1st in a series of articles, focusing on the Raven and the Wolf

Juuchan17 :



In the film, Balto II: Wolf Quest, Balto had many dreams that helped him with his journey to find his daughter and understand their purposes in life. But I noticed that there were many different species of animals, and after some research, I noticed that each animal had an additional meaning for certain scenes and for things that they did throughout the film.

(Note: These descriptions are based on their meanings as 'spiritual guides', which some of the animals were, but I think that you will be quite surprised by the accuracy of the character's actions with how they match up with their spiritual counterparts.)

(This is only part of a series of articles about the animals in WQ . . . There are a couple more to come from me soon! And hopefully, the pictures will work this time!)

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The Raven:

Seen in both Balto's dreams and in real life by both of the wolfdogs, the Raven's meaning is quite simple: a messenger of mystery who has a purpose of change. They are considered to be wise, having knowledge of omens to come in the future (such as the whole journey that Balto and Aleu face).



- In Balto's dreams, the Raven seems to be following Balto - almost to the point of stalking him - throughout his arctic dream world. I'm not sure what this could mean, but perhaps it is merely a 'watcher' of his dreams, just taking note of Balto's reactions of the different changes that it leads him to, in my opinion. Perhaps all of the earlier dreams (before Aleu was born, and the ones when she was a puppy) that he had were nothing more than a test (by the Raven) to see if he was truly worthy of taking on this unknown quest that would soon take place a year later. This theory makes sense when he has the last vision with the totems - Aniu was getting him ready for the quest that he (and unexpectedly for his daughter as well) would have to embark on.




- Also, as Steet's WQ article clearly mentions, the Inuit hunter, the one that led Balto to tell Aleu the truth of her heritage, sported the leather satchel that had the image of a raven. I agree with his points that the hunter could have been Aniu herself, but perhaps he was nothing more than someone that was being controlled by Aniu? This seems to be true, since it was the Raven that led Aleu to where the 'vicious' hunter was laying in hiding in the first place, ready to shoot her. After Boris and Co. attacked him and began to flee from the scene, the hunter seemed as if he had no idea what was going on (or what he was seeing - two polar bears, a goose and two 'wolves' leaving together), hence his parting words:

Hunter: The spirits must be trying to trick me!

In other words, he probably had no idea that an actual spirit was using him for something beyond his control. In my opinion, Aniu wanted to only use him to get Balto to reveal Aleu's true heritage (so that she would be able to head towards her destiny).



Also, there was a major thing that the Raven did that was pretty vital to the tale - it was a leader that guided the father and daughter during their journey:

• It led Balto to the fox - afterwards, he was able to get Aleu's scent.
  
  
• It also led Aleu to the cave, where she soon learned of the 'quest' to discover her destiny from Muru.
  
  
• After Balto and Aleu reunited, they were again met by the Raven, when they finally realized that they had both been led to each other by the Raven.
  

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The Wolf:

The wolf was seen a lot throughout the film - in Balto's early dreams, Nava's wolf pack, and almost all through Muru's song to Aleu - of course, since the film is subtitled 'Wolf Quest,' it's a given that wolves would be the focus of this sequel (and also the fact that the main characters are part wolf and possess the lupine appearance). Usually the wolf symbolizes many things spirit-wise, some times good, sometimes bad, and sometimes it hints natural instinct and guidance through the help of dreams.

Hmm, where have we seen that before?



- In the end of the first dream that we see in Wolf Quest, Balto runs into a pack of dark wolves with glowing eyes. Usually when seen in a pack, wolves can mean Perhaps the vision of seeing a wolf pack was a premonition of his meeting with Nava's clan, the one that Aniu was most focused on?



- Later on after Aleu runs away, he receives a message from Aniu herself, explaining the meanings of the totems. However, when she reaches the wolf, the only thing heard was the sound of wolves howling. Perhaps it's a sign that he and his daughter (or perhaps Aniu herself?) represent the wolf on the totem. I believe that it is almost a show of family values, mainly his and Aleu's connection with their wolf heritage and with Aniu.




- In Muru's chanting song, 'Who You Really Are,' pictures of wolves start to appear and surround Aleu near the song's end. I have realized something about this scene: One of the final shots of the scene, the wolves are looking and facing towards her, making her the 'center' of their focus (see the 2nd picture above), as if it was an ironic prediction that she was meant to lead them, if only she decided to accept her destiny . . . and the quest that she was meant to endure. Yet another plot by Aniu . . . of course.



