Balto - Analysis

Any true Balto fan MUST read this...even if it's long! There was no way to do this shorter...

steet :



I wanted to make this article since a long time. Because I wanted everyone to know why Balto isn't really popular, why I'm angry about Universal policy. I also found that most people here don't know the context when they think about the Balto films.


To summarize, the problem with Balto is that since the very beginning, Universal has not really made any effort to promote it correctly. So, let's get back to the beginning.

1 - Amblimation

Amblimation was an animation studio located in London, which was more or less independant from Universal, which only published their films. It was Steven Spielberg's animation studio, many years before Dreamworks.

Amblimation started in the 80's with An American Tail, which was a big success with a low budget compared to the Disney films. So, they made another film later, Land Before Time (1989), then they made a sequel to An American Tail named Fievel goes West (1991). They got a fairly good success, and were almost as popular as the Disney films at the time.

Although, the studio finally made the mistake of producing a lower-than-average animated film, We're Back : A Dinosaur's story. (1993) (well, I have never seen it, but I've heard everywhere it was bad) The film got almost no success, and was quickly forgotten. But Spielberg, with this and the problems he had with Georges Lucas for making Land Before Time, was beginning to lose interest in the studio.

2 - Balto 1

So they decided to make another good animated film, working hard to get back on good values, and they worked 3 years to make Balto. At the time, Spielberg was already creating a new animated studio with two other people, which will become Dreamworks. (Why he created DW instead of making changes in Amblimation is still a mystery to me...)

But then, when it was time to release Balto, neither Amblimation nor Universal knew who should promote the film. There was a real problem in their relations, so when the film was released, Universal only made a very discrete promotion campaign. In fact, the film was more or less abandoned by both its publisher, and the producers who were already prepared to join the new animation company.

They released it in the US at christmas 1995. Which was the worst move they could have ever done. The worst nightmare that any 2D animated film would have failed against, come in two words : Toy Story. It came out a few days before Balto in the US. It was getting a big promotion campaign from Disney, and the novelty factor of it made that everyone was focused on it. Even the reviewers from that time couldn't stop comparing Toy Story with Balto when they reviewed it, which is completly stupid considering the huge differences between the two.

So, it got no support, no advertising campaign, confronted to the biggest animated film since Snow White, and the failure of We're back, which made everyone forget about Amblimation.
The results are there : very few people went to see Balto in theaters. In fact, it even got one of the worst box office I've ever seen for an animated film : 11 millions of dollars in the US...

And it didn't get really better when they released it worldwide, because there would still be Toy Story against it, for which there wasn't even any possible battle.

3 - So, why the sequels?

After that failure, Universal (who got all the rights on the film) stopped making any merchandise (there wasn't many anyway...), and hasn't made any since the release in 1995.
They managed to release it in home video (VHS cassette), and more or less forgot about everything about it.

Although, that's the time Balto got to prove how good it is. With the years, the film got big sales (I heard of 4 millions units only on cassette, which is really good), thanks to the word of mouth.

In parallel of all this, some years before the closure of Amblimation, Universal made his own animation studio, which will be named Universal Cartoon Studios. The main reason they created it, was to make sequels to animated films, beginning with Land Before Time 2 in 1994. And guess what, the studio is still doing sequels, and still Land Before Time...This studio is an overseas animation studio, which means that the story, music,... are produced in the US, and the animation is done in an animation facility based in Taiwan : Wang Film Productions.

Look at this wikipedia page for more information about it :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuckoo's_Nest_Studio

This is obviously for budget reasons, making animation overseas is much cheaper and Disney is doing the same with all its sequels. Which does not automatically make bad animation, don't forget about Lion king 1 1/2 for example...

But let's get back to the subject. In 1999-2000, after making 6 LBT sequels, Universal, who noticed (finally!) the good sales of Balto in home video, decided to make a sequel. This would be very cheap for them, because they would be using the same animation studio making the LBT sequels, but with a slightly different team in the US. (of course, they wouldn't be able to make two films at the same time otherwise...)
But they couldn't get the animators and the voice actors from the first film, for obvious budget reasons, and also planning problems. (I heard some voice actors would have been returned, but they weren't available when they needed to do the voice track).

4 - Balto 2 Wolf Quest

There came Balto 2 : Wolf Quest, in 2001 (US) - 2002 (Europe). It was advertised more or less the same as the current LBT sequel released at the same time (LBT 7 or 8, I don't remember)

It was an exception for something though : this was the first animated film ever released like this that came out on television (on Cartoon Networks) BEFORE the release on DVD. I don't know if it had good effects or not, though.

Anyway, the film got pretty good sales. (The associate director said that is even sold better than any of their expectations) If you ask my opinion, I would say that it is mostly due to the fact that many people around the world were really fans of the original film, so they bought it.
It may also be the result of a decent advertising campaign : no merchandising at all, but at least it was well advertised on TV.

This film shared the fans, but you probably already know that : there are people who hate the film and think it has destroyed the original film, and some think it's the best Balto film, or even that it's the Balto film that made them Balto fans because they discovered it by watching the sequel.

I will only say one thing : the film has songs, and this was not a choice from the directors. The executives from Universal force them to include at least 3 songs in their DTV films. They say that kids love songs in animated films... Oh really. That's not 'exactly' what I've heard from the opinions of the kids members here. Maybe they should study their audiences before making stupid things like this... Ok, well, I'll stop there.

