15 dog movies ranked by how much you’ll cry

11. Balto (1995)

Balto is based on the true story of a sled dog who led his team on the final leg of a serum run for diphtheria antitoxin in 1925. Young people in Nome, Alaska were at risk of a diphtheria epidemic and the medicine doctors needed to administer was in Seattle, Washington. The aircraft needed to carry the medicine couldn’t fly, so it was taken by train from Seattle to Nenana, Alaska, where the first team of dogs began the trek to Nome. More than 20 teams assisted in the transportation effort, facing blizzard conditions and freezing temperatures.

The movie Balto takes some liberties with the story (of course), and it’s a death-defying, stress-inducing ride from start to finish. There are several times that this movie is likely to make you cry. Jenna’s face when her human gets sick is heartbreaking; Balto and his friends’ repeated near-death experiences are heartstopping. And when the movie ends, you’re likely to cry from sheer relief, even if you know the history behind the film.

Like many successful dog movies, Balto had two direct-to-home video sequels. In Balto II, Balto and Jenna have a litter of puppies and in Balto III, one of those puppies is on the U.S. mail delivery dog sled team. Neither one makes any historical reference to the actual Balto, but they are equally death-defying and possibly just as likely to make you cry. Dogs in terrifying situations will do that, even if the sequels aren’t nearly as great as the original.

Likelihood of making you cry: 4/10