- It is sometimes stated that wolves symbolize death and rebirth. Perhaps Balto and Aleu's time with Nava's pack was almost like a 'rebirth' of Balto's wolf side (the side of him that he wanted to reject) and possibly the 'death' of the immature husky side of Aleu. Allow me to explain:



Balto's lupine 'rebirth': Due to Nava's quick (mis)judgment, Balto had to suddenly get back into the spirit of using his wolf instincts to help lead the clan to the caribou. However, he had to face a couple of challenges: He had to forget about the things that he loved (being a sled dog, being with Jenna and his friends in Nome, plus you could also add Aleu's safety to that list) and live up to the prophecy that Nava was talking about; he also had to deal with Niju and the ridicule of him being a half-breed that's only led a sled team, and never a pack of wild wolves. True, he was wolf, but he, unlike Aleu, knew that he was of wolf blood. Aleu, however, was the one who did not know (or understand how to be a wolf, with exception of howling and the appearance), hence the reason why she was able to fulfill Aniu's prophecy.



Aleu's 'death' and 'rebirth': Notice how Aleu was so playful before they met the pack? Ever since she learned of what the clan was going through, she seemed to mature and understand what was going on more than her father did. Also, she not only started to receive the dreams of vision from Aniu, but also the wise teachings from Nava as well. She was getting ready to accept what she, at first, didn't understand, but in the end, she found her true path in life as the clan's chosen leader - the one who is wolf and does not know. The young, childish Aleu that Balto had raised since birth had 'died' and, like the phoenix, she emerged from her immaturity with clearer understanding of the part of her in which she truly belonged.

- And yes, Aniu herself is a wolf, but her detailed explanation about her comes later in the last part of this series.

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Sources:

- Wolf Quest Screenshots - Capped by Juuchan17

- Wolf Quest Script - taken from Aleuwolf's Den

- Spiritual Guide Information from Totem/Power Animals and Animal Spirit Guides.

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steet, May 24, 2006 at 18: 46 Webmaster

Wow...You're overworking yourself. People, take example on THIS article.

Aniu_loup, May 24, 2006 at 19: 03 Member

I agree with Steet here. Very nice article, people should learn about this :). You gave lots of information, thanks you for that. *thumbs up*

catwhohas14tails, May 24, 2006 at 19: 27 Member

Now THIS is an article! It's amazing how much thought you put into this, I wish others will do the same ;) Fortuneately or unfortunately, I don't think the animators put this much thought into it...but it's a very good thing you did! :P

Writewolf, May 24, 2006 at 20: 27 Member

great ariticle:P cool info!

Juuchan17, May 24, 2006 at 20: 55 Fan gamebook mod

Thanks! I just got interested in the uses of the animals in the film and thought that perhaps there was another meaning to certain things that happened. When I did the research and rewatched the movie again, I was shocked by the similarities of the "spiritual" meaning and their role in the film. *sigh* Too bad the pictures didn't show up inside the article (I emailed you about that, Steet). . . but use the pictures that I uploaded to see what I mean. Again, thank you so much! (and this article took me about a few weeks to write . . . I was working on the other parts of this series (and school, work, fics, the usual) at the same time) I agree: this is the type of articles that should be here, and I only try to give you guys what you want. ;)

myFork, May 25, 2006 at 01: 02 Member

Excellent, excellent, definitely not spammy article! I can't wait to read more! :)

sahara-SWP-AF, May 25, 2006 at 02: 08 Member

i sooooo agree with steet!!!you take so much effort and time into your articles!!and that is the best thing when your creating one.your article's aer very detailed,they have the info everyone is looking for,plus on that it is fun to read and get the facts!you should be very proud of yourself juuchan17!!!you one of the best article writers here and i mean that.

Spirit_wolf12, May 25, 2006 at 03: 12 Member

:icon308: AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MeekoCatCool, May 25, 2006 at 04: 24

Fantastic article!:icon299:This is my favorite on so far I've seen on BS Keep up your writing!I got a lot of info now!

Juuchan17, May 25, 2006 at 06: 16 Fan gamebook mod

I promise that there will be more articles to follow this one! (At least two more) Actually the facts are based on totem spirits and whatnot, but hey, it sounds cool. Thanks for all of the comments!

baltofan01WMP-AM, May 25, 2006 at 14: 26 Member

holy moly. that is one great article:P

Ray, May 25, 2006 at 19: 34 Member

i've been waiting for something of this quality

L.O.T.B.D., May 25, 2006 at 23: 32

omg!!! This article is....great! I didn't know most of this stuff! Great job on your article!:o :P :duckiemouth: :allears: :icon299:

