Balto
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Movie Reviews of Balto
Movie Review: WHY DID I NOT OWN THIS YEARS AGO?! 9.25 OUT OF 10
Summary: 5 Stars
As my title says, I can't help but wonder why I did not buy this film sooner. Balto is a fantastic and excellent piece of animated film-making. Too bad critics didn't seem to think like just about everyone who saw this film (45% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes...WHAT THE HELL?! You people think trash like Madagascar deserves better ratings? What is wrong with you people?). But then again, I stopped trusting them once I saw they also trashed All Dogs Go To Heaven. Balto is a wonderful and thrilling adventure that just about anyone can enjoy, and it's no wonder this film has such a large fanbase, and now I'm a part of it.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: 1925, Nome, Alaska. Our hero Balto is a half-breed who is part wolf and part husky, which is why just about everyone in the town treats him like crap because they claim since he's part wolf that he might bite someone. Balto lives on a boat with a goose named Boris (Who has a Russian accent) who gets constantly visited by two polar bears named Muk and Luk. But Balto has big dreams despite his problems, he wants to be on a sled team and he has a love interest for a husky named Jenna. However, he constantly gets bullied by the town's main sled dog named Steel who also wants Jenna and is a complete jerk to get attention. Then the town experiences a diphtheria epidemic among children, and a sled team must be dispatched to make a six hundred mile journey to bring antitoxin to cure the children. But when the team gets lost and doesn't come back, Balto decides to find them and help bring back the antitoxin which ends up becoming a wild ride.
MUSIC: I have yet to hear a bad musical score from James Horner, he certainly does not disappoint here. As usual, his musical compositions are wonderful and fit the mood very well, not to mention when the mood is right the music becomes rather thrilling.
ACTING: Aside from some mildly campy dialogue, I really have no complaints with this area. Every one of the actors put on a great show, especially Kevin Bacon's performance as Balto. Everyone did a great job and fit their roles very well.
ACTION: This film is never boring. It injects both humor and thrilling action moments into the mix, which proves to be an incredibly satisfying combination. The humor was pretty funny, and pretty clean (There were a few very mild innuendos, but they aren't too noticeable). The only complaint that I have about this area is that this film isn't long enough, as is the case with most animated films. They just aren't long enough (Yet crappy live-action films can stretch for a grueling two hours, and that is painful as hell).
OVERALL: This is great family entertainment that will forever remain timeless. While I'd have to give the edge to All Dogs Go To Heaven in terms of which film is a better dog film (I'm sorry, but Balto didn't make me want to cry like ADGTH's ending), that's still not to say that I don't adore this film. This film is wonderful, and while it has a couple of minor flaws, that doesn't really matter because as it stands it is amazing.
THE GOOD: Great voice-acting, good story, great music, thrilling action moments, and funny humor.
THE BAD: It's not long enough and there is some mildly cheesy dialogue.
Movie Review: Balto is cool as ice...
Summary: 5 Stars
Only drawback? It didn't follow the real historical story, in that there is the wolf vs dog conflict, something that would have never happened in a society that bred wolves and dogs together in order to create a better worker. If I'm not mistaken, huskies weren't even a "pure" breed at this time. One more thing... the DVD doesn't offer widescreen. :( Since this movie was originally in the theatres, I really was hoping for widescreen option.Highlights? The voices are wonderful! The explanation of why a kid should be grateful for shots is very vivid and educational. The acceptance of himself to do the job teaches kids that what they think are weaknesses may actually be strengths when the chips are down. And the feel-good ending teaches kids that stereotypes can be overcome by showing people that you are more than they percieve, with the twist that if you show people a false front eventually they will see by your actions just what you are. The animation is top notch, the DVD allowing the option to freeze frame and really examine how well these people and animals were drawn. The connection to the real Balto by showing the statue in central park and a modern day Siberian Husky pup is great storytelling. And don't turn it off when the credits start rolling! The song, with it's lyrics, is one of my favorites and I have watched the video many times just to hear it.
In all, this is one of my favorite movies and I recommend it. I also recommend teaching your kid about the real Balto, who's story can be found in the public library among other places.
Movie Review: Partly fictionalized, but great movie anyway
Summary: 5 Stars
I know a lot of kids' movies these days are comedies, and although Balto is not one for the most part, I highly recommend it for families to watch. It interested me when I watched it as a kid, and it interests me now even more since I know a little more about the history of Alaska. The film begins with a young girl, her grandmother, and her dog, walking through Central Park. The grandmother sees a statue of Balto (which is there in real life) and narrates the story of a dog who led a team that brought medicine to a town full of sick children when other modes of transportation could not.
It's true that many aspects of the movie are fictionalized. We all know animals don't communicate in real life the way they do in the movie, so scenes involving their interactions are obviously made up. Furthermore, the real life Balto was not the only sled dog leader, was not part wolf, and was not quite the pariah this movie makes him out to be. But while I acknowledge these differences make the movie much different from the real story, I still think the movie is worth watching for its entertainment value. Had the producers stuck more closely to the way the expedition really was, the movie might not have been as interesting. If the differences bother you, don't watch the movie. However, if you're simply looking for another family-appropriate movie that involves adventure, suspense, and love, get "Balto".
Movie Review: Stop blaming it for something it never was intended to be.
Summary: 5 Stars
'I really liked this movie when I was little but recently in school we have been researching the Ididarod/The Great Serum Run. We learned (and its in websites all over the internet) that unlike the movie says, Balto gets all the credit for running the serum to the town in need, when really the dog that deserves the credit was named Togo. Togo was a dog owned by Lenard Sepalla. Spalla, with Togo as his lead dog, was the one who made the longest journey to deliever the serum. Spalla's assistant favored Balto and as part of the run he used Balto as his lead dog. The assistant happend to miss the place where he was to drop the serum off and just kept going to the town which was not far away. Balto gets almost all the credit for doing practically nothing when Togo gets almost none of the credit for doing practically everything! This is not fair as in Togo and Sepalla's journey was almost twice as long as Baltos. If you dont believe me look it up.'
Hello kid, this film was never meant to be historically accurate anyway. The real Balto wasn't even half-wolf. Don't blame the movie, blame the people who don't give credit to Togo.
Apart from that, this is a great film. I highly recommend it.
Movie Review: I admit it's pretty amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't believe this movie is not better known -- and didn't do better at the box office. It features a clear and gripping story, and some incredible animation. As of my writing, there are 90 Amazon reviews and this thing has a perfect five stars. Translation: if you don't think it's worthy, the problem is with YOU. (I've heard the studio even lost money on this, although that may have been because "Toy Story" came out at around the same time.)
I myself have two gripes:
1. The live-action sequences could well have been cut. Or at least, if you have to retain them, have the kid grow into something more socially useful than some waddling, garden variety grandmother.
2. The high drama and heft of the main storyline, I feel, was not set off very well by the Three Stooges-style slapstick of Boris and the two polar bears. This was strictly for toddlers, while the story proper was strictly for adults. The direction was amazing, but not amazing enough to have seamlessly conjoined those two aspects of the movie.