Also, Universal decided to release the Balto 1 dvd at the same time as the Balto 2 dvd. The thing I still wonder is : would have it been released on DVD, if the sequel hadn't came?...

But that DVD is really bad. At least, the US version. It is full-screen, which makes 1/3 of the film lost because of the image transfer. There are next-to-no bonuses, and absolutely nothing for adults watchers. Contrary to Disney, everything was made for very young audiences - which is definitely NOT the only audience of the original film. I think they even mentionned a documentary on the cover, that wasn't on the disk...And the cover. Horrible. They made Jenna brown. Did they only watched the film before validating this cover? So, it was really a 'quickly-done' dvd. The problem is that it's the only Balto dvd available since then in the US. 'Special editions? Uh? What's that? We have never heard of that...Are there other film companies doing that?'

Fortunately, the non-US (example : european) DVD is a lot better. It is anamorphic (16/9), which is the original ratio of the film; and it has the documentary that wasn't findable on the US dvd, which is pretty interesting. But that's all. Still a 'quickly done' dvd.

I won't talk about the Balto 2 DVD, which has pretty much the same mistakes.


5 - Balto 3 Wings of Change

Universal was satisfied by the sales, so they immediately started working on another sequel, only a few months after Balto 2 was released. They took the exact same team, but added something : two of the original writers, who were also working on other direct-to-video projects at the time. This is why the story is entirely different from WQ, and that it's much closer to the original.

I suppose (not sure though, but it would seem logical) that the budget was more or less the same as they gave for making Balto 2. Although, 2-3 years after, the animation team showed improvements to the whole film.

That's when I discovered (the film aired on french TV in christmas 2003), and I started the site a few months later. When I made the site, I already knew there was a second sequel planned, and I immediately collected as much information as possible on the site. (old members will probably remember that period :) ) Ahhh, I miss these good old days...

Err ok, back to the topic. One day, I discovered that they would release it in Europe BEFORE the US, which is a strange move. And this is what happened : Balto 3 was released around October 2004 in european countries (except UK).

I also found the official trailer on the Universal japanese website. We were all very excited because this looked like a major improvement over Wolf Quest. And yes, even now, I must say it's still a major improvement over Balto 2.
But I immediately got worried by the fact that it was very poorly promoted. In fact, I would say it got NO advertisement, even on TV. It just popped here in the stores (and not even all the stores...), and quickly disappeared from them. And, of course, no merchandise at all. Sure thing, people will buy something they don't know the existence, and that they can't find in stores. Well done Universal.

Also, the dvd itself is more or less at the same quality as the Balto 1 & 2 dvds, but they even included bloopers on the covers of the europeans boxes...

They released it a few months later in the USA, on February 2005. They did the same thing as for Balto 2, which means releasing it on Cartoon Networks a few days before the sale on DVD. And, the same happened than in Europe (from what I've heard) : next-to-no advertisement, and a film difficult to find in stores - something that didn't happen so much with Balto 2.

For a reason I still don't know, Universal missed the release of Balto 3, a bit in the same way they missed the release of the original. At the time, I was still hoping that Balto 3 made enough sales - when there is very few units available in stores, it can also mean that the film got very good sales. But now I think this is only because there were very few units shipped.


6 - The petition

I still had doubts, and anyway I wasn't satisfied with what Universal had done with the Balto franchise overall. So I decided to make that petition :

http://www.petitiononline.com/balto001/petition.html

You will notice that it wasn't asking for a new sequel. We waited a few months to gather signatures.
In parallel of this, I was making searches to know the reaction of Universal to the film. This didn't get any results.
Although, I found in the middle of 2005, that Universal was making a complete revault of their old animation studio, renaming it to 'Universal Studios Home Entertainement Family Productions' (wow, that's a short one)
Take a look here :

http://baltosource.timduru.org/board/viewtopic.php?t=338

I thought that as good news at first, that it would mean they would take a new look at their brands and since they would make more animated films than before, give a new chance to Balto. Well it seems I thought wrong.
A few months later, we sent our petition with over 1000 signatures, in paper form. (so that it would have more effect) One month later, we got an answer. You've probably already seen it, but I'll write it again :

'We had been entertaining the idea of producing another Balto movie, but the sad truth is that not enough people bought the last one to make it attractive to produce another. You see, in order to be able to produce a film, we have to know enough people are interested in buying it to be able to pay for the cost and marketing.

We really like the Balto character and are pleased to know that there are people like you out there that are such big fans.

My best regards,
DICTATED BUT NOT READ,

Glenn Ross '


This is the topic to this :

http://baltosource.timduru.org/board/viewtopic.php?t=4174

How should we react to this? First, it's a good thing that they answered us. Well that's the only good thing about this.
They just didn't understand the petition. We were NEVER asking for a Balto 4. So why did they say that?

I can only see one thing, something many members here don't understand, and the thing that the managers of Universal in charge of Balto never got to understand, is that when you want to promote a film, there are many ways to do this. And this is NOT doing sequels after sequels.

Yes, Balto 3 probably didn't make enough sales for them, but what did they expect? That a film with no advertisement and difficult to find even for fans, would make big sales? Also, I think this was also due to the fact many fans who bought Balto 2 didn't buy the third, because they didn't liked B2 at all. (which is a terrible mistake to me, considering the big differences between those two) Ok, I suppose Land Before Time manage to make good sales only with the name, but unfortunately Balto had never got this chance.

