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#aniu #balto #mystic #norhternlights #snow #snowwolf #space #stars #white #whitewolf #wolf #auroraboralis #reachforthelight #whitespiritwolf
Published: 2016-02-13 16:19:56 +0000 UTC; Views: 22280; Favourites: 543; Downloads: 0
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I have had this in my mind for years...Aniu; the white wolf from Balto, my one of my favourite movies. The scene in which Aniu appears is still my all time favourite scene from all movies I have ever seen – see here www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucfHDO… .I still clearly remember the moment when I saw this scene for the first time- I think I felt the same surprise as Balto – it has made an enormous impression and has had major influence on my artwork ever since. Also the music score, composed by the awesome James Horner who died recently T.T is still my all time favourite -together with the theme of Schindler’s List (by John Williams) - which is highly similar: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLK5OW… - and I play both themes very often on my keyboard. It was in the end of winter 1998 (I was 9) when I saw Balto for the first time and I already had a fascination for snow, wolves and the North at that time. I remember I have spent weeks and weeks on internet (still with a terribly slow modem at that time) on the overwhelming amount of Balto-fan sites. My favourite was Balto’s Zodiac – made by ‘Snow Wolf’ – later known as SnowWolfMystic on DA and now known as (who makes fantastic artwork too!).
Many of these fan sites are offline but these ones is still there www.theicecave.org/balto.shtml and fluke.theicecave.org/main.shtm…
The movie Balto just made my fascination for snow and wolves grow exponentially. It is actually still a major inspiration source for my art. Although I mainly focus on felids like my siderians, I still love wolves too. I have been watching Wolf’s Rain recently and wanted to draw these characters with a new drawing technique – and then :devmudstar-siberia: mentioned that Aniu should be part of this drawing experiment too – and I totally agreed!!! The technique experiment here is that I drew everything in one layer (except for the blurred snow on top of it)- and I think it turned out well.
I have based this drawing on the scene itself – mainly the pose (quite wide for a wolf, but I think that it’s just the pose – I tried to make it look anatomically correct). The background is inspired by the mental images I get when I hear the song Reach for the Light (see lyrics below) www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_tq7V… . It turned out to be literally a sparkewolf…
See here more about Aniu, the white wolf balto.wikia.com/wiki/Aniu. Her appearance in the first movie is really beautiful and inspiring but I really don’t like her look in the second movie – they totally screwed up the design.
Here are the lyrics:
Aniu/ the White Wolf belongs –I think- to Universal pictures. I have known the animator’s name, but can’t find it. The art here belongs to me. Don’t use it without my permission
Deep in the night
The winds blow cold
And in a heartbeat
The fear takes hold
Deep in the storm
There's a place that's soft and still
Where the road waits to be taken
If you only will
The voices inside you
Can lead your soul astray
Believe in what you dream
Don't turn away
Don't you turn away
Reach for the light
You might touch the sky
Stand on the mountaintop
And see yourself flying
Reach for the light
To capture a star
Come out of the darkness
And find out who you are
Somewhere in time
The truth shines through
And the spirit knows
What it has to do
Somewhere in you
There's a power with no name
It can rise to meet the moment
And burn like a flame
And you can be stronger
Than anything you know
Hold on to what you see
Don't let it go
Don't you let it go
Reach for the light
You might touch the sky
Stand on the mountaintop
And see yourself flying
Reach for the light
To capture a star
Come out of the darkness
And find out who you are
Now, there's no turning back
When your destiny is calling
Listen to the thunder roll
And let your heart break free
Reach for the light
You might touch the sky
Stand on the mountaintop
And see yourself flying
Reach for the light
To capture a star
Come out of the darkness
And find out who you are
Reach for the light
You might touch the sky
Stand on the mountaintop
And see yourself flying
Reach for the light
To capture a star
Come out of the darkness
And find out who you are
Reach for the light
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Comments: 70
FelisGlacialis In reply to ??? [2016-02-18 14:13:58 +0000 UTC]
Yeah I've just watched the whole series, and now have started over again because I got too addicted...I just fell in love with all characters - Tsume in particular.
