Characters of Balto[]
Balto[]
- The Ace: One of, if not the, fastest runners in all of Nome, with a rock-sturdy body that's built for endurance and survival. In the end, he proves himself a far more competent sled dog than Steele could ever hope to be.
- Adaptation Dye Job: In reality, Balto was mostly black with some white patches, rather than gray as he's depicted in the movie.
- Adaptation Species Change: The real Balto was a purebred Husky instead of a Wolf-Dog.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Being part wolf, the dogs and humans believe him to be one of the Savage Wolves.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: In the second movie. He didn't think his recurring dreams meant anything and that they were just dreams. Boy, was he wrong. He thankfully grows out of it at the end.
- Be Yourself: His greatest asset in getting the team home.
Boris: "Let me tell you something, Balto. A dog cannot make this journey alone; but maybe, a wolf can."
- Character Development: Learns to accept and be proud of his wolf ancestry.
- Dark and Troubled Past: His father (a purebred husky) apparently wasn't around for whatever reason, and Balto somehow got separated from his mom when he was just a puppy—thankfully, he was found and raised by Boris. Unfortunately, because he was half-wolf he was mistrusted by humans and teased by most of the dogs.
- Dark Is Not Evil: He has darker, duller coat colors than Steele, and has a big heart.
- Deadpan Snarker: Occasionally. You can thank Boris for that.
- Death Glare: In the third film, during the crucial race against Duke's plane, Ralph starts complaining that he wants to slow down. One piercing gaze◊ from Balto◊ shuts him up immediately.
- Determinator: Stubbornness is his greatest attribute.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: He started the movie the hated outcast who was constantly being chased away from the one he loved, with the movie's Jerkass Big Bad trying to ruin his life, and being unable to accept himself as a dog or a wolf. He has to go on an epic adventure through a blizzard, facing horrible danger at every single turn. But in the end, he saves the entire town and is honored as a hero. On top of that, he finally accepts what he is and manages to get the love of his life. Sure, the next film shows that there are those who still make fun of him (this time for his other half), but he now lives a much happier existence than before.
- Half-Breed Discrimination: Balto is ostracized and picked on by the other dogs in Nome for being part wolf.
- Happily Adopted: Balto was raised by Boris the goose, and is just fine with that.
- Heroes Want Redheads: Jenna is red-furred, and is Balto's Love Interest.
- Heroic B.S.O.D.: He gets one when he realizes Steele has marked every tree in the forest to prevent them from getting home, and he doesn't know the way.
- Heroic Dog: The Hero of the entire franchise.
- Heroic Resolve: He gets this when he realizes that he should be proud of his wolf half and it allows him to pull the medicine all the way up the cliff he fell down to safety.
- I Am What I Am: It's only when he learns to embrace his wolf heritage does he realize there is nothing he can't do.
- Internalized Categorism: At first, Balto hates his wolf heritage as much as the rest of the town due to being bullied and ostracized for it, to the point that he actively suppresses his lupine abilities when out in the wild. It isn't until he's able to embrace his wild half that he's able to save the town.
- Made of Iron: Balto goes through hell just to successfully bring home the medicine, enduring the likes of a grizzly bear and a half-insane dog's savage attacks — all the while braving the harsh Alaskan climate's unforgiving hazards. When all is said and done, he basically just shrugs off his wounds, plowing forwards like there's no stopping him.
- Mixed Ancestry: His father was a purebred husky while his mother was a wolf—and he looks more like a wolf than a regular dog.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Wolf-Dogs are unpredictable and unintentionally destructive at the best of times, and can be pretty vicious with minimal provocation. Balto is none of those things (apart from some growling when Steele bullies him early on), but This example contains a YMMV entry. It should be moved to the YMMV tab.it's not like the townspeople know that.
- Nice Guy: An all-around decent guy to be around.
- Noble Wolf: Upon Character Development, he makes peace with his wolf heritage and uses it as a source of strength to keep his team alive and bring back the medicine.
- Official Couple: With Jenna.
- Overprotective Dad: He is this to Aleu in the second film.
- Papa Wolf: Literally and figuratively. Balto is fiercely protective of his children.
- Protagonist Title: Balto, natch.