7 - Now

When I saw this, I immediately thought that this means the end for Balto. That they won't do anything about it for a VERY long time. Maybe I'm wrong, but for now, two years have passed since the release of Balto 3 and the result is here : they haven't done ANY single thing for Balto during these two years. Nothing-at-all. And seriously, I don't know any company who would react that way, trashing any franchise that didn't make good sales on one product.

Although this is not the first time : that's exactly what they've done with An American Tail, after the release of 2 DTV sequels. They just trashed it, removed from their minds. Nothing at all since 1999. And yet, it was one of the most famous animated film from the 80-90's.

I just can't bare that. I can't bare the fact we won't see anything new, that everyone will progressively forget about it, even if it's not popular already...

Meanwhile, look at the stuff they have planned to release.

- Land Before Time 12 & 13 (DTV sequels)
- Land Before Time TV series + on DVD
- Curious George 2 (DTV sequel)
- Curious George Preschool TV series
- Babe animated series.

And they are also the new publisher for the Barbie movies. Is that enough? Is it even possible to make more LBT stuff, in case some children don't know it yet?

Besides, for all of these franchises, there will be merchandise released, which is something different from the way they acted before. Things that Balto deserved to have, but never had that chance, and probably will never have.
 
Do you only that Balto is the ONLY animated film from the 80-90's that never had any video game released? (except maybe for Anastasia, and I'm not even 100% sure...) Even 'We're Back' got one! How fair is that?

In a general way, I think you've felt it already, but at no time, Balto was let any chance by Universal. They have never really believed in it. And though, I know that it could have very well become one of the most famous animated films of the 90's. Especially when you consider how well was received Lion King, which is not that far on many elements, the ones that the public like.

Universal is pretty much saying that 'it's not our fault, people don't like them that much, that's all'. No, I'm sorry. There are at least a few things any company should do in a situation like this.

The main one is to release a pack with the dvds. Put the 3 dvds in a box, and sell it at a cheap price, for people who didn't have the films yet and would want to discover them. Not only does it costs NOTHING to do that, but they would automatically generate benefits because they could repackage the units that were not sold.

Or, they should at least cut the price of the dvds officially, or release it in a collection of 'old' films at a cheap price. Because for now, in the US, the official price is still the same since 2002 : 20$...And most stores still sell it that much...
How can someone who doesn't know the film, would take the risk to buy it? Have they only even thought about that?? I'm sure not : they only care about their 'money earning' franchises. It's either everything or nothing for them now, and they just won't care if there are fans around the world awaiting for a special edition dvd, even if they would be sure to make benefits from this. They just don't know how much money they lost by not giving it any chance.

But no : currently, the Balto films are nearly unfindable in local stores, and when they are, it's at a high price. No pack was ever released for Balto, and I think it's the only franchise with sequels from Universal that never got any pack. Go check their website, you'll see if I'm wrong.

Yet, the film never deserved that.
In fact, I have rarely seen any negative critic about the film. The only ones I've seen were reviews written in 1995, which compared it Toy Story. Apart from that, everyone I know who watched the film liked it. And I'm not referring only to Balto fans there.
This is one of these rare animated gems, that people never got to hear of, but are really masterpieces to the people who really know what is Animation.

So what now? Is there anything they will do? I wouldn't count on that. I highly doubt that they are planning to do anything with it now, considering their current plans.
Is there anything we could do? I don't know. I think I've done everything I could with the site to make things change, but this hasn't got any effect at all. I like working on the site, making new things, seeing what fans can make etc...But this will never replace what we're losing, and in a way, I feel like I've failed with the main objective of the site. Now, I'm just waiting, in case they would wake up and realize all this...I guess this will never happen.

If anyone has any ideas...and comments.

---

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3DGWolf, September 09, 2006 at 21: 21 Member

You couldn't be more right, Steet. Universal has failed to bring Balto to its full potential. If only they realized their mistakes, then things would be different for Balto.

DrZed, September 09, 2006 at 22: 08 Member

Lotsa letters, hard to read, but i managed to finish reading some-how... That right, if i get your idea right way: The Universal are blinded by something, they cant see their mistakes, so... Ugh... omg, i've lost the idea! Anyway, it's too pity they can't realize their mistakes. Idiotism getting stronger'n'harder (c) Wessenger

Tibb_wolf, September 09, 2006 at 22: 32 Questions mod

It's almost like Universal has failed all of us fans. They say that practicly no one bought the 2nd and 3rd DVD and that is true, but if they would have made trailers and had them on TV, made merchandice or ANYTHING I'm sure they would have been more popular. The DVD's are also WAY to hard to find in the US. I have been looking for the 1st one for a few months. I found it once and that was for $30! Now, I did find a box set once, but sadly, I didn't have enough money to buy it that day, and the next day it was gone. And never has the store gotten anymore or have I found them elsewhere. I hope that soon Universal will realize they made a mistake and ammend that.

Raven, September 09, 2006 at 23: 10 Member

Arrgh, I swear that every child around the world knows about the Land Before Time before they're even born..it really gets shoved down their throats. Anyway, sadly I agree. I just don't see any changes coming up, it's been too long I think...I would love a re-release or anything new really, but I just don't see it happening. And yeah, Anastasia did have a PC game. Typical. Universal really needs some help in the advertising/merchandising department.

