By the time I'm writing this review, I've seen the movie three times, without counting several passages I've watched again and again, so I do believe that now I have a solid opinion on it. I would like to remark that I haven't read any review before doing mine, so I wasn't influenced in any way. I've tried to reduce spoilers as possible, so I believe everyone can read this. Oh, by the way, DTV means Direct To Video, and WQ stands for Wolf Quest (Balto 2) ;)

How to start? Perhaps by giving my overall feeling about it. While it is obviously much closer to the original, it has a different feeling compared to the original Balto or Wolf Quest. I would even say, that I've never seen an animated movie that had the same feeling. I'm not saying that in a good or bad way, it's just that I was really suprised, especially with all I knew about it. And I must say that it's really nice to see a DTV sequel that feels so different from everything you've seen before. I never got this impression when watching other DTV sequels...

The scenario is obviously a strong point for the movie. There are quite a good number of new characters here. Most are well done, and Kodi is a lot more interesting character than Aleu. Some characters are not really useful to the story though, but at the same time they aren't really annoying as you can think they might be at first. For an animated sequel, I think this is really the first time that all the characters back from the original are useful and really play their part in the story; believe me, it's pretty unusual! Definitely lots of feelings in there.

Contrary to Wolf Quest, there are so many things happening, perhaps even more than in the first, and everything goes quickly; I don't think there are any boring passage in this one as it was the case in WQ; but there still might be some passages that you won't like. I think it all depends on everyone, unfortunately I can't tell really more because it would lead to spoilers. As for myself, there's no passage that I don't like, but some are obviously better than others ;)

If I had to criticize something, it would be that the film is clearly intended for children. I found that the characters get into the annoying habit of saying all what they think, and it's a bit disturbing; there are things that we would prefer the characters to keep for themselves. It gives a childish feeling, and it's really a shame.

A great quality of the scenario, is that it could be real; no magic here, the humans are back for good, all the key points of the scenario gives a feeling of reality; so it is much closer to the original on that side. The film is full of references to the previous ones, especially the original Balto, some obvious and some less, to a point that you'll probably not notice everything at the first viewing. The original writers did a great job.

Another thing I didn't expect with this film : it's funny! Yes, maybe even more than the original, there are some parts that made me laugh at least the first time, and I always found that it's something that lacked in the original. However, it's not a comedy, but a serious film - for children, yes, but still serious. It may have some "All Dogs Go to Heaven" feeling into it, it's still a Balto movie, and it doesn't break with the serie at all.

Now, the graphics. It is a mixed bag. I would say, half of the passages in the film are well drawn and well animated, some are even awesome and better animated than the first (thanks to the computers!), while the other passages keep a disappointing "Wolf Quest" look. And it concerns all the characters : sometimes very well drawn, sometimes not so well. So, overall, it's still a big improvement other Wolf Quest, and at the same time still far from the nearly perfect animation of the original. I also don't like the character design for Duke (pilot), he looks like an old character from the 60'. I find that strange seeing as the background humans are pretty well drawn.

That was for the characters; however, and this is probably one of the best things about the movie, the backgrounds are AWESOME. The colors are more than beautiful, and the less beautiful backgrounds are on pair with the most beautiful in the original. It's another thing that is really impressive for a DTV sequel, seeing that they are as beautiful as some big animated movies like "Brother Bear" or "Spirit", and perhaps even more! The snow is rendered perfectly, and looks like it has been taken out from the first. The computers must have been used a lot to improve that render, and I don't see how in the future they'll be able to make them better!

To summarize, while the drawings are common for a DTV sequel (with the exception of TLK 1/2, but that's really an exception), lots of efforts were given to the backgrounds, and it makes the film magnificent.

As for the musics : I would say the same thing. While there are still some empty passages, the soundtrack is really, really awesome, impressive, especially near the end. It may not have the shrewd style of Horner's Balto 1 soundtrack, yet the score from Adam Berry is exceptional, and make some passages unforgettable. Once again, this is far from the average DTV soundtrack. Don't worry too much for the songs, there are less than in Wolf Quest, and even if I really don't like one of them, the others don't break the rhythm and are really beautiful.

To give a better idea of what I overall think of the film, I would summarize that into one word : beautiful. Really, really beautiful. Beautiful scenario, beautiful musics, beautiful graphics...SO beautiful, marvellous, and all adjectives you want! If I had to rate the three Balto, I would give the first 9.5/10 (yeah, nothing's perfect ;) ), the second 6/10, and this one 8/10. I think it will give you a hint about how I liked it.

Some of you might be wondering if they will rent it or buy it directly. Well, I believe that this film has more than enough replay value, when Wolf Quest had nearly none; so IMO, it is definitely a must-buy for every Balto fan, and even for everyone else ;)

Now I have to wonder : what is the future for Balto? (I mean, the license) More than a Balto 4, I think I would really want a video game on home consoles (see my poll?...) I'm sure it would be better than the average video game based on movie licenses. But that's only a personal hope...By the way, the little game planned to be as an extra on the dvd, can not be found anywhere. I hope it's only the case for the german dvd.

Final comment : A wonderful film. Definitely a must-see for Balto fans, and one of the best DTV sequels ever made to an animated movie (maybe the best with TLK 1/2). It may have some flaws, but there are so many qualities in the scenario, graphics, musics...that everyone will let through these small problems, and enjoy the great story it offers. If you liked Wolf Quest, you have all chances to love it. If you didn't, but still liked the original Balto, believe me : it's really different from WQ, so you don't have any reason to not watch it just because WQ was a disappointment. Unlike Wolf Quest, I really can't see anyone who wouldn't like it.

To summarize : Strong points : + Beautiful story + No dead time + Funnier than expected + Wonderful backgrounds + Magnificent musics + Food for fans ;) Weak points : - The drawings and animations still aren't at the quality of the first - A bit too much aimed at children - A few passages that some won't probably like

Your opinion interests me : if you want to give it, then you only have to send me a mail ! : steetboris@yahoo.fr

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