Rating: 
Summary: disappointing sequel
Review: The original Balto was a great film and is very worth seeing - a great story making for a superb family film. The sequel is anything but worth the time or money. Poor animation is the least of the trouble. It is silly propoganda of the worst sort. Even for one who cares about the earth and her inhabitants - this film is pitifully manipulative, poorly written, and an insult to its prequel. Skip it!
Rating: 
Summary: Not too bad
Review: They're making a lot of sequels to popular animated movies now a days and I never thought a sequel to Balto would ever happen. This is because us Balto fans thought we were few in number, but apprently more people than we realised like this "summer sleeper" as it was called when it came out. Balto fans will be disappointed that few, if any, of the original voices returned for the sequel, espically Kevin Bacon, but Maurice La Marche (spl?) does a pretty good job doing Balto's voice. If you didn't know it wasn't Bacon you probably wouldn't know the difference. Boris's voice, however, has a noticable change in both pitch and accent. He's gone from a Russian goose to a Jewish one. I didn't like the scenes with Boris at all because of this. But David Carridine, as the wise leader of a wolf pack, was just too cool! I wanted to see more of him. He was like his Kung Fu character, Kwai Chang Caine, but as a wolf. The animation was fair. It was great in some scenes, but slow and jerky in others, particularly the scenes where the two polar bears, Muk and Luk, are. I liked Maru the mouse's song and Ava the wolf leader's song. I felt they both captured the mood of the story quite well. The plot itself spins around the typical sequel stories that have been the trend lately, i.e.: "offspring doesn't know where it belongs." (This is seen in Secret of NIMH 2, Lion King 2, Lady & Tramp 2, Little Mermaid 2, All Dogs go to Heaven 2. and I'm sure more.) In this one, Alu, Balto's daughter, runs away to find out who she is after realising no human would want a half-wolf. Balto tracks her down and together they find Alu's destiny and where she belongs. Although I was surprised at how quickly the plot moved along, I was disappointed to find that they never explained what happened to Balto's enemy, Steele, and that he's not even in this sequel. I think Balto fans will love this sequel, little annoyances and all. Those who've never seen the first one will enjoy this one I'm sure since it's made to stand out on it's own. Will there be a Balto 3? I personally hope so.
Rating: 
Summary: The Journey Continues in Balto II
Review: This is a wonderful created sequal to the original "Balto". It continues with Balto and Jenna. Jenna has some adorably cute pups in the beginning and has six. One out of six looks like Balto and is part wolf, part Husky. Her name is Alue. When she grows up, Balto finally has the courage to tell her she's part wolf when she asks why a human (hunter) wanted to [get] her. Balto faces many dangers and obstacles as he tries to find Alue who has run away after he told her she is part wolf. Great, realistic animation, cool characters, and nice new music. It's a great family film if you like the first Balto and are a wolf/dog fan!
Rating: 
Summary: Hopefully Balto never really had a daughter...
Review: This movie was cheaply done, but it wasn't horrid. The music was alright (although I enjoy the French and Spanish versions A LOT more) and it gave a sort of a spiritual feeling. The script sounded like it was written poorly and quickly. I make my own storyboards; and good scripts are consuming and need a lot of proofing and time. I am guessing this was written quickly for fast release. The animation was horriable, to say the least. It was done quickly and no effort. It was shaky and a lot of frames were out of perportion. Jenna was animated horriably as well. If you are under 5 years of age, buy this,
Rating:
Summary: The absolute pits
Review: This movie was not as good as the first. most of the time, it got boring and bland. All the action scenes were pushed together and left the last part of the movie seem lame in comparision. I like it when the problems aren't solved quickly. Every situation was just nothing compared to the first movie's action. By the time the movie ended, I was getting sick of all the music they played in the background. It was supposed to be at least part action, but the music totally ruined it. Two thumbs down for this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: A mixed bag
Review: This sequel has little connection to the original. The original movie was directed by Steven Spielberg and was a touching and inspiring children's movie based upon an heroic true story. This movie has no Spielbergian influence whatsoever. Instead of an uplifting fictional story based upon true events, this movie looks, feels and sounds like an animated film version of an Algernon Blackwood ghost story. It glorifies teen anger and alienation. It depicts a heartbroken father who goes after his runaway daughter but who learns to "let go" once he finds her. On the positive side, the animation and singing are both beautiful. However, I felt that the images and sounds were too surrealistic and spooky for preschoolers. My 5 year-old (who eagerly awaited and begged me to get this sequel) was in tears by the film's end and refused to go to bed that night because he was certain he'd be tormented by nightmares. He adamantly states that he's never going to watch the movie again. An older child might enjoy this and it does spark an interest in the meaning behind the Native American totem figures.
Rating:
Summary: Balto 2 Review
Review: This was a great movie, but the first one was better. This balto movie is about Balto's daughter, who is more wolf than Balto is. She runs away to find out who she really is. I dont want to ruin the end for you. You should see this movie it is great!
Rating:
Summary: Does not live up to the first one. (Not even close.)
