Balto II - Wolf Quest (2002)

As if becoming a new father isn't enough, Balto the half-wolf is puzzled by a recurring nightmare involving a treacherous journey, some threatening characters, and plenty of unanswered questions. Chalk it up to parenthood: nightmare turns into reality when the last of his litter, whom no human will adopt, learns the devastating truth about her mixed heritage and embarks on a dangerous Wolf Quest, with papa Balto hot on her trail. The result is 75 minutes of engrossing action, beautifully integrated songs, well-timed humor, polished animation, and a refreshing tendency to surprise rather than shock. As thoughtfully composed as the original Balto (based on the true story of a heroic Alaskan sled dog), this made-for-video sequel promises to be a deeply satisfying selection for families with 3- to 8-year-olds. --Liane Thomas Amazon.com

My 3 yr old loves it; I like it too

We like Balto 2 a lot -- even without having seen Balto 1. Our local library only has Balto 2. But we have watched it probably about 8 times by now, and it holds her attention every time. I find it a lot less annoying than most kids animated movies (such as most Disney). It does have some pretty scary scenes, which young kids will definitely need some kind of adult guidance to work through -- for instance, a bear with red eyes suddenly appears and attacks Alue; and there are some fierce wolves, both spirit wolves and real wolves. You need to judge whether your child is ready for the idea that the world can be scary. I don't think it's more scary than, say, Malificent in Sleeping Beauty, and actually I think it's less scary than Snow White, which I haven't yet let my daughter watch; or Dumbo, which I hate. The scariness of "Balto 2" is about the wild, the idea that there might be monsters or demons out there, which could also be within us; it's not about the even scarier idea that even those we love and trust, like the mother, could be bad; the stepmother theme; or that the mother could be killed or taken away, as in Babar. And it's not misogynistic. And it's not as loud as most Disney, and not so dependent on cutesy characters (there's an annoying goose, but he has a relatively, blessedly, small part). But it does have some scary scenes all the same; this isn't a movie to leave a young child to watch for the first time alone. But my daughter seems to have found it very sustaining for her imagination; she's always talking about the spirit animals coming to life, and about how to escape from a spirit bear. I like the fact that it has a semi-cheesy but kind of appealing native American philosophy, about the one-ness of nature and finding your own true identity. The theme of a child trying to find her own self is one that matters to all children, and in fact all people. I also like that, unlike in Disney princess movies, it's not a rescue plot: it's about the daughter, with her father's help, finding her own path, not about a prince/fairy godmother coming to the rescue of a passive heroine. The songs are kind of cheesy, but we both enjoy them. My daughter likes the fact that it is all dogs and wolves and animals, not people; it's a good movie for animal-loving kids. Actually I like that too. Nicely drawn, good voices; all in all, great kids movie. Now I am going to buy Balto 1. April 6, 2008

Not as good as the first

Same Balto- different voices. I dislike it when they change the actors who give life to the characters. Oh well... This struck me as a production done on a lower budget with the story line. This episode has longer than necessary drama scenes of Balto's dreams of who he is and it struck me as odd that the relational development with his daughter was introduced and exited abruptly toward the last 1/4 or the movie. It was good but did not measure up to the first one. March 31, 2008

Stopped watching...

I rented this movie from the video store after my 4 year old son saw the original Balto movie and we enjoyed it. But this movie was awful. Balto kept having frightening, creepy dreams throughout the movie (my son doesn't scare easily, but he was scared), Aleu (Balto's daughter) was awful to her parents, but the spiritism/animism was too much and we just turned it off. I won't let this kind of trash influence my child's beliefs.
NOT recommended. October 10, 2007

Beautiful

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.
January 11, 2007

Not Like the Real Balto

Balto was the wolf-husky who led the last leg of a husky-malamute team some 53 miles in 1925 during the Diptheria Epidemic. The beautiful Eskimo dog has been immortalized in statue as a testament to his bravery in getting the team through so the medicine could be provided to the people needing it.

Although this fictionalized account of Balto's life off duty is just that, it does have some appealing qualities. The animation of Balto's mate, the beautiful husky Jenna; Balto's lineage revealing him to be a wolf-hybrid and the story of his beautiful, curly-tailed daughter, Aleu are all literary license that make the story appealing.

Although many disliked this film, it is deeper than it appears on the surface. Aleu is the only one of the Jenna-Balto union who is not adopted. Her siblings could pass for dogs. She is the one who looks like her wolf paternal grandmother; she is the one with the howl of the wolf, the body of the wolf and the curly tail of Jenna. Once she learns she is 1/4 wolf, she is devastated. Balto has to break the news to her about why nobody picked her. Even so, Aleu tries to pass for a husky. She denies her lupine heritage.

Aleu does bring to mind the 1934 and 1959 remake of "Imitation of Life," the story of a girl who passes for white and denies her black mother. The theme of passing has been expounded upon in many books and movies. "Pinky," and "Lost Boundaries," two 1949 films explore this highly charged topic as does "Devil in a Blue Dress," 1972's "Trick Baby;" the 1996 movie, "A Family Thing" and, more recently, "The Human Stain." Sadly, racism in society does prompt many to make this decision, which often affords people jobs and social openings they might not otherwise have. That is a sad comment in today's world. One would hope more progressive thinking has prevailed so as to abolish racism and the need any might feel to take this step.

Aleu does bear a strong resemblance characterwise to the young woman in "Imitation of Life;" using a wolf-husky character offers some "distancing" when introducing this very serious topic. The wolf-husky can indeed be viewed as a metaphor for passing to "get ahead." Aleu sees no benefit to being part wolf; after all, it is her lupine appearance that made her "unadoptable" by human standards.

After some dangerous travails and travels, father and daughter connect and in time their issues are neatly ironed out as would be expected in an animated film. The part that I found most worthwhile was the issue of passing - the beautiful curly tailed wolf-husky felt she had to "pass" and deny part of her heritage - that could be a metaphor for what many people have done in order to get ahead. The very need to pass at all is a sad comment on an aspect of society. Still, I think this is a rather decent film with decent music. I loved the wolves and dogs. October 28, 2006

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