Keeper of the Paw of Justice
Posts: 18
(6/7/02 10:23 am) Reply
Does the Sequel Change Anything?
I've been around to other message boards and forums, and the answer to one question always eludes me... Are Aniu and the White Wolf one in the same? At first I would have said yes, but then as more information became avalible I began to re-think my position...
The White Wolf from Balto was much bigger than Balto was, and it had an extremely furry pelt. Besides howling (and giving Balto the inspiration he needed) it was pretty much mute (I say mute not a mute). It had no previous contact with Balto before he fell off the False cliff.
Aniu on the other paw was was only slightly bigger than Balto, had smoother fur, and didn't have quite the same markings. She also appeared to Balto many times in his dreams, and constantly helped him out.
At first you could argue that White wolves aren't all that rare, or perhaps it was summer shedding (I doubt that applies to a spirit tho :P). If you took these two into consideration then it seems as if Aniu and the White Wolf are indeed different.
However there is one little thing that bothers me. All of the characters in Balto 2 look slightly different from their original counterparts, due to the change in animation styles, and animators.
So which is it? Different or one in the same?
"I'm not lazy, i'm just motivationally challanged..."
White Wolf Spirit guide
Posts: 257
(6/7/02 1:10 pm) Reply
Re: Does the Sequel Change Anything?
This is a new question to ponder (I'll have a section up on my site soon enough, heehee).
At first, I liked the idea of the white wolf returning in Balto II...I thought it would be a second significant encounter. However, after being told "This is her" and seeing a screencap I thought "What? That doesn't look anything like before..."
You could argue about the animation being different from the original to the sequel, and I say that very few characters actually changed. Balto was very accurately drawn in some parts, while others resembled a different style. I'd say the character with the most drastic change was Jenna - it was clearly a different character design. However, we can get very nitpicky with the white wolf's design- no mane, no black on the ears, no blue around the eyes (though the outline is there), different color eyes, and a muzzle not as slender.
I personally think that the intention to connect the two wolves was there, but doesn't show up clearly enough for me to be convinced. Little kids would look and go "It's a white wolf! That's the one that showed up before!" because every other wolf in the two movies is a shade of gray or red. However, the color white gives a mystical quality to both Aniu and the White Wolf, so it's appropriate that both be the color of snow, the color of mist, etc (Did you know that "Aniu" is an Inuit word for snow?) rather than jet black or similar to Nava.
What was I talking about? O_o Hmm, the sequel does not change much, I just will continue to believe that the White Wolf is different from Aniu, and will scowl at those who call the White Wolf "Aniu" (Besides, what about those who haven't seen Balto II? The white wolf doesn't have a name to them... she never will to me either.)
Keeper of the Paw of Justice
Posts: 19
(6/7/02 1:29 pm) Reply
Re: Does the Sequel Change Anything?
LOL!!!
I guess your right about the animation, if you take the fact that the characters really don't change too much; and in some places remesble the other animation style, then that tosses my point out. ( yay!)
I really can't imagine Aniu being the same wolf. Now that my head is cleared up, I can continue thinking of the white wolf in Balto as being mysterious (and genderless ).
Thanks Snow! I can't wait til you get that section of your site up. It should clear up a lot of misconceptions. ^__^
I guess the apporate thing to say is that White Wolves are just Mysterious in the world of Balto.
"I'm not lazy, i'm just motivationally challanged..."
I found someone who actually agrees with me!
I, too, stand by the theory that the white wolf and Aniu are one in the same.
I have yet another argument for those who disagree with me and RubyWolf. Remember in Wolf Quest when Nava says that "Aniu, the white wolf, has come to me in dream visions?" He says THE white wolf, implying that there is only one white wolf.
There is another argument that I almost forgot about. The white wolf's howl and Aniu's howl aren't really all that different. They rise on the same pitch and are the same length. Aniu's howl just echoes a little more in WQ.
I found this out using a cassette recorder to record the howls from both movies. This is enough evidence for me.
I am not trying to offend anyone. It's just my opinion.
Mysterious Sparkling White Wolf
Posts: 287
(7/13/02 10:06 pm) Reply
Re: I found someone who actually agrees with me!
No offense taken, this is a friendly debate! Your opinion is also that of the majority of Balto II fans here.
One could argue with Nava's line... though another theory we have come up with is that Aniu was once a great leader of the wolf clan, and strangely enough, the only white one. It's ridiculous to think that there is only one white wolf in the north, but that may have been the case with this particular pack.
As for the howling, it sounds like the White Wolf's howl was done by Kevin Bacon (When Balto and wolf howl together, it's the same tone quality), while Aniu's howl is most certainly different and done by her voice actor (I didn't like it as much. *Lol*). Interesting about the pitch and length, though, I wonder if it was supposed to be like that?
