By Jasmine Durst; Photo Credits to Jasmine Durst
“Balto II: Wolf Quest”
“Tell mom I finally found my home,” said Aleu in the 2002 animated film “Balto II: Wolf Quest.”
On the back of the “Balto” 3-movie adventure pack, the cover designer for Universal Pictures Home Entertainment wrote the following synopsis for the “Balto II: Wolf Quest” movie:
“In ‘Balto II: Wolf Quest,’ the hero [Balto] returns in a breathtaking new quest to help his daughter Aleu discover her wolf heritage and fulfill her own heroic destiny.”
In the previous movie, Balto, a wolf-dog, fell in love with a red husky named Jenna, and they had a litter of puppies together.
The second movie followed a journey of self-discovery with Balto’s daughter Aleu.
Balto had a dream about running on ice with a raven and a pack of wolves throughout the movie that is connected to the totem pole. The totem pole had, from top to bottom, a raven, a fox (cunning trickster), a wolverine (one’s deepest fear), a bear (inner knowing), a caribou (life), and a wolf.
When Jenna had their puppies, they all looked like their mother except Aleu, who looked more wolf than dog. Because of her wolf-like appearance, Aleu never got adopted by any of the local children and watched as all of her brothers and sisters got new homes until she was the only one left.
Aleu ran away from home after being told by Balto that her brothers and sisters were adopted because they looked dog and she didn’t, believing something was wrong with her.
Balto met the raven outside his dream while he went searching for Aleu and later met other animals on the totem pole: a fox and three wolverines.
Aleu met a field mouse named Muru in a cavern who teaches her the difference between answering “what we are” and “who we are” and showing her that her heritage does not define who she is after becoming her spirit guide.
Aleu and Balto met a wolf pack with two specific wolves Niju, the antagonist, and Nava, the pack leader.
When Niju denied Nava’s request to let them off the cliff edge where he’d cornered them, Nava said: “I admire your passion, Niju. But don’t mistake my old age for weakness nor your youth for strength.”
Nava, Aleu, and Balto had all dreamed of following the caribou across the ice path for Nava’s pack to survive, but Niju said that following the caribou would lead to their death. Aleu told Balto that he belonged at home with her mother, and she had finally found her home with the pack, following the caribou as the pack’s new leader.
“Balto III: Wings of Change”
“Bringing the mail and supplies is all about helping people. And now when somebody really needs our help, we’re sitting on our butts. I mean, if this is what it means to be a mail dog…then I’m not sure that’s what I want to be,” said Kodi to the mail dogs when they refused to help save a man who crashed a plane in the 2005 animated film “Balto III: Wings of Change.”
On the back of the “Balto” 3-movie adventure pack, the cover designer for Universal Pictures Home Entertainment wrote the following synopsis for the “Balto III: Wings of Change” movie:
“Balto rises to the challenge once again in ‘Balto III: Wings of Change’ when an airplane pilot claims he can deliver mail and supplies faster than the sled dog team.”
The “Balto” trilogy ends with Balto’s and Jenna’s son, Kodi, who became a sled dog for the mail team.
The sled dog team and Duke the bush pilot had a race to see which would be faster to deliver the U.S. mail between Nome and White Mountain and back. Duke said he knew all about Balto and how he saved Nome in 1925, and he let Balto explore and sit in his bush plane, the Tundra Express.
Stella, a goose visiting Nome for the spring and Boris’ new love interest, learned Boris lied about being injured to avoid flying with her and chasesBoris, who falls into a mail bag and gets tossed into the plane’s compartment leaving Nome.
With Balto’s help, Mr. Simpson, the musher, and the mail dogs beat Duke and the bush plane back to Nome.
Muk and Luk, two polar bears, came to Balto and Jenna after the race, crying about how a monster fell out of the sky, describing it using the exact phrasing Jenna used earlier to describe the bush plane.
Stella told Balto that Boris was put on the plane, and Balto told Stella he believed the plane crashed near Bear Rock, and they, Muk, and Luk set off to rescue Duke and Boris.
Meanwhile, Jenna learned Kodi did not go with because Kodi blamed the man for his team almost losing their jobs.
“You think your job is more important than a life?” Jenna asked Kodi and said she should have gone with Balto. Balto woke Duke, and Duke pulled off the hood of his plane to use as a sled by Balto.
Balto and Duke got stuck on an ice bridge that crumbled, but as Balto lost his footing, Kodi and the mail dogs arrived to save them from falling and together pulled Duke back to Nome.
Boris confessed his fear of heights to Stella, they become an official couple, and they take a midnight swim instead of flying,
The trilogy concludes with Balto living out his dream by getting to fly in the bush plane with Duke.