Customer Reviews

Balto II - Wolf Quest

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

It was a lot better than I expected! They animation is a little awkward at times, but very beautiful! The songs are nice too; my personal favorite is "Taking You Home." The music is awesome!

Before the birth of Jenna and Balto's children Balto keeps on having strange dreams, and is clueless to what they mean. Then comes puppy adoption day, and all but Aleu, a spunky brown pup who looks even more like a wolf than her father are adopted, and a hunter tries to kill Aleu because of her looks. Balto is forced to tell her that no one will adopt her because she looks like a wolf, and Aleu runs away. A raven spirit guide and the spirit of Balto's mother guides him to Aleu, and guides Aleu to her destiny. They find a wolf pack and soon the message in Balto's dreams is revealed. They must guide the wolves across the ice bridge to follow the caribou to survive. At last Aleu finds her role in life and becomes the alpha of a wolf pack, and Balto must return home.

But behind the colorful atrt and music lies a meaining to the story: Everyone has a role in life, but you must beilive and be yourself to truly find it.

This is a wonderful film that the entire family and fans of the original will surly enjoy!

I mean what I said in the title. Why is everyone putting down this film? Sure, it's way off from the first movie, but (call me crazy) I think it's even better than that one.

Just because it's not a Christian movie doesn't mean that it offends that religion. It doesn't say anything against it--it just happens to be based on different beliefs, that's all! Look at me--I'm a loyal Christian and this is one of my favorite movies. Hey--I like Native American chants and totem poles and stuff. That's COOL. The music is beautiful in this movie. "Who You Really Are" and "The Grand Design" are both totally top notch. "Muru's Chant" was also excellent. "Somebody Loves You"? Eh...that one wasn't all that great. But it was still a nice song.

One of the main reasons I like this film so much was because it had more wolves in it than the last movie. I mean, sure, Balto supported wolves, but its sequal does it even more.

All right, I admit it--the ending was just a tad dissapointing the first few times I saw the movie. But I got used to it and learned to look at it as a cliffhanger moment. I won't spoil the ending for you.

The animation is loads better (it might be just a little difficult for you to recognize Balto when you first see him, but that's because of the positive change in the art). The scenery is beautiful--in some parts, the water is computer animated and awesome.

We don't see that much of Boris, Muk, and Luk, but when you do see them, you have to smile with recognition--they're just the same.

Balto fans--see this film!

Balto II is even more underrated than the first film. Many people say that the first and third films are the best and this one is trash but I disagree, Wolf Quest is the best of the series. The music is beautiful and doesn't detract from the plot whatsoever. The animation is not that great (but you shouldn't judge it JUST by the animation). Unlike the first film, CGI is used and the effect? Stunning, simply stunning, and I mean it in a good way.
As for the story itself? It's about Balto's daughter Aleu, who looks more lupine than her brothers and sisters. Shocked by this, she (like most teens) blames it on her father and runs away, in a quest to find herself. It involves a Kodiac bear, three wolverines, a cunning fox and a pack of wolves.
In this film, the idea of spirit guides and such comes from the beliefs of the Haida, a tribe of Native Americans who lived (and still do) along the coast of Canada and Alaska. I've seen some Christian shoppers crtisise this film about it. That is really offensive to the few remaining Haida, and they ought to be ashamed of themselves.

I read alot of reviews saying how offended they where about this movie and how it teaches kids false relgions.Get over it.Your kids will learn about native american relgions in schools anyway.I see nothing wrong with this film.It was very well drawn(As is all the Balto movies.)And the story line was great it showed more of what a teen would act like.and i thought that the way eveything tied in togther was cool.Buy this movie.

Now, I don't agree that this is better than the first, but I do say they tie up prtty close. This one is really good but it goes really from the first. The third sort of goes back to the plot. Whoever said Aleu is a stubborn mutt, whatever! Yes, she is a little stubborn but what girl isn't!? I really like the song, "Who you Really Are". I've been looking for a soundtrack but I don't think there is one.

Of course, Balto 2 is nothing like the original; like most animated DTV sequels, it has been made with a low budget, so don't expect it to be as good as the original was. However, I think it's still a good sequel : the story is fine (if not compared to the first), the backgrounds are beautiful, and the musics are excellent in several scenes. Usually I hate the songs from those DTV sequels, but here they aren't annoying and even worth listening. The only bad point I would give is the animation itself, which is really bad in a few scenes and looks more like a TV show (ie the bear scene...), but as I said it is often the case with DTV sequels. Also, the characters look and act a bit differently from the first. But from a general point of view, it's still an enjoyable quest, and I think it could have been much worse...So, a good direct-to-video, perhaps one of the best, but not at the level of the original. If you liked the first Balto, then you should at least rent B2. And if you don't like this sequel, then wait for the third Balto, which (from everything I heard, like the return of the original writers) will be a lot better, and will stick more to the original!

I've loved the first Balto movie when I first saw it, and I still do. When I saw the previews for "Balto II: Wolf Quest" I couldn't wait to see it, and when I finally saw it the day it came out I loved it! :) It was a bittersweet movie, and I thought it was better then most direct-to-video sequels. I loved the plot, the songs, the charactors...everything. Everything except the charactor animation and Balto & Jenna's voices. I liked Kevin Bacon and Bridget Fonda better. All in all, I loved Balto II: Wolf Quest, and I give it 5 stars and 2 paws up! lol :)

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.

My children and I all enjoyed the first Balto (even though it's not entirely "accurate" but then again most movies that are based on a true story aren't!) but Balto II- Wolf Quest was much much better! We just gave it to my preschool age daughter and she is totally fascinated by it.

The Native American singing/flutes/music throughout it is beautiful with only a couple of musical parts feeling a little awkward. One part I did especially appreciate was that when Balto and Jenna sent their pups to live with new humans, they didn't make it look like a horribly gross injustice that was heartwrenching and agonizing. Babies being separated from their mommies is always hard for children to understand but they did that part very well.

This is not made for adults so keep that in mind but it IS wonderful for children and adults who like cartoons, getting down on a childs level and aren't too stuffy about watching shows made for them. =)

You'll probably recognize quite a few of the voices but not be able to *place* them. Read the credits for a walk down memory lane! =) (probably for those over 30)

I'll grant you that for the most part I wasn't overly impressed by the quality of the animation here. Also, some moments between Aleu and her Papa are a bit rude during the lass's teenhood stage...we all say and do things we regret especially at such a time of tremendous changes in perceptions of self and the world--so it is realistic. However, I wish Aleu had apologized for her lapses. I am 27 and I still apologize to my dad when I get out of line...it's a matter of respect. However, on the parental side, Balto has a very difficult time allowing his baby girl to explore and grow...he means well and is protective and loving, but a bit stifling.

I like the message that everyone has a place in the Universe regardless of heritage. This is an important message. Yes, there are basic American Indian themes here which I find very cool even though I am Christian and do not ascribe to some of the concepts presented. I do, however, believe that a message wherein the earth, it's creatures, and the environment is respected is a good one to foster.

I also get a major kick out of two of the male voice actors used for the wolves: Mark Hamill and David Carradine! This is a pair I'd wanted to see do something jointly for years but never thought I'd actually get that wish granted and in exactly the opposite manner than expected. I was pleasantly surprised. I also admired how the Alpha allowed all the right to express their opinions even though he knew there were detractors among the pack. Showed he was wise, caring, and fair. The Alpha also refused to abandon the seeming Beta, Niju, which refused to leave the homeland so that he may survive. Other themes presented are longsufference and compassion.

It also seemed to have a slight vibe of equal rights between the sexes which I don't feel was overstated.

Overall, worth seeing.