Whitewolf(uk), September 09, 2006 at 23: 27 Fan project mod

I must say I have a new respect for Balto 2 and 3 now, seeing just what they had for advertisement...nothing, I think Universal has let itself down on this one, trashing Balto when not only is it a wonderful movie they're basically forgetting what the original movie was based on.....the 1925 serum run to save the lives of hundreds of children stricken in Nome during the winter and the incredible lenghts the dogs and mushers went to to save the lives of those children. I'd say that making a CG Balto remake would really bost the story if based upon the original but with Universals view on things I doubt they'd even consider it so if they could be persuaded to make a 3 dvd boxset and merchandise for the 3 movies Balto would pick up dramatically, if only we could find a way to spark interest from Universal to open their eyes and see what they're missing.

BEAST, September 10, 2006 at 00: 13 Member

Very interesting Steet, if they make a special edition this site should be mentioned on it. Plus an interview with you cause this site is popular to us Balto fans. Even if they dont make a better future for the film at least to us fans the film will always be popular in the heart.

kavsie, September 10, 2006 at 00: 16 Member

This is actually new news to me...I was under the impression that Balto was huge when it first came out.

Lone Wolf_fanwriter, September 10, 2006 at 00: 48 Forums sections mod

How right you are, steet. *sigh* Universal, despite it's 'child-directed films' has gone the way of most companies today....the way of money. I have a renewed respect for anyone who does ANYTHING to promote these wonderful films, esspecially the original. (I will say that I have seen Balto on the Disney channel alot lately, though I don't know why Disney got the rights to air it... It's probably Universal with their money-making craze again.) And I swear if I see another LBT sequel, I'm going to loose my mind!

MayaHuskee, September 10, 2006 at 00: 52 Member

Balto, indeed, got nothing. I bought each of the sequels, and still have them. They were okay, but Unirversal could have done much better with all three of them. Universal brought the fall of our beloved Balto. Making sequils was not the answer, but they did. You are right Steet, in many ways. I have more to say, but I suggest that I say nothing more. Thank you for your words. --Maya Huskee

Glory Wolf(ArideTWT), September 10, 2006 at 02: 09

could u have influenced, and answered our questions anymore so then u have..u probably did better then any "owner" or producer could do

Bagel, September 10, 2006 at 02: 55 Fanart mod

I must say, this may seem long but for those who don't read it they shouldn't even try to comment. Ahem, now, where should i begin? I understand what you mean, Balto was never really given any thought. Even as a child, i cannot recall seeing even ONE preview or commercial for Balto ANYWHERE. No television station had it, not that i know of. But then again i have a terrible memory and cannot even remeber how i got the VHS.... IF Universal spended so much time on LBT how come they didn't continue to advertise Balto 1 again? I mean, if they did have enough money to continuously create LBT sequels, don't you think they should've started re-advertising Balto 1? By creating the DVD? And none of that 'special addition' crap, that kills it. What i don't understand is, why did Universal make them so 'child friendly'? I know Balto 1 was not meant only for children, but the WHOLE family. Films back then were great, when the entire family enjoyed it. But the sequels got the attention of mainly children, and most Balto fans only. There arn't many of us anymore. Everyone in my school has heard of Balto, but since the release of the second one, they didn't care much for it. Many of them agreed it seemed to childish now, and unenjoyable. THe singing was the worst part of the film. Not ONE child have a spoken to has said they liked it. I know too many children, but then again, i get some advantages out of it. Like surveying on these newer movies for example. Another thing, how could you compare Balto - a movie based on a true story - to Toy Story - a movie about toys? There's an ENORMOUS difference there, just by title and summary. Since the release of Baltos 2 and 3 i have only seen ONE preview on the television for each. ONLY ONE. AND i have NEVER seen Balto 2 for sale in a store. So, therefore, i have absolutly no clue where my cousin bought it from....Also, i went to the local super market and saw Balto 3 for sale, and there were only about 5 DVDs left. It may be because so few of them were being released at the time, or because true fans or children were trying to get a hold of them fast. Here's something i am sure everyone who read Glenn Ross' answer to the petition. DICTATED BUT NOT READ. NOT READ. I know you yourself noticed this, steet. Here we are as true fans trying to suggest and give opinion on the three sequels, and all our work goes to waste. I'm sorry, your good work everyone, i wasn't allowed to sign it, my parents >_> What dissapoints me most, is that they never tried to even get Balto any notice. I may not have be such a fan since i was 8, but, even so, it discourages me what people and their companies did and what they might do. I do hope this article gets some recognition from this... Holy wowzas. I didn't think i could actually write something like this o_O Especially since im a retarded 13 year old who can't spell for her life xDDDD Hopefully you all will take time out to read my comment as i have read all of yours. Sam(SRA) the Bagel.

Ice Husky, September 10, 2006 at 03: 13 Member

I can't believe that the original film didn't have more advertising than you say it had!! They should've known better than to release it at the same time as Toy Story, the first full-length CGI film EVER (correct me if I'm wrong...), with little advertising to top it off, and expect it to do well!! This makes me so mad! If I hadn't been 5 years old when this all happened I would have wanted so badly to do something about it! The sad thing is, my mom took me to see Toy Story, and not Balto, that Christmas. Even though she knew I loved dogs, she still wouldn't take me to see Balto, and I saw it for the first time on TV in 1996. I never got to see my favorite movie of all time in theatres, thanks to Universal (and my mom, but I'm not mad at her). I guess this is an example of what a great movie it is, to have attracted devoted fans who may never have seen the theatrical release (I'm sure I'm not the only one). I think Universal would complete my life if they'd release the original in theatres again, not to mention what it would do for the sales! Before I end this comment, I'd like to thank you, Steet, for taking so much time to get to the bottom of this problem with Universal, and trying so hard to change their minds. They need to face their mistakes and try to fix them, because Balto is a better film than any of their others. It deserves better than what it got, and its creators deserve more than what they got for it. ..... I'm still boggled by the fact that We're Back got a video game......

