Movies - Balto

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	Movies - Balto

Balto is an animated film produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblimation animation studio, distributed by Universal Pictures, and originally released to movie theatres by 1995.

Plot

The story begins with a live-action segment in Central Park, New York City. A grandmother, her granddaughter, and their pet dog search for the Balto memorial statue. The granddaughter hands her grandmother a musher's hat, which makes the grandmother tell the story of Balto.

The movie fades to a dogsled race, where two sled teams are racing to get to Nome. The two teams must negotiate a narrow chasm between two slabs of ice. As the sleds get closer, it its clear that the two teams will not be able to pass through the chasm side-by-side. Against the orders of his musher to slow down, Steele, the leader of one team, surges ahead, but the other team keeps up. Steele then snaps at one of the other team's dogs, causing it to stumble and bring the team to a halt. As the stricken team's musher curses Steele, Steele's team continues on toward Nome.

As the three-mile-marker soars into the sky, Balto is seen lifting his Russian-accented goose friend, Boris, from an edge. They go to the edge of the road to watch the sled race end. At the same time, two parents have just given their daughter, Rosy, a sled and a hat. They ride out to the road, where Balto sees Rosy's attractive dark-red and white husky, Jenna, and falls in love. As Rosy waves her hat to cheer on the sled team, the wind catches it and blows it into the road. Balto, seeing a chance to impress Jenna, runs out among the sled dogs and retrieves the hat for Rosy, but he seems to Steele to be racing for the finish line.

While walking in an alley, Balto hears Rosy call for Jenna and runs to her, sliding to a stop with his nose right up against Jenna's. Balto tries to talk to Jenna, but he cannot get the words out before Jenna runs off at her master's call. As Balto walks back through the alley with Boris, they are cornered by Steele and his gang, who torment Balto because of his wolf heritage. Later, as Balto walks toward his home (a wrecked boat), he feels that he is not welcome anywhere. His depression is short-lived, however, when two polar bears, Muk and Luk, show up with their various antics and think they are drowning in shallow water, as they cannot swim.

Later, Balto stares at Nome from a distance. He tells Boris that he is thinking about Jenna.

In Nome, Rosy is getting sick. She tries to play with Jenna, but a cough brings her to a halt. Jenna watches the doctor examine Rosy through a window. At this time, Balto comes up behind and asks Jenna what she is looking at. She explains that Rosy is sick, and Balto brings her to the underfloor space of the doctor's office to find out. Balto dazzles Jenna with a replica of the Northern Lights, but her amazement is cut short by their discovery that Rosy is afflicted with diphtheria and the doctor is out of antitoxin. As they exit the under-floor space, they are cornered by Steele, who tries to seduce Jenna. Jenna tricks Steele into burning himself, and Balto and Jenna attempt to flee, but Jenna is caught and cannot follow Balto.

In the telegraph office, the operator contacts Anchorage requesting the diphtheria antitoxin. All routes to Nome are blocked, the planes cannot get there in the terrible weather, and the nearest train line runs only to Nenana. A decision is made to have a sled team pick up the medicine from the Nenana train station and take it to Nome. The next day, a race is held to determine who will be on the team. Balto sneaks into the race and wins, but he is disqualified after the musher finds out that he is part-wolf. Steele and his accomplices will go to fetch the medicine.

Later, as they are on their way home, Steele loses his way in a blizzard and slides down a hill. The musher is knocked unconscious and the team have no way of making it home without help. When the news reaches Nome, Balto decides to go out to find the sled team with Boris, Muk, and Luk. On the way, they are attacked by a large bear which threatens to kill Balto and his friends, until Jenna comes to the rescue and fights the bear off. The bear and Balto end up on a frozen lake, and the bear breaks the ice, causing Balto to become trapped under the ice floe. Luk and Muk dive into the water to rescue Balto, and realize that they actually can swim. Jenna wants to accompany Balto, but she hurt herself fighting the bear and must go home with Boris and the polar bears. Jenna gives Balto her bandana as a good-luck charm. Boris leaves Balto with a message: "A dog cannot make this journey alone. But, maybe, a wolf can." Balto thinks that this is just Boris making fun of his heritage.

When Balto comes across the sled team, everyone is glad to see him, except Steele. Balto and Steele get into a fight, which eventually results in Steele plummeting down a cliff with Jenna's bandana. He gets up and runs away. Balto resets the sled and leads the team out of their predicament. However, when they come across the trees, Balto found that the markings he had made on the trees were corrupted by Steele. The team runs around, lost, when they suddenly come upon another downhill slope. Balto and the team lose control and the medicine crate falls from the sled, almost going over the edge. Balto saves the crate, but the cliff gives way and Balto and the medicine tumble down the cliff.

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Movies - Balto

Plot

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