return with the serum. Kids can handle stuff like that when you talk about it in context of beloved characters in a safe place.

[@sinnamonchai]

also in the context of the pandemic, it’s likely easier to get too because they were actively going through a “similar” event, so it was another layer of understanding. i’m so glad you watched this movie with them; i’ll be heartbroken if this film ever gets forgotten. / does not apply to the sequels.

[@nicholauscrawford7903]

Some people freak out about movies showing any actual hardship or malice to kids within the compartmentalized context of the story. They seem to expect them to then somehow know how to deal with it better when, as a result, their first exposure to hardship and malice is the actual thing in the real world. Make it make sense!

[@joshuamorales4724]

1:00 It’s quite funny (and I just realized this) that all of the movie posters for the Balto franchise show Balto with white eyes. Not even the updated poster for Balto 1 is safe from the change.

[@pie1o1morris46]

While I recognize that the sequels will never compare to the original, both Balto and Balto II will always have a special place in my heart. My sister and I used to die laughing at the facial expression you mentioned @2:19. We'd rewind that part so many times 😂. We watched the third one eventually but didn't really care for it

[@trash-panda1873]

Finally, after all these years the legends are true. Now to behold the prophecy.

[@SomeSwordsmenOnTheInternet.]

Definitely

[@NIkki-ox1ej]

That goose is thick

[@SomeSwordsmenOnTheInternet.]

Fr

[@Sokolva]

As someone who works in volunteer K9 Search and Rescue, when a missing person is found, we all say that regardless of whoever or whatever dog and handler team make the actual find in that moment, everyone who joined in the search had a successful find as well. Even when the person comes home safe of their own accord, walking out of the forest to rescuers as one did recently, it is a success. Each of these dogs and human teams who participated in this incredibly dangerous and exhausting run are heroes. There shouldn’t be one above the other or one focused on, and I’m sure those who participated knew that. Media sometimes likes an easy story with a single hero, but the reality can often be far richer and more complex than that.

[@TriangIe]

That’s so wholesome I love that

[@goldenmouse8703]

Leave my Bible people alone!

[@bulatao195]

54:42 "The greatest crossover doesn't exi-"

[@jamiejose]

I remember hearing about the sequels as a kid and wanting to rent them, but when I asked for them, the guy at the counter said, "There's only one movie. It has no sequels" Even though I saw someone else from my class with them at one point 😅 I guess he was trying to save me money 🤣

[@meogatopreto]

Not gonna lie, that mashup you did with Pocahontas singing just around the Riverbend while Balto falls in the river really cracked me up, it was very inspired!

[@floralbri]

ME TOO

[@katiagagne3956]

it was hilarious! 54:44

[@mekamo1165]

literally my favorite part of the vid

[@meogatopreto]

@@katiagagne3956 RIGHT?! I laughed so much! Thanks for the time stamp, I should have put it on the original comment

[@Dookieman1975]

Although Togo got shafted hard and should’ve been in the papers with balto, they were good boys who did their jobs and pulled through to the end Also Sepalla had his bitterness pointed in the wrong direction, don’t blame the dog, blame the press

[@xChijouChanx]

Right? Sepalla is gross. Balto and his team didn't do anything wrong, yet got sold off because ???? a childish tantrum???

[@Twinklethefox9022]

What's worse. Not getting appreciated for your hard work or, being treated as a circus attraction and no one cares for your health. Yeah both dogs where treated badly.

[@cassualtea2040]

@@Twinklethefox9022 I dont think Togo really knew what was going on, so I think the latter was worse, he probably felt appreciated plenty just by being able to live well with all his friends and family

[@simokoivunen6625]

@@xChijouChanx I think Saber fails to mention, it was Gunnar Kaasen whom sold off the team on behalf of Seppala, just before 1929 he ran out of money and sold them in order to return to Alaska.

[@simokoivunen6625]

Honestly though, there is not much to support the Idea he was the one who agreed to sell Balto to the circus, most sources would say Kaasen was the only one who knew the terrible conditions. At some point after 1925 Kaasen was the one who cared for Balto, leased to him by Seppala, because to Kaasen Balto was his glory & to Seppala he was worthless by default. While Leonhard had no issue selling dog's to people like Mrs. Ricker (whom started the biggest kennel of the Seppala breed), many would say he was particular about care.