Juuchan17, May 26, 2006 at 13: 36 Fan gamebook mod

Wow! *is still surprised by the overpour of comments* Thank you so much for enjoying my latest article! At least I'm focusing on the more positive points of WQ instead of the bloopers and story mistakes and whatnot. (Because I love the film, despite the animation quality and all; the more I love it, the more I want to show other fans that WQ is, in fact, a great sequel with important messages and other stuff.) :P The next part will be about the actual "totem spirits" and a couple of other creatures that you probably wouldn't think were that important (but have an important role in certain scenes - I won't give anything away yet, so don't ask yet. ;) )! Possibly the last part? Not sure. Still writing it. It all depends on the length of the full article when it's completed!

aragneer, May 26, 2006 at 18: 28 Member

This is the best article i know to have been written i wish i was better at writing articles then my crap articles i once wrote well keep up the good work (check out my fan fics new sequel on Aleu coming soon)

highland wolf, May 26, 2006 at 19: 53 Member

Wow! you really worked hard on this, and it turned out very, very well! I didn't think Wolf Quest could be so complicated and clever, your a very smart person you know. It just shows how great a movie Wolf Quest is! Well Done! Loved it, and can't wait for part 2 of this article!:howl:

little doggy, May 26, 2006 at 21: 27 Member

that is...pretty cool! I love the idea with the series of articles!!! Tree cheers for you! And just my quick opinion abot the matured aleu. I think that aleu still stayed a child, but in the end just as a simple kid she as just over exited. i'll continue later:mad:

little doggy, May 26, 2006 at 21: 37 Member

soz for last comment. my little bro wasa bit of a spaz head. I 'm not going into the details. So where did i stop? Oh yeah,so Aleu was acting childly in the beggining and then she went on a quest. and what does it mean - excitement, wonder mystery so she tried to look older infront of the wolves to give a good impression. She didnt sat anything clever or wise and Nava was like a teacher for her/

Denise kalla 99, May 26, 2006 at 22: 56

wow!good article!

Juuchan17, May 27, 2006 at 02: 19 Fan gamebook mod

little doggy: I like your theory about Aleu, but I have this feeling that she was growing up through her quest: She started as an innocent child (birth through adoption day); then she became an adolescent, confused about what her purpose in life was (the hunter scene, the truth about her heritage and her running away); throughout her journey in the wild, she received some clarity on tips to lead her to her destiny (Muru's cave, the confrontation with Nava's pack and Aniu's vision); and finally, in the end, she used her intelligence to put the pieces together - she looks like a wolf, she (somehow) understands the clan's situation and knows what must be done, plus she needed to find where she belongs (she also fit the description of the next leader perfectly - she was wolf but she didn't know that she was meant to live as one). It's pretty simple to understand when you break it down enough. I'm glad you mentioned this! :P

shadow_wolf22, May 27, 2006 at 08: 51 Member

great article

Juuchan17, May 27, 2006 at 17: 57 Fan gamebook mod

Update: Thanks to Steet, the pictures in the article work! Thank you so much! :P EDIT: Sometimes they do anyways . . . . *le sigh*

Juuchan17, May 31, 2006 at 09: 12 Fan gamebook mod

UPDATE: There will be three articles - the second will be about the totem spirits - the third will be about the other minor animals. Just thought you'd like to know that! ;)

Aniu_Blade, May 31, 2006 at 18: 14 Fan contest mod

Wow, now that's an article if I ever did see one. Great job Juuchan17! :P And as for your other two articles, I can't wait to read them either, the sound like they'll be just as interesting as this one! Thanks for that informative analysis of the totems!

Juuchan17, May 31, 2006 at 19: 32 Fan gamebook mod

Thanks, Aniu_blade! I might make a follow-up article for things that I just noticed (making it four parts). *rewatched WQ yesterday and caught some more Raven/Wolf stuff* I really have no life. :P

tibb_wolf, June 28, 2006 at 04: 32 Questions mod

Wow!! THIS is a great article!! Lots of info, too.

lonewulf, July 18, 2006 at 20: 42 Member

Woah..I never noticed...good article!:p

redhusky, July 28, 2006 at 21: 21 Member

You put a lot of thought into this article! You're overworking yourself! lol I never did notice this in the movie, but I'll be sure to look for it when I watch it again.

wolf princess, April 28, 2007 at 00: 55 Fan News editor

wowy zowy amazing

jadewolf, June 23, 2008 at 18: 13 Member

best article right here hands down

Black-Wolf-Soul, June 24, 2008 at 16: 36 Member

this is truly.. i mean TRULY the best thing i've ever read on this site.. and best article here too and AWESOME work you put into this as Steet and Aniu_Loup said.. but what about those badgers and the bear and the fox??.. i'm sure they had a meaning as well ?..

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