Balto II - Wolf Quest

Balto II - Wolf Quest
by Phil Weinstein

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DVD Reviews of Balto II - Wolf Quest

DVD Review: Does not live up to the first one. (Not even close.)
Summary: 1 Stars

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." :-)

Description of Balto II - Wolf Quest