DrewTheWolf, September 10, 2006 at 03: 14 Fan News editor

I will say We're Back is a great film thuogh, loved it.

sleazye, September 10, 2006 at 03: 20 Member

The best thing I could say would be to have a letter writing campaign. If you got 500 people to commit to writing a letter every week you'd be bound to get an answer. If you got 26,000. letters a week wouldn't you respond? And Steet, if you organized something like this you could count on me to write a letter every week. Sleazy E

KodiackWolf, September 10, 2006 at 04: 21 Member

Would it be possible to resend the petition even as an e-mail but basicaly telling them that they just need to advertise more like showing them on Cartoon Network with lots of comericals before hand, but not to make another movie.

Juuchan17, September 10, 2006 at 06: 06 Fan gamebook mod

Well said, Steet. *one of the "Oldie" members of the site* (You know I heard about WQ and WoC from here and one of the other Balto forums, so my Balto fandom was rekindled when I heard about a Balto sequel. I still bought it, and loved it from day one! *and I still do!*) I am quite surprised by hearing that Balto didn't get that much advertisement (since I remember around the time it was to be released in theaters, I saw the trailer teaser on TV several times a day!), and it's just sad that the company would let such a touching and excellently-made film not get the respect that it truly deserves. Honestly! (And would you believe this: The only Balto film I can find now is WoC at a nearby Toys R Us . . . and in a used movie bin. That's sad really. And around the time the third film was released, I could find all three on sale TOGETHER. My, has time changed . . .) But I like the idea of a 3-Movie Pack release. I mean, other movie franchises have done it (the 5 Beethoven movies, LBT films (two movies per set), and many others, for example.), so why not Balto? I mean, if this were possible, then maybe its popularity would rise and more attention would come to it (*crosses fingers*). Heck, I've been trying to spread the word about Balto at my work (I work in a grocery store) and even told a nearby movie rental store about them (They even said they might play all three films in order one day! That's so awesome . . . *sobs tears of joy*), so I'm doing my part!), so I still believe that it can be possible to build up Balto's popularity (eventually!). OMG, "We're Back!" got a video game? That's odd . . . I liked the film too, although it was quite strangely animated . . . (The idea was cool though.) Again, well said, and I'm glad you did your research, Steet! I do agree that maybe we should attempt the petition once again . . . this time putting want we really want in bold print, maybe? (So that we know they'll be able to read it! LOL)

SGA, September 10, 2006 at 07: 25 Member

Curious George? A series and a sequel? Are they mad? I couldn't even be bothered to watch the movie! And Babe? If they can bring that back, surely they can do the same with Balto! I mean, even a box set would be good. How many LBT films are they gonna make! I can never be bothered to watch them either. Balto 2 was on the telly alo t when it first came out (that was where I first saw it) I saw it about 3 times on telly, and I managed to rent it from a video shop. That has to be a good sign, right? Apart from that, I have never seen any of the 3 movies in the shops, and I had to buy them all online.

steet, September 10, 2006 at 07: 35 Webmaster

Thanks everyone. Err, are there many grammatical mistake? Yes, "We're Back" got a super nes video game. All of the Amblimation films got one except Balto. (maybe LBT didn't get one for its release in theaters though) And Anastasia did get one? So there, it becomes the only animated film from that period who didn't get one. Probably the results of the confusion there was at the time between Universal and the studio, they didn't took the time to contact any publisher to make a game. Now, how much would I liked if Disney would buy the rights to it...I know this is not going to happen, I don't know if it ever happened for a franchise (except when a company buy another), but that would be one solution. Disney know how to handle this kind of films. At least, they think of ALL the family when they made dvds sequels. And we would be sure to get a real special edition dvd. * sigh *

Jenna4Ever, September 10, 2006 at 07: 38 Member

It is very sad. I knew none of the movies got the kind of marketing they deserved, but I had no idea of the extent. It's just sad. Very nice article though steet.

Axel_Silverwolf, September 10, 2006 at 08: 06 Shout box mod

Yes, like you said Balto 3 didn't get advertising it needed to be promoted. Sadly for us we won't get another Balto movie and for them they just lose fans this way. The 3 movie pack would have been an excellent idea though....

Cat Lover, September 10, 2006 at 15: 27 Member

it feels so true steet! good article

x_X_Emily_X_x(wolf_moon_h, September 10, 2006 at 15: 59 Webranker

Mmmm....So sad to think that because the balto FILM is being forgotten the memory of the real Balto is slowly slipping away...All he did for his town...It's not too late if only they would wake up...I will try to help in anyway I possibly can!

BETTER!!!!!!~msw{AM}, September 10, 2006 at 16: 17 Member

I still don't understand why they are making Land Before Time movies and not more Balto movies. It's weird. Well we can't give up now! Even if Balto isn't that much popular or isn't making much movies we can't give up! Somehow we'll make Balto more popular again.

Kelev, September 10, 2006 at 16: 47 Member

Very good point made Steet, I was so dissapointed about Balto not getting a chance to have a video game with it. I didn't even know the movie existed until I saw it on video in 1996. I loved it, and I agree with you when you say it deserves more publicity. The only question is, what can we do as fans? I think that we already have done all we COULD do, with your site being so populre, and the Balto 4 trailer under way. IS there anything more Universal will do for Balto? I guess only time will tell...

