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I was accidently seperated from her when I was young so I never spent much time with the wolf, but I remember that she was as white as snow and she had this warm voice that made me feel safe.
— Balto describes his faint memories of his mother to Aleu in Balto II: Wolf Quest

Aniu is the totem spirit wolf of Universal Studios' 1995 animated film Balto and its straight-to-video sequel, Balto II: Wolf Quest. She is Balto's mother and the wolf deity, who serves as a spirit guide in the Balto series.

Aniu was voiced by Monnae Michaell.

The white wolf first appeared in Balto, as a hallucination serving to help him to accept his wolf heritage after he had fallen down a cliff and given up all hope.

The character remained totally unidentified until Balto II: Wolf Quest, and there remains some dispute as to whether the great white wolf in the first movie was indeed Aniu. However, Phil Weinstein, the director of the second and third Balto movies, declared in an interview that Aniu is the white wolf in the original film (however Phil Weinstein claimed that he never saw "Balto" (first) during working on the sequel, and that the script of Balto 2 already was finished before Phil was aired to work on the movie). Dev Ross, the writer of the second Balto movie, explained that nobody gave to her any information about the White Wolf, so she liked this character and decided to turn it into Balto's mother and the wolf deity. On another hand, Simon Wells (director of the first Balto film) confirmed that the White Wolf is a male and a symbol of Balto's wolf side and self-acceptance, as well as that Balto's wolf side came from his father. The script of the first movie also confirms that the White Wolf was a male.

Aniu appears to be a spirit. She has a tendency to appear and vanish in the blink of an eye, usually with the appearance that she is vanishing into the wind or the fog. She also possesses the ability to shapeshift, having been seen to take the form of a raven, a bear, wolverines and a red vixen.

Personality[]

Balto[]

The White Wolf appears as a mysterious figure, neither spirit nor real wolf, and helps Balto to realize who he truly is (wolf).

Balto II: Wolf Quest[]

Her personality is utterly unknown, but she is considered by wolves as a revered deity, and she wants to remind Aleu about her wolf heritage and then reveals herself to Balto as his mother.

Her species is a Timber Wolf.

Biography[]

Early Years[]

(Simon Wells intended) Simon Wells, the director of the original film, stated that the White Wolf is a symbol of Balto's wolf side, which Balto has to accept, and unlikely Balto's father.

(Dev Ross intended) Once Aniu was a grey living wolf, who loved her pups and pack. After death she became the white wolf and now is the Great Mother of all wolves and a part of the Great Guardian Spirit, helping to wolves to find the true self. She is also depicted on humans' totem pole, some wolves refer to her as the Great Aniu, treating as the goddess, and meet with her in dream visions for getting advice from her. Being the spirit, she mated with a stray male husky (Balto's father) and later birthed Balto, raising him alone, until he accidentally got lost.

Since Balto was accidentally separated from her at an early age, he has few memories of her, he said that she "was white as snow" and had a warm voice that always made him feel safe. In addition to being Balto's mother, Aniu is a revered deity to the wolf pack and Nava, the elderly leader of the wolf pack Balto and Aleu meet during Wolf Quest.

Balto[]

The White Wolf played a significant role in the first film, appearing twice to remind Balto of his wolf heritage. He is never mentioned by name, nor does he speak throughout the film, and appears to only be a mysterious figure who comes to Balto in his times of need to give him spiritual support and encouragement to embrace his wolf side.

Balto II: Wolf Quest[]

It becomes much more evident in the second film that Aniu is indeed a spirit and not a living wolf. She is known to have taken two forms along the way to help both Balto and Aleu:

  • Wolf (Spirit, Guide, Lead, Conduct), her true self, the teacher.
  • Raven (Dreams, Visions, and Nightmares), the dark bird that appeared in Balto's dreams.

These forms could possibly allude to the Raven and Wolf/Eagle moieties of the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska, and the portrayal of both moieties (also known as 'descent groups') through the same character could symbolize Balto and Aleu's mixed heritages.

Trivia[]

  • In the Balto Junior Novel, the White Wolf is refered as a "he". Many storyboards and concept arts of the original film also depict the White Wolf as a male, The script of the original film confirms the White Wolf is a male.
  • During an interview with Simon Wells (Director of the original Balto film), a question was asked to him about the White Wolf/Aniu's appearance and Simon's reply:
    • "Whether the White Wolf is Balto's father or some kind of ephemeral Spirit of the Wolf is deliberately unstated. The White Wolf Sequence is still my favorite part of the movie, and James Horner's extraordinary score that accompanies it still raises the hairs on the back of my neck. We wanted to keep it mystical and vague - is this a real event or is it some kind of hallucination that Balto is experiencing? All of these were reasons to not have the White Wolf speak or in any way explain himself. Perhaps the Wolf is a manifestation of Balto's inner voice, telling him to take ownership and use that part of him that he has always been ashamed of - certainly that is the message Balto takes from the encounter, real or not (and by the way, if it was really his dad why didn't the old man help him drag the antitoxin up the cliff?)"
  • Dev Ross, the sequel's writer, stated that during working on the project nobody gave her any information about the white wolf from the first movie, so she liked this character and decided to develop more, and it was her idea to make Balto's mother to be his wolf side and to make the white wolf to be Balto's mother. However, it contradicts to the canon of the first film, as Simon Wells stated that Balto's wolf side came from his dad, while Balto's mother was a working sled dog husky.
  • Aniu's name means "snow" in Inuit, indicating the color of her fur.
  • During an interview with Dev Ross (Scriptwriter of Balto-2), a question was asked to her about Aniu and Dev's reply:
    • "Aniu became the white wolf and is now the Great Mother of all wolves and serves as their guide — if they will listen. She represents the "call of the wild" that exists in us all. Most of us ignore that call, repress it or can't even hear it. But some do. Balto did, but fought it to be like regular dogs. But his daughter could not repress the desire to return to her roots, her true nature. Aniu is part of the Great Spirit. She is the reminder that we all are part of nature and must honor nature as a powerful force. Aniu shows herself to those who will listen. (In my mind, her great love for her pups and her wolf pack made her a guardian spirit once she died. And, yes, she joined in with a Greater Force, a Great Guardian Spirit. Unfortunately, I don't know, why and how she died — that was decided before I came on the project.)"
  • Since Aniu became white wolf after her death and joining in with the Great Spirit (and in the film nobody mentions that she died or ever existed as a living wolf), and that Balto already remembered her being white, it means that Balto is a half-spirit,

References[]

The White Wolf is NOT Aniu

Interview with the Director of Balto

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