Review: To tell you the truth, I'm sorry I had to even give this film one star. Let me start by saying that my family absolutely loved the first Balto. It was an inspiring story with beautiful animation. It was entertaining in every aspect. When we found out they were doing a sequel to this great film, we were overjoyed. However, this movie has fallen prey to the animated sequel curse. (Is it even possible for someone to make a good follow-up animated film? OK, except for Toy Story 2.) :-) But let me make sure to emphasize that, while I don't usually prefer animated sequels, I would deem the worst of any other such sequel to be countless times better than this dissapointing display of poor judgement. This movie was a complete let-down. Outside of the fact that the animation itself looks pretty good, everything else that made the original so wonderful was missing from this film. First off, the story was horrid. I know every movie is trying to make some kind of statement, but this was outright propaganda for humanism and naturalism. The first Balto, thankfully, stayed away from these topics that very few can relate to, and simply presented pure family-friendly entertainment. Balto 2, however, couldn't resist the urge to promote such philosophies as becoming "one" with nature (trees, etc.), following your own inner-instincts/leadings, allowing the spirits of the dead to guide you... and that's only the beginning. Sure, there's some good stuff about letting go of your fears and finding out "who" you are, as opposed to just "what" you are. But any good messages are buried deep in the mire of this "new-age" humanistic theology. Secondly, this film completely lacks the heart that made the first so wonderful. Any emotion in the film was contrived and without real feeling. Thirdly, the movie kept getting interupted by the lamest songs. Now, I am one that typically likes the music in animated films; but, not this kind of music. They really needed to get some better writers all the way around on this movie. (Actually, after about the first 15 minutes of the film, I only continued to watch it so I could write this review.) There are also scenes where Balto's daughter tells her father that she "hates" him and that he's "hopeless." These attitudes, as well as the overall subject matter, are not themes I want to subject my children to. So, this movie's not for kids. Well, who else could it be for, then? It's not entertaining enough for adults, and it's not cool enough for teens. Needless to say, I will not be keeping this film, nor will I recommend it to a single soul. I'm all for artistic expression. But, I'm also all for capitalism. And, I believe this film, as well as others like it, will learn the fiscally hard way that people will not continue to support anything other than high-quality, family enterainment, free of such blatent indoctrination tactics. Trust me on this one. Don't waste your time or money on this movie. Wait for "Beauty and the Beast" or "Monsters." :-)
Rating:
Summary: Balto 2: Wolf Quest DVD & VHS
Review: Well, if you have seen the first Balto this is just as good! Different voice actors so it's' hard to get used to that but otherwise the movie is 100% GREAT! It has some VERY cute scenes that are very different from the first, including a singing rat, a more magical/native approach and, different animals. The puppies are also VERY cute and like the first one it was very well animated and they captured the movement of the animals very well. I HIGHLY reccomend this movie to kids and adults that are fans of dogs, animals and animation. Way to go Balto on a second wounderful film!
Rating:
Summary: Balto II An Enjoyable Wolf Quest
Review: What with the popularity of their numerous direct-to-video sequels to The Land Before Time and An American Tail, it's not surprising that Universal's latest video offering is a sequel to their 1995 Balto. The original is based on the true story of a dog who, facing unbelievable dangers, brought medicine to those of Nome, Alaska when many children were suffering a life-threatening sickness. This one finds Balto father to some adorable pups, all of whom are adopted by a human eight weeks after birth - except Aleu, who looks more like a wolf then her half-wolf father. When a hunter mistakes her for one, Balto reveals the truth about her mixed heritage, and she runs - with Dad hot on her trail, thanks to a mysterious raven from a reoccurring nightmare. The result is an enjoyable Wolf Quest, which surprisingly doesn't do harm to the original. While the animation here isn't top-notch - more Cartoon Network-ish -- that's to be expected from a direct-to-video sequel. Indeed, the film's main fault is being a musical - featuring a singing rat - something the first movie never was designed to be. The songs are good, and fit well, but longtime fans of the original might be a bit disappointed. On a nicer note, the villains from within the wolf pack pleasantly resemble Steele and his gang of bully dogs from the first movie, and the bear sequence would have been just as brilliant as the one in the original if not for the cheesy "inner knowing" ending to the scene. By far not as good as the first, but a wonderful movie nonetheless, and one I'll definitely watch again. Movie: ***** (5/5). The DVD, however, isn't as great as the movie itself. Obviously designed for the littlest children, the game is VERY easy and extremely boring. It involves walking Balto across the ice to save Aleu, and deals with his paw prints rather then movie trivia. There's a DVD-ROM preview of a CD-ROM game, which doesn't look too interesting; the trailer is here along with trailers for the original "Balto," "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: The 20th Anniversary," and the latest movies in the "Land Before Time" and "Beethoven" video franchises. DVD extras: ** (2/5), and that's being generous for the "E.T." trailer. Technically this DVD is great, with perfect picture and good sound. The French and Spanish language tracks provide a good opportunity to help learn a forigen language, as they always do on DVDs. The movie is presented in 1:33:1 full frame, which is the original aspect ratio; don't complain about the lack of widescreen here. Since Universal produced this directly for video, it was originally filmed to fit TV screens, not reformatted from a widescreen version. The original BALTO was produced in widescreen but presented in full frame on the DVD (why??), however that is not the case here. Technicals: ***** (5/5.) All in all, this movie is an enjoyable Wolf Quest you'll want to be sure to add to your collection -- but don't expect much other then a great movie from the DVD edition. Review Text Copyright ©Jake Lipson, 2002.
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