Writewolf, September 10, 2006 at 16: 51 Member

oh God....why series for all those other movies?! this is just completely wack! and really, did they really think they would make money when they didn't even advertise!!? everything about the whole thing is crazy. yes, Land Before Time is mainly for young viewers and i think that's what skewed their views on any of their other movies. they thought that all of the other projects attracted only young children. might i recommend they do some searches on the internet and find places like this before starting screenplay.

StoneFox, September 10, 2006 at 18: 17 Member

It would sure be nice if Universal madea Balto four. I thought you explained everything very nicely, Steet.

Black_Demon_Wolf~DNP~, September 10, 2006 at 19: 17 Member

I belive they have failed Balto and they have failed us fans, even if they were to make no more sequals they could do what Steet said and make a box set or a game, maybe even make plushies for the film then they could make money as well as see the publicity for Balto rise masivley, the way they have abused the rights to Balto makes me feel like another company should take the rights for Balto because Universal obvously don't deserve them, maybe another company could do a lot better with Balto! But you and me both know thats not gonna happen any time soon

Cotton Grass-BP, September 10, 2006 at 20: 39 Member

Wow thats alot I never knew some of the things on there.... It took me a while to find balto 3 & when I did I wasnt as impressed with it as I was with the first one... What I was thinking that if they wanted better reviews was after they released balto on VHS would be to make a tv series instead of two other movies. I mean Kids would probubly find that alot more interesting. I know I would ^_^

Estella_Mooncat, September 10, 2006 at 20: 57 Member

Ok, Land Before Time needs to die. Now. Too many sequals, too thin plot line. As for marketing... Maybe we should try to advertise it ourselves. Like, if you have a website or something, put a flyer/mini image on it. Some of you who are really talented could make a YouTube advertisement for it, and some of us who have webpages could link to the YouTube ad. Just a thought..

Rotramel the writer, September 11, 2006 at 02: 45 Member

What's up guys? I agree with you all whole heartedly, but I also think you're missing the biggest point of Universal "dumping" Balto. We've said it time and time again, Universal has been messing Balto up from the beginning, whether it be bad marketing (more like no marketing at all) with the first one, or bad stories in the others. I say they want to forget about him let them! This is our chance as fans to prove what a good story Balto really is! I'm planning on publishing my stories soon (only a year till I'll be back in the states, where I have a contract waiting) and that may (I hope) rejeuvenate Balto a bit, but everyone can do something. Steet, you've got this site, a HAVEN for Balto fans. If it wasn't for this site I'd never have kept writing Balto stories. I only continue to write them because I have an audience, and YOU have provided that! We've got tons of artists and storytellers on this site and they need to get their work out there as well. This is our chance to make Balto shine! See, with Universal abandoning Balto, they're abandoning the franchise, which means the copyright prices have dropped extremely low. Universal doesn't even want to remember Balto, so let's let them forget and then make them remember when we come back and do the story right. No offence to anyone (especially you Steet) but I say it's time to stop "crying" about what Universal won't do and do it ourselves! This Balto IV project is great! What we should do is try to find an "emerging" animation studio in need of an idea and pitch them a new and improved Balto. Since the copyrights have dropped it would be ideal for a beginning company struggling to the top to undertake. We need to be thinking of ways we can improve Balto and keep his memory alive! This is a call to arms to all Balto fans! ... who is with me?

KakashiGirl, September 11, 2006 at 03: 31 Member

Curious George!!! Another one! My family saw the first one in theaters. We went to see it because my brother read it had got 4 1/2 stars in the movie reviews, I was took over. Any movie that gets 4 1/2 and up has to be good right? Ron Howard helped to be the producer so, it has to be good right? Well, I was the only 12 year old in there. XD Once seen I thought it wasn't worth it. I thought it was to predictable, like most children movies are, but man it a cute! I thought Will was a wonderful voice for the man in the yellow hat. Can't say the same for Barrymore. Overall I thought it was an okay movie. Now your telling me their is going to be a 2nd! God! When will the awful sequels end! I can't stand Disney DTV's and the Universal DVT's aren't so great too. (no offence) But, I loved the 1st and only Balto! I think the sequels could of been a lot better and taken more serious like the first.

3DGWolf, September 11, 2006 at 04: 24 Member

Rotramel, I'm so with you on that one! It's time for us Balto fans to do something about this! If you need anything, just PM me (I live near Universal if that helps).

