Juuchan1
7

7 / 10

The Trilogy Finale... could have been better, October 28, 2010

"Balto", the first movie in this series, got viewers all over the world enthralled with the sport of dog-sledding. The first sequel, "Wolf Quest", left that focus, returning to the wilder half of Balto's heritage, as well as added Balto's six children with Jenna. But we all know that good things come in threes, don't they?

So, three years after the successful release of "Wolf Quest", "Balto III: Wings of Change" gave us an ending with a rather safe story that returned to Balto's original passion: pulling a dog-sled.

Three years have passed since the events of the first film, and the year is 1928. Balto's son, Kodiak [or Kodi, as he is commonly called] has achieved his dream of being a sled dog like his famous hero of a father. However, getting used to the rules and ways of sled-dog life isn't the hardest part, as a bush plane, piloted by a blond-haired man named Duke, challenges the sled team to see which method of transportation can carry the U.S. mail faster. Balto, on the other hand, has grown curious about the plane, wondering of how it must feel to fly, but he has doubts that the team, even with him at the lead, can even defeat such a fast machine in a race.

Compared to the first sequel, the animation is a huge improvement. While it's not as high-quality as the first film, it is well done for a DTV release. The backgrounds are gorgeous, as are the songs and the music used fit the overall mood of the film. Of course, there is one scene where the music feels a bit off, but it does fit the time period and the fun factor of the scene [fun for us, though we can't say the same for Balto and his friends].

Luckily, the original writers for the first film returned for Balto's big send-off, but I believe that they really weren't necessary. There were some things that were unnecessary, but they happened anyway for the sake of a plot. The characters were a different story, as the old characters in the series were up to par and enjoyable; most of the newer characters - mainly Stella [Boris's love interest], Dipsy and Mel - were more annoying and controversial [that would be Stella...] or weren't really developed enough to have much screen time or limited interaction with the lead characters. Kodi, however, was easy to like, and not as annoying as Aleu was; he had his own problems to deal with here, with both his job, his father, and what he believed in.

And then there were the film's flaws... The story was much too safe and familiar to the first in a way, even with the history used in it and the thrills and dangers of dog-sledding. A major flaw was giving Boris a love interest in the rather... buxom goose known as Stella. She is helpful near the climatic end, but other than that, she is the worm in this apple. I think she's in more of the movie than Kodi is... and he's on the cover with his father too. Now, if it was the other way around, then maybe the film would have been more of a success.

Flight is a major theme here, and they use it really well in a lot of imagery throughout the film, whether in words, songs or animation. The real question is why is Balto suddenly taken an interest with flying? Does he still wish to fly away from all of the pubilcity or teasing of who he is... or is he just a curious mutt that now has a thing for flying metal objects? We may never know, but it's his interest of this that brings a change about how he feels about the situation. And then Boris, the gander that now reveals a sudden fear of heights, falls for a goose like Stella that likes flying... I feel he is part of the catalyst of this film's finale.... as is Duke, the pilot of the bush plane. Unlike most stories like this, there really isn't an actual villain that causes trouble; the villain is more like a natural order of things, that force of change that can't really be stopped. It's very realistic, if I may say so, and this is the movie's strongest point.

I can't really think of anything else to say about the film. It is good and an improvement from "Wolf Quest" in animation and character, but it could have been much better if it wasn't so... safe. I feel that both sequels are strong in their own ways, but where "Wolf Quest" took a risk, "Wings of Change" played the basic story... and that made it predictable by the end. It was still an adventure to watch, but it felt too similar to what had already been done. Still, I would recommend it to fans - mainly for the many homages to the original film in a few scenes - and as a way to complete your Balto trilogy.

Compared to the other two films, "Wings of Change", to me, is the weakest film of the series, but its strong focus on change and the importance of sled dogs in Alaska during the time period make it one to watch.

- Juuchan17 [10/27/10]

"Sometimes... in my dreams, I'm soaring above the clouds... free..." - Balto, "Balto III: Wings of Change"