I have known about the Rocky franchise for quite some time, but I did not have a chance to sit down and watch the entire saga until recently. It all started when I recorded Rocky off TCM. Since I knew we had the final film on DVD, I thought it would be fun to watch Rocky Balboa right afterwards. This was followed by my reading of Rocky: The Ultimate Guide at the local library, Ken Begg's review of Rocky IV on Jabootu's Bad Movie Dimension, and watching Rocky II through V on Spike TV's marathon.
Having also been a longtime fan of Balto, the thought occurred to me that both franchises might be combined into one. Both tell stories of "underdogs" who rise from the streets of obscurity to fame and glory; both feature love stories; both see their heroes facing off against seemingly unbeatable opponents; both feature sports of sorts; and both are classic films which were followed by unnecessary sequels of diminishing quality. But what if the Balto saga had been allowed to follow Rocky's arc of films?
Balto II
On the night Balto arrives back in Nome with the antitoxin, he and Jenna sneak into the hospital boiler room. Steele bursts in, challenging Balto to a race. Balto declines and Steele departs promising to make Balto's life miserable.
Balto is taken into Kaasen's kennel, but he has trouble adjusting to life surrounded by other dogs. Since Kaasen has no memory of Steele's actions, he readily places him back on the team, leading to heated competition with Balto for the role of lead dog. Steele schemes to undermine Balto's credibility with his teammates by opinionating that because Balto is untrained he is undisciplined and untrustworthy. Moreover, being the only dog in the kennel with a mate, Balto is "love numbed" and therefore susceptible to further impairment. Steele also works to undo Balto's publicity, foiling Balto's photo shoot for the town newspaper. The team is asked to star in a silent film recreating the medicine run, but when they sail to Hollywood, Balto wilts in the humid climate and is scared by all the production equipment. The film is scrapped.
Balto grows miserable and ends up being demoted to Kaasen's secondhand team. Winters ends, and during the long summer that follows Jenna and Boris stick by him. Balto takes Jenna atop the hill where she created the northern lights and asks her to be his mate. She accepts.
When winter arrives so does news that the first anniversary of the antitoxin run is to be commemorated by the Iditarod: a race from Nenana to Nome by several musher teams. Balto decides to throw himself into training, secretly being aided by his teammates. When Steele discovers their allegiance has turned, he quits Kaasen's team and takes another musher.
All the teams head to Nenana. Before the race can begin, Steele locks Balto inside a cattle car being taken south to Anchorage. Nikki, Kaltag, and Star witness this and break Balto out of the car. They race back to Nenana, where Kaasen has been searching frantically. The team pours on all its might, crawling their way into second place and catching up with Steele. As they mush onto Nome's main street, Steele has the advantage. Suddenly, one of the overenthusiastic spectators crashes through the rope and lands in the street. Balto and Steele both swerve, spilling their teams into the snow. The dogs scramble back to their paws; Balto gets up first and crosses the finish line. He is mobbed in the ensuing celebrations, but seeks out Jenna and hugs her, blushing, "I did it!"
Balto III
Over the next two years, Balto's life is a whirlwind of success. He wins the next two succeeding Iditarods and defends the Golden Collar; his image appears on lucrative product endorsement deals; he even manages to deal with his fears long enough that when a film crew arrives in Nome, Balto turns in a stellar performance for the camera.
This parade of fame ends in New York City, where a statue to Balto is dedicated in Central Park. At the unveiling, Balto tells his teammates that he has decided to retire and concentrate on starting a family with Jenna. Suddenly, a new musher named Laurence and his dog Tureaud appear. Both are from the Yukon and have worked their way up through the competition to become the top team in that territory. They challenge Kaasen and Balto to a race. Balto's decline sets off a tirade on the longstanding feud between Alaskan and Yukon mushers, with Tureaud hurling insults at Jenna. Balto is incensed enough to accept the challenge.
A special race is constructed through rural New York. Balto becomes lost in the unfamiliar territory and he watches Laurence and Tureaud cross the finish. Balto then receives devastating news from Nome: Boris is dying of old age. By the time he is able to return, Boris is on his last breaths. He misinterprets Balto's words for meaning that he won the race, and dies.