[@rissyroono]

I LOVED BALTO! I watched that nonstop as a kid and hearing you praise it made me so happy. I watched it again recently to show my boyfriend who has never seen it and was also super impressed with how it held up. Luckily my parents never bought me the sequels haha.

[@liamnehren1054]

I personally thing they should have made the statue in the likeness of all the leader dogs as a group with Togo at the front together with the first and last dog Balto. Balto was undoubtedly the representative of the run as the one to bring it into town, Togo the one to bring it over the longest individual stretch and ... I don't know the name, as the beginner of the perilous journey. I would also say the mushers should then also be included behind them. They also risked their lives.

[@kojikakoifish2862]

In all the stories I've heard about Togo I had no clue that dog was 12 years old at the time of that run. That's like an 85-year-old man climbing up Everest to bring a child stuck on the summit back to base camp on his shoulders. No wonder Seppala was irritated. I'm irritated now. Unsung old boy. The movie will always hold a special place in my heart though, I watched that film every day for a whole summer because I loved the animation so much. Good memories. Hot mess of a trilogy. I remember being confused and upset when I saw Balto II on TV and didn't even bother with the third film. EDIT: I actually remember the goose... I must have seen at least a part of the third movie but good lord I don't remember it being so weirdly sexual. WHY IS IT A "SEXY" RUSSIAN GOOSE LMAO?! EDIT#2: OH OH, I remember for the second movie, fun little thing while you're watching the clips/movie, count the number of time Aleu's eyes change shape and her ears change color. Fucking ridiculous how bad this animation is lol. Did that as a kid too xD

[@ChicagoMel23]

No need to swear

[@Totally_Descendants]

Balto is like Swan Princess. Both are legendary and beautiful pieces of animation ON THEIR OWN! I feel like the thing that makes them so underrated is their sequels.

[@TinySwanGrandAdventures]

We don't talk about the MANY Swan Princess sequels.

[@redpanda6497]

I didn't personally like that movie.

[@zid9611]

​@@TinySwanGrandAdventuresya at best 2 wasn't bad but that it. But everything after was just why?

[@musicsinger365]

Today I learn of Swan Princess having sequels?! WTF?? 😂

[@Ashbrash1998]

​​@@musicsinger365oh god the 3d films. NEVER WATCH THE 3D FILMS!!

[@maroldajuancruz9887]

The first movie was one of my favourite movies from my childhood. I did maybe kinda forget about it and rediscovered it about seven years ago. I managed to unlock some of memories and the rush I felt when i rewatched was incredible. Thank you for raising awareness about this movie!

[@perkysnood]

Balto was one of my favorite movies as a kid. it was gorgeous and emotional. Never saw the other 2 that came out after it and glad I didn't

[@c0nga]

Jim Cumming's casting as Steel was no mistake, his voicework as Dr. Robotnik in the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon also carried that sinister evil voice

[@TheloniousDrake7]

He also played a psychotic bloodthirsty Aztec war mask in a very lackluster videogame splatterhouse

[@martymohawk8360]

"Snooping as usual."

[@discountchocolate4577]

@@martymohawk8360 You're thinking of the wrong Robotnik, Cummings played the SatAM version of the character.

[@kirara2516]

Dont forget Negaduck. One of the big bad guys from Darkwing Duck

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

He's also Pete from Goof Troop/Goofy Movie lol.

[@edgelux3381]

i love how both balto (the movie) and the first kung fu panda movie have a protagonist who's an outcast in the town/village he lives, who has a surrogate goose dad, and over the course of the movie the main character makes friends and goes on a journey that helps him be more self-confident and then he comes back and saves the day for the rest of the townspeople and becomes a hero at the end and everyone else finally accepts him for who he was born to be

[@themorrigan7224]

If I had a nickel for every time there was a surrogate goose dad for a protagonist talking animal, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice

[@SuperEasywalker]

Yeah but the only difference is that KUNG-FU PANDA trilogy get progressively better.

