NYStray

6 / 10

Balto 2: Wolf Quest, March 10, 2011

The first time I saw the movie, I was glad to see mostly because I was excited that the first movie (which I thought was beyond fantastic) was getting a sequel.  Now, when I actually saw the film I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, but I didn't absolutely hate it, either.

What I didn't like most about it was Balto's and Jenna's characters and how much they changed.  Not only were their personalities from the original movie all but gone, but they had also changed in voice (which probably couldn't be helped, but Balto just wasn't the same without Kevin Bacon).  I did, however, enjoy the idea behind Balto and Jenna's rebellious daughter, Aleu.  I thought (thought sometimes annoyingly stubborn) she was a very headstrong character who made the story move at a pretty good pace.

The plot was alright, though I wish it had been executed differently.  The only good thing that came out of the whole "magical" part of the movie was Muru's chant (not the whole song, just the short chant when he meets Aleu) and the introduction of Ainu, Balto's mother.  Other than that, I don't think the magical aspect of the film should have been involved. (Though I don't like how they made Ainu and white wolf so close in design to the White Wolf from the original movie, leading to a massive debate among fans).

All in all, there were many things that should have been avoided in this movie and many things in could have improved upon (even with a short budget); however, it's an interesting enough movie in its own right, though not as a continuity of Balto 1.

Worth a watch, but not a hit.