Balto places Boris in his boat and sets it afire. As he watches the hull blaze, Steele appears in the firelight. He has heard of the loss and knows why it happened: he did not see "the eyes of a wolf" (which Steele knew whenever they raced against each other) in the film Balto made, and he does not see them now. He offers to train Balto, asking only for an unspecified "favor" when the inevitable rematch race is done. Balto asks Jenna if she is ok with this and she allows.
Steele takes Balto away from Nome to Barrow, which is above the Arctic Circle in extreme northern Alaska. He begins putting Balto through a punishing regiment, including a hike through the blinding snow. Both wind up lost and seek shelter in a thicket. Steele admits that he still carries feelings for Jenna, but has accepted that she is now Balto's. The blizzard abates and Balto finds the right track back to Barrow. When Balto returns to Nome, Jenna informs him that she is pregnant.
Laurence and Tureaud enter the Iditarod, as do Balto and Kaasen. It becomes a two team race, with Balto and Tureaud running neck and neck. Balto wins the final stretch into Nome. The town vet runs up and takes Balto to Kaasen's kennel. Balto is now the father of a son, whom they name Kodi.
Afterwards, Balto meets Steele in a deserted glade. Steele admits that he never did get over Balto's win and calls in his favor: a race to Nome between just the two of them. Before Balto can ask if Steele also lied about accepting that Jenna is now his mate, Steele bolts and their race is on.
Balto IV
In the USSR, the Communist government is embarking upon its first five year plan of industrial and agrarian production. The Soviets wish to display the transformations happening within their new country and send a delegation to Nome: A team of mushers and dogs trained in the communist ethic. The team is headed by Ivan Desinovich and his lead dog, Drago.
Ivan challenges Kaasen to an exhibition race through the Alaskan wilderness, but Balto refuses to participate. He is now a father and wants no further part in mushing. When Drago gourds him to accept, Steele steps forth to accept the challenge, angry at Balto for not doing so. During the exhibition race, Steele tumbles down a hillside (which Drago gamely descends) and breaks his spine, dying soon afterwards.
Balto announces that he will go to Russia and participate in a grueling national race twice as long as the Iditarod. The race will transverse Siberia and arrive in Moscow on Christmas Day, where General Secretary Joseph Stalin will be present at the finish line. All of Balto's old teammates decide to join him. Jenna pleads with him to renege on his word, and, when Balto refuses, Jenna refuses to accompany him to Russia, remaining behind with Kodi.
In Siberia, Balto puts his team through the same paces that Steele taught him. He also meets Elena, a niece Boris never knew he had. Elena, like Boris, would not fly with the other geese, but she chose to remain in Russia. Jenna arrives, admitting that she could not stay away, and all this support encourages Balto to push harder. He leads the team in a race up a mountain and howls to the sky.
When the race begins, Balto's team finishes dead last at the first checkpoint. But Balto realizes that while his competition has the edge in training, he has the edge in experience. Checkpoint by checkpoint, they crawl up the ranks. Slowly, the crowds who jeer them on sight begin to cheer. By the last leg of the race into Moscow, the crowd is actively chanting Balto's name. He wins the race. As Kaasen argues with the Russian mushers, Balto delivers to the assembled Russian canines a heartfelt plea for international peace. The mushers, seeing their dogs cohort, put aside their arguments.
Balto V
Balto returns to Nome from Russia, once again a national hero. However, the fame is short-lived by to two pieces of devastating news. First, while they were away the Alaskan government had decided to use airplanes for mail runs instead of trained dogs. Balto and his canine friends are all out of jobs. Second, the United States is coming into the grips of the Great Depression, with crippling economic consequences in Nome. Kaasen is soon the only musher in a town rapidly being abandoned and filled with unemployed dogs.
Despite these circumstances, mushing has grown in popularity, in no small thanks to Balto. Many dogs want to race in the Iditarod, and many mushers want the chance to do so as well. Balto, however, is examined by Nome's vet and found to have the early signs of osteoarthritis. This time, his retirement will be permanent.