DragonWolf, September 11, 2006 at 05: 18 Member

First off, Ive read through all of this and Ive got to make a few comments to some of the posts. """'child-directed films' has gone the way of most companies today....the way of money."""" Ummm, first rule of business, make money and lots of it. I have nothing against companys wanting make money, would you WORK for FREE??? Anyway, same old song and dance with Rock and Roll. (bands selling out EVERYTIME they tweak their sound) Gets tiring after a while....ya here it every where. Which leads to WHY didnt Universal promote Balto as much as they COULD have! Work 3 years on a film for nothing. """"Ok, Land Before Time needs to die. Now. Too many sequals, too thin plot line."""" You couldnt more right, geesh, many moons ago I saw the first LBT when it came out, and HATED it. Id hate to see LBT Vol 3986, now they are going to have it on TV. ACK!!!! And this coming from a dragon........which I have to admite, prettymuch dinosaurs with wings. """"The worst nightmare that any 2D animated film would have failed against, come in two words : Toy Story."""" This is more or less a question, WHY was Balto brought out right when Toy Story came out! I think if Balto was advertised alot better, Balto would of had a fighting chance with Toy Store but since they didnt bother...hmm Whos going to notice if the date for Baltos release was pushed back a few months....or a year if they stick with the winter theme. Now for my comments. Personally, I would not want to see a Balto 4 FROM Universal. Think about it, (I havent seen WOC), I cant see too much to work with for a #4, atleast from Universals point of view. I dont think Universal is going to do anything more with Balto which is really sad. Balto is one of the best 90s animated films.....FILMS, PERIOD. I know its been mentioned but Ill mention it again. FINDING BALTO is HARD, I was lucky to find the VHS of Balto 1 which got me here. Ive been looking vigerously everywhere for all 3 Baltos, and willing to pay through the teeth for em but my efforts have been unrewarded to date. Not even Walmart or any movie store carries them. GEESSHH, you can EASILY find THREE PACKS of Back to the Future but no Balto. Again, Universals fault for not advertising Balto. Is it any wonder why Universal hasnt been very large in animation. Of corse I could gripe as to their being no real creativity anymore in the animation business....all we see is 2 and 3s of something anymore. Id hate to buy Balto online but Im about to that point, and I HATE online shopping!

Wolf Man 64, September 11, 2006 at 05: 21 Member

You couldn't have been more right. I thought Balto was awesome and the sequels!! Universal didn't know what they were doing. The three movies desvered a lot better!! I don't hear anybody saying anything about Balto!! I also think there should've been a Balto 4. There are so many questions left unanswered. 1. How is Aleu doing with her new pack? 2. How come Steele, Nikkie, Kaltag, Star, Dixie, and Slyvie are not in the sequels? 3. Are Kodi and Dusty a couple? 4. How did Balto get seperated with his mother? 5. Is Kodi lead dog? Those are just some of my questions. I still have more. Well, I hope in a few years - Universal come to their senses and make a DVD pack of the three Balto movies. Make a TV series. (It deserves a TV series!) And I hope - make a Balto 4. That's all I have to say. Great article!!

steet, September 11, 2006 at 15: 45 Webmaster

I've watched Curious George and I found it to be excellent, even though it's clearly for childs. But that's not the topic. About the rights, I don't think we would ever be able to get our paws on them...Only another company would be able to. Because they wouldn't sell them to individuals, and it would be much too costy. Besides, we woudln't be able to do much things either with them, without any money or relations.

africanthunder, September 11, 2006 at 19: 47 Member

This is too true! Balto desvered much more praise! Like you said, Balto is a gem! They just made a mess out of bad timing and purchase rates. I don't think we can do much more than what we have done. I hope the producers read your letter Steet. I might give them some sense about what there doing.

rotramel the writer, September 12, 2006 at 00: 20 Member

In response to your post Steet... YES WE CAN!!! True universal won't sell the rights to individuals, that's why we have to go through publishers, studios, agents, whatever we can to keep Balto Alive! I personally am going through my publisher. They buy the rights, give them to me, and publish my story, simple as that. As a United States Marine I've learned many things, two of which are NOTHING is impossible and NEVER EVER EVER RETREAT!! We have to try! If we try and fail... I guess I'll have to accept that, but to not even try and just let Balto die? (at least in the public eye anyway) I can't let that happen. I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN! If Balto is destined to die then he will do so standing tall to the last man, not just fading away in the night. We owe him that much. Balto has obviously impacted all of us here (otherwise we wouldn't be here) and I think we owe him at least the effort to keep him alive! I'm going to do some research and I'll let you all know what I find out. Anyone who wants to join me in going behind enemy lines to rescue Balto you're welcome to join me. I say again. ...is anyone with me?

Estella_Mooncat, September 12, 2006 at 00: 44 Member

rotramel the writer: I am behind you 110%! If there is anything at all we can do, (myself and my mate) lemme know. (PM me!) Also, I think we can all do it, we can save Balto and the franchise, (If you can call it one with how Universal butchered it), if we really try! *lets off a long howl* We can't let Balto fade into the night like so many others have. We must keep the flame of his memory and legacy alive; burning strong for future generations!

Silver_wolf99654, September 12, 2006 at 01: 24 Member

oh i really hope they make a balto four!!i saw alot of comersils(sorry i'm a horrible speller)for balto three,but most the kids in my school didn't even know there was a balto two!and we're the "taninia TIMBER WOLVES"!!!! man,am i the only hard core balto fan in my school?!!*sigh*i guess so...

Whitewolf(uk), September 12, 2006 at 02: 07 Fan project mod

I'm totally with ya Rotramel!!! If Universal wanna forget Balto, let 'em, we'll save him, who knows what the audience wants better than the audience themselves?? I'll definately help to find a way to save Balto, real and cartoon, I think a CG re-make of the original Balto, B1, would be a great way to revive the story, especially since CG movies are doing much better than normal movies nowadays. ...Or a re-make in the same animation style as Spirit, half CG, half hand animated and seemlessly intigrated to create a wonderful look and feel and with the right advertising it could really work. ...what do you think?

shlin, September 12, 2006 at 03: 10 Member

Wow... Poor Balto! I wish that Universal had come out with more Balto merchandise; I love that movie, and nowadays it costs an arm and a leg to get anything Balto from eBay...