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GhostRidersGirl In reply to ??? [2016-02-13 23:51:31 +0000 UTC]
Oh my goodness I knew she looked familiar!! She is gorgeous!! You did her with such beauty!
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FelisGlacialis In reply to GhostRidersGirl [2016-02-18 14:13:05 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! Yeah I tried to make her look like the white wolf in the first movie, but then more realistic.
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AledaneF In reply to ??? [2016-02-13 22:17:42 +0000 UTC]
ah, yes - for me the moment of the white wolf from Balto is the one of most powerful moments i ever seen in animation films! and also, i love the music here. by the way, i think the most of watchers of Balto 2 are wrong with thought that Aniu is Balto's real mother.i always think she is a internal, spiritual 'mother' of his wolf part, or something like - but not real wolf. for me this 'mother' always was a kind of metaphor and symbolism.
...i remember this snowy winter, when i watched 'Balto', and i was just permeated with this snowy atmosphere. and to this day this means a lot to me.
and yes! you draw this snowy, cold and mystic atmosphere just awesome!
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FelisGlacialis In reply to AledaneF [2016-02-18 14:18:53 +0000 UTC]
Thanks, same here yeah. I still can watch it many times and get goosebumps. As for the music - it's still my all time favourite score. I kinda like your interpretation of the white wolf being a kind of spiritual mother. I think that one of the animators actually confirmed that the white wolf from the first movie is actually the same as the one of the second movie...now they really have screwed it up then. I liked the mystery around the wolf in the first movie.
The snowy atmosphere really, really caught me - just as it did for you I guess. Thankfully we live at the right place to experience it!
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Hunting-wolf [2016-02-13 20:34:57 +0000 UTC]
Wow, you've done something amazingly catchy with this one - because the first thing I thought when seeing this was "hey, it's that wolf from Balto!"
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FelisGlacialis In reply to Hunting-wolf [2016-02-18 14:16:04 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! yeah I wanted to make the wolf recognizable but yet realistic kinda.
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Biding In reply to ??? [2016-02-13 18:45:46 +0000 UTC]
Gorgeous, truly gorgeous. If I had to give any sort of critique, it would be that the surface Aniu is standing on looks as ethereal as the rest of the background. Beautiful, of course, but...I guess I just think it would look better if it were a bit more solid. Also, I don't know if this is intentional, I've never seen Balto, but the left front leg looks a lot thinner than the right.
Even so, I have to purposefully look to see anything to critique on here; I'd be content with just saying that it's gorgeous, but I'm pretty sure you'd be more content with something more, so...
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FelisGlacialis In reply to Biding [2016-02-13 18:57:12 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! lately I seem to have a greater challenge in receiving critique positively (I used to appreciate critique a lot but lately it just slightly irritates me- maybe it's tiredness or something)- so if you can't find anything I'm fine with that. As the 'ethereal' bg is intentional - as you may have guessed seeing the whole spiritual setting of the drawing. The front legs - I think it's just a different angle as the legs aren't symmetrical cylinders- but I will double check it then.
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FelisGlacialis In reply to Biding [2016-02-13 23:41:09 +0000 UTC]
yeah I'm still a bit in conflict about that - I still think that critique is essential for improvement and I don't want to stop encouraging it. It's just me recently - and maybe the way some people do tell you that things are 'wrong'.
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SueaNoi [2016-02-13 16:51:10 +0000 UTC]
I love this scene too! and your art is amazing!
Although, I personally choose to ignore the sequel as the canon. So in my mind, the white wolf is nameless. (but I still have to acknowledge the information so...yeah)
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FelisGlacialis In reply to SueaNoi [2016-02-18 14:15:39 +0000 UTC]
Yeah I really liked that way of thinking too. To me the second movie is nothing compared to the first. It has no epicness and the animation is just crap (only the bgs are really beautiful though). They totally messed up the white wolf in the second movie and I liked the mystery around the wolf in the first. But I like to believe that it's a she-wolf kinda.
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SueaNoi In reply to FelisGlacialis [2016-02-18 15:54:46 +0000 UTC]
I also think the white wolf being a she is a cool idea as well! If they hadn't changed her design so much in the second movie then may be I'd be more open minded. Really, they don't look alike at all.
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