Balto tries to enjoy retirement with his mate and son, but worries about Kaasen, who still intends to compete in the next Iditarod. Wanting to leave Kaasen with the best team possible, Balto, Nikki, Kaltag and Star search for their replacements. His friends have also decided to retire if they can no longer race together as one team. Kodi, who is rapidly maturing, also attends Balto's tryout, but he is injured during one of the trials. Balto makes Kodi promise not to tryout again, for fear of his son's safety.
One day a dog with familiar coloring walks into town. He is Norse, Steele's son from a secret affair. Norse has inherited both his father's agility and his domineering spirit. Balto trains Norse, encouraging him to think less like his father and to become a fairer racer. Norse ascends to lead dog and wins the Golden Collar. Meanwhile, Kodi feels neglected and begins spending most of his time with Jenna and Elena, who returned with Balto from Russia.
Balto and Norse have a fight when Norse pulls an illegal move during a trial race. Norse accuses Balto of trying to hold him back and dissolves their friendship. Balto goes back home only to be shunned by Kodi, who accuses him of only turning an eye because his "son" got angry. Balto, oblivious to his neglect, is accosted by Jenna and made to see what he has done. Balto finds Kodi and justifies his actions by telling his son how precious he is, and how important he feels about seeing his son unharmed. He reveals that his own father was so embarrassed by his birth that he tried to kill him and they never saw each other again. Kodi asks for Balto's understanding that he is being hurt in a different way.
Not long afterwards, Norse returns and challenges Balto to a race around Nome. He intends to beat and humiliate Balto. Balto declines, but Kodi accepts. Kodi and Norse takeoff with the other dogs watching. Kodi wins and a beaten Norse runs from the scene. A month later, Balto, Jenna and Elena watch from the finish as Kodi leads Kaasen's new team to victory in the Iditarod.
Balto of Nome (Balto VI)
It is 1934, nine years since the antitoxin run. Balto is now more than twelve years old and has not mushed in quite a few seasons. He has lived with Stella for the last year at Rosy's house. Jenna died of cancer in 1933. Balto's son is now full grown, but he left mushing for unexplained reasons and works in Anchorage for the police, though he faces abuse from his German Shepard comrades. Balto's stature in mushing is legendary and he is sought out from time to time by other dogs for training, but always he declines.
Nikki, Kaltag, and Star all make their way back to Nome from various places in Alaska. On the first anniversary of Jenna's death, the dogs walk their old haunts, reminiscing, and paying their respects at Jenna's grave. They each encourage Balto to leave Nome and join him in one of their other locations, but he refuses to leave. Kodi also returns for the memorial, but seems distant from his father.
Rosy is about to graduate from Nome's high school and plans to attend college in California. The opportunities for her in Nome are nonexistent; the town is half deserted. She offers Balto the chance to accompany her, but he declines. Kodi asks his father to reconsider, but he adamantly remains behind.
One night the old town boiler explodes. The ensuing fire leaps from house to house and soon the whole town is ablaze. Balto is awakened by the smoke and noise and escapes from the house with Rosy's parents before it catches fire, but Rosy is trapped in the house. Balto goes back into the flames and finds Rosy, but she has fallen unconscious and he is unable to move her. Kodi appears and they evacuate her from the house just before it collapses.
Balto's breathing is affected by the smoke and he grows unable to talk. Kodi refuses to go back to Anchorage and stays by his father. One morning, Balto suddenly and wheezingly asks to be helped up to Jenna's grave. When he gets there, he tells his son that he knows his time has come, but he wants to know why Kodi left mushing. Kodi reveals that he left mushing because he could not stand the comparisons made by the other dogs between himself and his father. He felt like he would forever be "Balto's son". Balto tells him that they were right: he will always be his son, and he is proud of that:
"And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching you, every day was like a privilege. Then the time came for you to be your own and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world isn't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. No one hits as hard as life. But it isn't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But you have to be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you're not where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that's not you! You're better than that! I'm always going to love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You're my son and you're my blood. You're the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you won't have a life. Don't forget to visit."
Balto nuzzles Jenna's grave, and says with his last breath, quietly, "We did it."
The next day, Kodi walks into Kaasen's kennel.