~Snow
RubyWolf
Unregistered User
(7/22/02 3:38 pm) Reply
I have to admit, Snow is right!
I saw somethin on TV yesterday about wolves and it said that almost all the wolves that far north are white! But I still strongly believe that Aniu and the white wolf are the same character!
~RubyWolf
*Aniu lives within my soul*
Catch no Ball
Unregistered User
(9/17/02 11:49 am) Reply
Aniu and the white wolf..................................
are esentially the same character not because of whether it had to do with either Balto 1 or 2: but because.................................................................................................:
A) Universal Studios had ran out of ideas for the 2nd film and thus "dumped" in the white wolf into the film
B) People love to see reapperances of characters, hence by speculation, using the white wolf as a "plot device"
Kylewulf Registered User
Posts: 46
(9/18/02 12:26 pm) Reply
Re: Aniu and the white wolf.................................
Whoah, that's quite an issue, Catch! Having Universal run out of ideas? That would sound funny enough when they're halfway through, but probably not. About this Aniu-White Wolf issue, at first I believed that both characters are different but then again when I think about it just now, it came to me that Ruby's and your's opinion could be right on par. Why? Consider this:
When Aniu came into Balto's dream and told him about the animals on the totem pole, she said, "My son", right? For all I know, we all know that as Aniu, that guides Balto along the way with his dream vision. She would most probably be the same white wolf in the first movie. As for another thing, she proves to be Balto's mother, directly from her own words.
Compare this with the wolf we saw in the last part of the movie. When it vanishes, Balto said, "And goodbye to you too, Mother." That would imply on the mysterious wolf being Balto's mother. Another question, if that IS Balto's mother, is she Aniu? If it is, then both white wolves we saw in Balto 1 & 2 are essentially THE SAME!
As I know of, the animators for WQ were not the same as the first movie. (more on that, ask DW OK lol!) I heard the backgrounds were done by some Asian people. So as far as i'm corcerned, changes to the production team could mean changes to how the final products turns out, more or less. It's hard to say that Aniu and the White Wolf are different based on the fact that they LOOKED different, whilst we know new styles and techniques were put to use in WQ. I'm just pointing out OK? Least to say, the truth won't be revealed until the ppl at Universal tells us about that ^_^;;;
Mysterious Sparkling White Wolf
Posts: 322
(9/18/02 3:15 pm) Reply
Re: Aniu and the white wolf.................................
*lol* You bring up some valid points. Let me lay down the facts so we know where we stand.
Fact: Aniu is Balto's mother. She is the one who guided him in Wolf Quest, through the animal totems and up to meeting him in person at the end of the movie. We don't know any story behind her.
Fact: DWK was officially asked this question at TBL. His response was that yes, the intention was to establish a connection between Aniu and the white wolf....BUT, it was not set in stone for a reason. They don't want to say directly out that the characters are the same...so there is still a bit of conflict between theories.
Opinion: Yes, even though WQ's animators were completely different, people see too many changes (animation, style, personality) to connect the two.
Opinion: A person (or wolf) can have more than one spirit guide. I like to think that the white wolf represents essence of the wolf itself, given its beauty and mystery... whereas Aniu was a mortal wolf at one time and now shows up to guide Balto at this point in his life. Aniu probably would have had a different effect on Balto had she shown up at the bottom of the ravine instead of the arctic ghost.
Ah, this is the debate that never ends....
~Snow
Firekeeper
Unregistered User
(1/4/04 11:06 am) Reply
.......
i know i sound lame, but.....
Sometimes i think theWhitewolf and Aniu are the same, sometimes i dont.
i was reading the stuff about Whitewolf on Acanis's site, and i had this thaught. In B1, the Whitwolf's fur looks much thicker than Aniu's does, but this could be because wolves shed. B1 takes place in the winter, and B2 in... spring?(im not sure, i havnt seen it in ages)
That is my thought.
Re: .......
That's a good observation. If you look at the basic markings though on both white wolves, the white wolf from the original has black eartips which Aniu clearly lacks. Aniu also doesn't have the same face, or the dark areas around the eyes that the white wolf has. Their approaches are different, too. The white wolf from the original inspired Balto, gave him guidance, and left him to walk through the door. Aniu, however, practically shoves Aleu and he through it; she gives them dream sequences, manifests as a bear, wolverines, a vixen and a raven. It was practically impossible for either Balto or Aleu to make their own choice about their actions, and that doesn't sound like the white wolf to me. If I had to give a verdict, I'd say they were two separate entities.
yay!)
).
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