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3 / 10

A Bitter Disappointment, March 09, 2011

Sequels are often something to look forward to, simply because we all like to see more of something we already love. But its often disappointing and disheartening when our favorite film, movie, series, etc is followed up by something that doesnt meet out high expectations. Like most people, Balto 2 was one of those sequels that we found to be disappointing and sloppy.

One of the first expectations we look forward to are the return of our most beloved and cherished characters. We saw most of the main cast, including: Balto, Jenna, Muk and Luk, and Boris. Despite their appearances, they didnt follow the same character as before. Jenna did a fair job, but seemed to have lost the "strong feminine" edge that we saw previously. Muk, Luk, and Boris seemed to have kept their previous personalities, but sadly enough we dont get to see them often in the film. Balto was a constant appearance, but seemed to have gained a more bolder and talkative personality, not the shy guy we have seen before. Could it be because of him being an accepted citizen of Nome? Whatever it may be, its quite a change from the old Balto. Along with the old characters come the introduction of the new characters, such as: Aleu, Nava, Niju, Aniu, and other minor roles. While seeing new faces is usually positive, it seemed to be a negative addition to this film. Some of these characters werent well developed, or didnt contribute to the film in the best way. 

The plot of this film wasnt very appealing either. Unlike the first movie, the theme was revolved around Alaskan heritage and traditions. Although it was an interesting factor, it seemed to haven taken away what we loved about Balto. Most of us enjoyed Balto social awkwardness in Nome, for its something that most people can easliy connect to. Being amongst other wolves and clans did seem to deliver that seem feel. It was also hard to detect what kind of message the film was trying to deliver. My first assumption was that it was all about the journey of self discovery, but it then changed to the idea of letting a beloved one go. Whichever the theme was, it was poorly supported and lacked several story telling devices.

Last and but not least, the animation was something to cringe at. The first movie delivered splending animation skills and artwork, but the sequel appeared quite messy and sloppy. Countless of times I have noticed the weak anatomy illustrated, and often times the style appeared to have been butchered because of it. The week artwork was discordant and often distracting.  This could be the result of the usual reason behind a sequel: to lure in money. The second movie was nothing more to appease Balto fans all around the world, and produced it in a fashion that demonstrated lack of passion and care.

So altogether, this movie falls under a very poor category.