[@edgelux3381]

@@SuperEasywalker i can only hope kung fu panda 4 is as good as the first 3 when it comes out next year

[@kitty0chan444]

Please stop this comment made me snort

[@R.Sully.K]

As someone who grew up with this movie I am so glad that someone is finally giving it the recognition that it deserves thank you so much for bring this movie to people who didn’t grow up with it

[@spiraljunior]

Absolutely loving this video. Anyone else catch that the voice actor for this side character wolf HAS to be the voice of Patrick Star?: 1:16:15

[@Sgrahambo]

Fun Fact: James Horner apparently really liked his theme for "Heritage of the Wolf", because you can hear leitmotifs of it in many of his future films. It's most prominently in your face in "Enemy at the Gate", but I've also heard it in "Titanic" and possibly in "Apollo 13". I've often wanted to do a binge of James Horner movies specifically to see how many times I can pick out the "Heritage of the Wolf" theme.

[@psychotophatcat]

I love this kind of thing. Using a piece written for a smaller film in movies that became hits is a really unique way to pay homage while getting to share it again with a wider audience.

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark’s farts.

[@mattwolf7698]

Apollo 13 came out slightly before Balto so it possibly originated there. He uses the Balto arrangement more though.

[@zombiedoggie2732]

@@p-__ You need beano. Got it.

[@thatfuzzypotato1877]

There's a song by Blind Guardian that sounds like that theme at this one specific part and every time I hear it I think of Balto

[@capitatecab6049]

I’m glad that you gave credit to both Balto AND Togo for the serum race, most only give Togo the credit, which while well deserved, Balto contributed so much too

[@snarkylittlemarshmallow4554]

I watched the original Balto so many times as a kid that my parents knew every beat as well as I did 😂 I only watched Balto II for the mouse's little chant song and that was all

[@Matildasunflower3536]

2:03 NOT THAT KIND OF GOOSEBUMPS

[@unwantedcucumber5672]

If the REAL story of Balto was animated and mixed with this version of Balto, it would remind me a lot of White Fang. It's beautifully animated in a different way and has a traumatic storyline. Definitely recommend it to anyone who sees this comment. Edit: I believe it's still on Netflix!

[@Twinklethefox9022]

If I can handle the brave little toaster, I can handle the true story of balto.

[@real_nosferatu]

I read the book but didn't know there was a movie

[@pinesapp]

@@real_nosferatu there's a book??

[@SunnyCida]

Is the movie good? Long time fan of the book

[@pinesapp]

@@SunnyCida well... i 100% recommend watching Balto 1 (save your sanity by avoiding the sequels) though i'm pretty sure the book you read is probably not related to this movie...?

[@kaype6516]

I had the trilogy on dvd/cd. My 4th grade teacher asked me to bring them in so we could watch them (she loved dogs like, a lot). After we watched the first movie she asked me if the 2nd and 3rd were appropriate to watch. I couldn't remember exactly what was in the movies so I just said sure. We watched the second one and then she put on the 3rd. As soon as the girl goose (can't remember her name) came on screen I asked to go to the bathroom because there was no way I was watching that in front of my classmates. When I came back they were watching Finding Nemo. I was so freaking embarrassed.

[@Cookie_Clockwise]

Welp, if the comment above me is any indication, there are more embarrassing things out there lol . . . Apparently they deleted their comment, but they claimed to ship Peppa pig with George, which I think is pretty darn embarrassing

[@KZesty]

HAHAH

[@p-__]

My farts are better than Saberspark’s farts.

[@wolflord8117]

Oh God no.

[@Scarshadow666]

Tbf, while the first movie is good, it also has some heavy content in some parts that were shrugged off more in the 90's than they would be by today's standards. Most people struggle to get pass the scene showing people making child-sized coffins.

[@owenjohanson6256]

Nome Alaska resident here, learned a ton about this stuff. Loved the first movies but never knew about the other two😂

[@afish4086]

The first half of this kind of makes me want to see you review GOOD movies every once in a while tbh