steet, September 12, 2006 at 05: 57 Webmaster

I sent the article to Phil Weinstein (director of the sequels) and he answered this : Hello Steet, Your timeline seemed to be a pretty accurate representation of the facts as far as I know. We were challenged with making a follow up to a brilliant movie. Our budget limitations prevented us from achieving the same quality level as the original, but I hope viewed as worthy sequels nonetheless. I loved the emotional arc with Aleu in part 2. Having the experience of directing part 2, I had a much better handle on how to improve the look for part 3 but was disappointed to not see Steele return in some fashion. I pitched the idea of Steele being the one who joins Balto on the rescue of the pilot. This beaten down bad guy from part one emerges when no on will join Balto on the rescue. The whole time Steele and Balto are in the wilderness, you are wondering; is Steele really going to help Balto, or is this just his chance to get Balto alone, so he can get rid of him once and for all? To me, the emotional tension would have been awesome. But, I am hired to take the film into production, the script is done and the clock is ticking, so best I could do was stick some of the original characters in throw away scenes, as background. Maybe we'll see him in part 4! Thanks for all the hard work. Phil

Kelev, September 12, 2006 at 16: 43 Member

Wait... he said 'part 4'? You mean he's thinking about a part four? That would be SO cool! I'm not going to get my hopes up yet though... if there WOULD be a part four underway, it would be a long time before we'd even see it. Still, I would love to see another one be done!

!balto!, September 12, 2006 at 20: 58 Member

I know!, as a kid i only seen balto once and liked it but my parents even said that they thought toy story was better at the time, but now they see Balto wasnt ad at all. They did never do anything for it, i dont remember seeing anything at all, yet those crapy LBT did, which even as a kid i got sick of thoses and even wanted to see more Balto but sadly in a way because of it, i started to forget untill Balto 2 came out and i bought it right away. It wasnt the best thing but i liked it untill i watched it again, seeing how they seem to put nothing into it and thats what got me to see that they were really killing him off. I know for a fact they did nothing for Balto 3 on the TV because i didnt even know they made it untill i joined this site, which got me very pissed. Its there fault Balto isnt getting anything because, like you said, THEY DID NOTHING, yet they blame how it didnt make much and with your facts you found, which some i didnt even know, and the some ones i already knew, how would it!! I bet they didnt even read the petition you send, because of the answer they gave back . That new reply you got tho does make me think now, are they going to make a 4th balto now since he said part 4??? If he is it was because of your thoughts that you send steet and i'll highly thank you for that

!balto!, September 12, 2006 at 21: 02 Member

well i'd say more like cold hard facts instead of thoughts but still either way, you might of got the idea of Balto 4 in with that

jalen, September 13, 2006 at 17: 48 Member

So true brother .But please dont ever take the site down!If you do i'll be soooooooo sad!!!

weed_fan, September 13, 2006 at 19: 33 Member

True

Khrogan, September 14, 2006 at 00: 55

In Canada, just yesterday, actually, I bought the original Balto movie again(my first copy got stolen.) at Best Buy. It only costed me $14.99, Canadian dollars. That's pretty cheap compared to many of Disney's movies, which are easily 20-25 dollars. Then again, about the fact that it's hard to find. I searched for at least a year before finding Balto in this store. (And yes...I checked that store before and they didn't have it.) I have never seen it anywhere exept Bonanza Video, a rental store now closed down. Blockbuster doesn't even have it...meaning that it REALLY isn't out there.

Drawolf, September 16, 2006 at 10: 17 Member

here in Thailand, it's really really REALLY hard to find a Balto CD or DVD. I've never seen a single advertise about Balto. but thanks to my dad, he bought the VDO for me as a present. that's why I get to know Balto. I had to struggle pretty hard to get the 3rd one. I actually made it. you've not fail us anything Steet! you've done far better than any fan would/could do. I'm quite surprised that they released Balto1 at same same time Toy story did. How stupid is that!? Balto deserved to be as famous as TLK if they give Balto a chance.

Aniu_Blade, September 16, 2006 at 17: 16 Fan contest mod

Yeah, you pretty much hit the nail squarely on the head Steet. Actually, the first time I saw Balto was on Cartoon Network when it was released on TV for the first time. Before that, all that I'd ever heard about it was the commercials aired on CN for its premiere that week. I'd never even heard of it being in theaters that I remember, though I do remember Toy Story being in theaters (even though I didn't go see it.) I was 6 then, and I was still excited about Balto. I couldn't stop thinking about it when CN showed the commercials and I even forced my parents to get a VHS tape and record it when it came on (Back in the old days when everyone still used VCRs, XD.) I loved that movie so much, I showed it to all my firends, and they loved it too. We based games that we played on it (remember, I was 6) and we always pretended we were Balto, the great hero of Nome. I guess it never really occured to me just how little advertisement wise Balto got until I read this and remembered back to when it was released. It's so ridiculous, but at the same time it's very true. I just wish that we could change it, make it more popular today. But instead, no matter how many petitions we sign, no matter how many letters we send, they still just won't listen to us. Is it just because we're only so many out of the billions of people in the world? Are we just too insignificant to make a difference? We have to keep trying though. They answered the letter, so if we keep pushing, they'll have to notice us eventually, they'll have to listen to what we're really saying and they'll have to look at the mistakes they made and try to correct them. We just can't roll over and give up. I think you should copy this article and write a letter to them, telling them that we never completely wanted a Balto 4, but this is truly what we wanted. We want our hero to be honored, to be more than he is. We want everyone to know about him since they were denied that by the sucky (for lack of a better word) advertising. They need to realize that it could have been great, and it still could be great if they just would stop twiddling their thumbs and work harder to promote it! ~Passionately and Sincerely, Aniu_Blade