Balto is a 1995 live-action/animated adventure film directed by Simon Wells, produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures.

[4] It is loosely based on the true story of the eponymous dog who helped save children infected with diphtheria in the 1925 serum run to Nome.

Though primarily an animated film, it uses a live-action framing device that takes place in New York City's Central Park and features Miriam Margolyes as an older version of one of the children.

Although the film was a financial failure due to being overshadowed by the success of Pixar's Toy Story, its subsequent sales on home video led to two direct-to-video sequels: Balto II: Wolf Quest (2002) and Balto III: Wings of Change (2005), though none of the original voice cast reprised their roles.

He is challenged by the town's favorite sled dog Steele, a fierce and arrogant Alaskan Malamute, and his teammates, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star.

Severe winter weather conditions prevent medicine from being brought by air or sea from Anchorage, and the closest rail line ends in Nenana.

On the way back, conditions deteriorate and the disoriented team ends up stranded at the base of a steep slope with the musher knocked unconscious.

Balto eventually finds the team, but Steele refuses his help and attacks him until he loses his balance and falls off a cliff.

Screenwriter Elana Lesser first recalled being told the story of Balto by her grandfather as a child, and as an adult, felt that it would make an excellent animated film.

A Dinosaur's Story (1993), and screenwriters Roger S. H. Schulman and David Steven Cohen, as well as several uncredited writers, did further development.

At the behest of Wells, Varab also gave a dog anatomy lecture that focused on how Balto was to be drawn, drawing on his prior knowledge from his work on The Fox and the Hound (1981), as well as citing preliminary character sketches drawn by character designer Carlos Grangel and original model sheets of Tramp from Lady and the Tramp (1955).

[13] The tight budget necessitated many difficult decisions; for instance, it was calculated that in most shots, the effects animators could not afford to include both footprints and shadows, and had to figure out what they could get away with omitting.

[6] Another principal difficulty that the crew faced was that in order to achieve the snow colors and textures that Bacher's production design mandated, the background artists needed to use oil paint, instead of gouache or watercolor, like most other animated films.

According to producer Steve Hickner, an advantage that came from the longer drying time was that the artists could "work back into their art" days later, while the paint was still wet.

However, Spielberg wanted to feel a clearer sense of Steele's "inherent evil", so Fraser was replaced by Jim Cummings.

Wells stated that Cummings "did a fantastic job, and totally made the character live, so I don't regret the choice.

"[6] However, Wells also recalled a brief point at which, while struggling with Boris's accent, Hoskins vented his anger that he "used to have a career", before "playing a goose.

"[13] In his autobiography, Jack Angel stated that he, Danny Mann and Robbie Rist were flown to London to record their respective roles as Nikki, Kaltag and Star together, with his wife, Arlene Thornton, in tow.

"[6] Horner also collaborated with songwriting duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil to write an original song, "Reach for the Light", sung by Steve Winwood, which plays over the film's end credits.

[46] Its release was vastly overshadowed by that of Pixar Animation Studios' first feature film, Toy Story, which had premiered a month earlier.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Balto is a well-meaning adventure with spirited animation, but mushy sentimentality and bland characterization keeps it at paw's length from more sophisticated family fare.

"[57] Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised the film for "avoiding the mythological grandiosity and freneticism that afflict so many animated features these days", and "making modesty a virtue.

"[58] Brian Lowry of Variety gave the film a more middling review, praising its pro-social messages and James Horner's "blaring" score, and finding the action sequences decent, but also criticized the humor as scant, and Balto himself as "rather blandly heroic.

Balto: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack contains the score for the film, composed and conducted by James Horner, and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Due to the significantly lower budgets and different production personnel of the sequels, Kevin Bacon, Bob Hoskins, Bridget Fonda, and Phil Collins did not reprise their roles in either of them.

[69] A few characters from the first sequel could not be brought back, owing to Mary Kay Bergman’s suicide in 1999, which also caused Balto II to be delayed for two years.

The storyline follows the same litter of pups from Balto II, but focuses on another pup, Kodi, who is a member of a U.S. Mail dog sled delivery team, and is in danger of getting put out of his job by Duke, a pilot of a mail delivery bush plane, while Boris finds a mate named Stella.

[70] Unlike the original movie, none of the sequels took any historical references from the true story of Balto, and neither contained live-action sequences.