- Scarily Competent Tracker: Once he catches the target's scent, nothing seems to evade him. Even more so after he fully becomes in sync with the wolf-half of his ancestry.
- Suddenly Voiced: Inverted in the first film. He's relatively talkative for the first two-thirds of the movie, but after falling down a cliff and meeting the mysterious white wolf, he never speaks again apart from a few grunts and two utterances of Jenna's name.
- Took a Level in Badass: Part of his Character Development involves this—ultimately, he learns to accept the fact that he's part wolf instead of trying to reject it.
- Willfully Weak: Throughout the first film, Balto keeps his lupine characteristics in check out of fear that "letting go" would further ostracize him from society. Not only does this (greatly) limit his innate strengths, but also dulls his basic survival instincts. It's only when he finally comes to embrace the wolf within that he unlocks his true potential.
- Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: He's certainly more resourceful and cunning than most of the other sled dogs.
Jenna[]
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: She wears a red bandana around her neck in place of a collar. This bandana becomes a plot point in the first movie when she gives it to Balto to keep him warm in the frozen Alaskan wilderness. In the fight with Steele, Steele grabs the bandana and it falls with him off of the cliff. When Steele presents it to Jenna, she whiffs the scents on it, telling her that Steele's story is false.
- Action Girl: In the first movie, she fights a bear to save Balto.
- Big Damn Heroes: She attacks the bear about to kill Balto and saves his life in the nick of time in the first movie.
- Cassandra Truth: None of the other dogs believe her when she calls Steele out on his Blatant Lies.
- Deadpan Snarker: Towards Steele before This example contains a YMMV entry. It should be moved to the YMMV tab.he takes it too far.
- Demoted to Extra: Her role significantly decreases in the sequels.
- Dude Magnet: She is the love interest of both Balto and Steele, also in a certain scene when she is walking with her friends, can see a dog that seems to want to try to go behind her.
- Heroes Want Redheads: She's a red husky, and the object of Balto's affections.
- Mama Bear: Jenna is very protective not only of her pups, but also of her owner, Rosy.
- Nice Girl: Very kind and compassionate, though not without her limits. It's mostly evidenced in the beginning when she's the only dog in town who is friendly to Balto.
- Official Couple: With Balto.
- Only Friend: Initially Balto's only friend in Nome, and initially the only one to appreciate him for who he is well before he earned the title of "town hero".
- Pep-Talk Song: In the third movie, she serenades Balto (now her husband) with a lovely, gentle piece titled "You Don't Have To Be a Hero," comforting and reassuring him that he doesn't need to stay "perfect" in their son's eyes.
- Red Is Heroic: She has red fur and saves Balto's life from an angry bear.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Jenna makes it very clear from the start that she detests Steele because of his pushy nature, arrogance and bullying of the titular hero. She's more interested in Balto due to his selflessness and honesty.
- Something Only They Would Say: Or rather, wouldn't say. She seemingly almost falls for Steele's Blatant Lies concerning the fate of the sled team, but as soon as he claims that Balto died and that his last request was that Steele (who had been bullying Balto for some time) take care of her, she sees right through it.
- Undying Loyalty: She is highly loyal to her owner, Rosy, as evidenced when she stays by her side, doing her best to keep watch over the ailing girl throughout her ordeal. To Balto, as well. Her first instinct upon finding out that he'd left Nome is to follow him straight into the wilderness, risking her own life in the process. What truly seals it is the fact that she never once loses faith in him, even when things look dire.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Chews her son over refusing to save Duke.
Wild Joe's Team[]
Wild Joe first appears at the beginning of Balto. He is racing against Steele's Team. He is grinning and running confidently until Steele's Team catches up to them. Wild Joe does a double take behind him and swiftly picks up speed. He casts anxious looks alongside him at Steele. As they approach the Narrow Pass, Wild Joe frowns furiously at Steele. As Steele sees that he's running out of time to pass the opponent team before they reach the Narrow Pass, he lunges down, snarling and snapping his jaws near Chester's paw. Chester yelps and jumps in the air, tripping and causing his team to go out of control and lose the race. After the team smashes, Golden-White Legged Malamute shakes snow from his hind paw and shivers. Golden Malamute is laying on his stomach, shivering. He looks up at his musher as he frustratedly yells after Steele. Steele turns back to him and laughs before racing away with his team.