Balto III: Wings of Change

Compared to other installments this movie really can't compete. For me I feel like this is one of those movies that are made just because the others got money. The story is not bad and the characters aren't as lively as they use to be. This obviously isn't the end in the series cause Balto 4 is coming out but it's my least favorite

Overall, for a direct-to-video movie, this was pretty good. There actually was a coherent plot, better character writing (as compared to the 2nd one), and awesome graphics. But, I still don't feel that this movie captured the true essence of Balto.

My two biggest problems with this movie are 1) the voices. It really detracts from animated sequels when they don't use the same actors. I sit there through half the movie not really believing it's that character because I'm trying to get used to the different voice. And 2) The writers conveniently left Aleu out of the story just to better fit their plot. That makes the story even less believable to me because you know he has a daughter and she's just not there...I mean, at least give an explanation as to why she's not in the story. And yes, this is a kid's animated movie, and some may argue that I'm holding my standards too high, but one of the key elements to making a successful sequel is to make it believable--you have to feel like you're in the movie, and believe what you're seeing.

As for the actual content of the movie, the plot in this one is much better. There actually is a purpose, and while it's not as heroic or pivotal as in the first Balto, it is still important. Personally, I think it would've been a lot more interesting if Balto had been in a race and gotten hurt somewhere in the wilderness, and his son Kodiak & his daughter Aleu had to lead a team to find him and save him. I would also have put Jenna on Balto's team...I don't like that she just sits on the sidelines and delivers good advice--her character has much more potential than that. I think the solo sequences with Boris & Stella detract from the movie. It started off well because we care about Boris and like that he's found someone, but then they just go off the deep end with the song and dance number. The only song worthwhile in this movie was Jenna's song to Balto, but even then, the 'lyrics' as it were are so one-dimensional and juvenile I couldn't decide whether to laugh or scoff.

Overall, I think the ratings for this sequel are inflated because the 2nd one was such a disappointment. The big difference with this movie is that it does partially recapture the feel of the first Balto, but the characters are still severely underdeveloped and a little typecast. So while this movie is definitely watchable, there wasn't enough conflict and/or obstacles in this movie to make it interesting and further the plot along, especially considering there is no villain.

Kudos to the CG animators and directors, but next time work on better character development and PLEASE, if you can't get the same voice talents, get some with the same voice tone.

5.5 out of 10

OK, the plot is a bit cheesy and predictable. Most of all, it is so simple that it needs a secondary story to back it up, that being a love story for the goose. But it's way better than Wolf Quest and it approaches the quality of the original Balto. The animation is also better, a slight change in the way things and people are drawn is obvious.

All in all a good sequel, but enough with Balto. Leave the poor dog alone. Let us see, in the first movie he fought the lead dog and won. In the second Balto he fought a lead wolf and won. Now he takes on a plane, and he wins. Balto does rime with Rambo, doesn't it? :)

In conclusion, I would rather watch Balto I and then Balto III. Balto II is not worth watching and the third part is best connected with the first like Highlander...

I loved the first Balto movie, it wasn't a flawless film, but it had a good story, good animation, good voice acting, and a heart to it. I hated Balto 2: Wolf Quest, it had a contrived story, sub-par animation, OK voice acting at best, and was obviously just a cash grab. Now we have Balto 3: The Wings of Change, is it any good? Kinda.

First off the story is much better, no weird spiritual stuff, just a race against a bush plane, and a rescue. Also there is a subplot of Boris falling in love, but he can't fly, the subplots OK, but the movie probably could have done a better job with it. The voice actings better, Balto sounds more like he did in the first. The animation, well, it's still sub-par 2-D and awful CGI. Also there are more songs in this film, but it isn't just howling, and the songs, are actually, not that bad. There not Disney quality songs, but they were pretty descent.

Balto 3 isn't perfect, but it's far better than the second in the series, so if you want to, give it a shot, it may surprise you.

It is not as good as the first film, which I just love. But it is a notch above the second film, which I personally didn't think was that bad, just the weakest of the three. There are some things that were lacking. The animation is rather rough-around-the-edges, more in the character designs than in the backgrounds and graphics. There are some scenes also detailed in another review that do feel a little random and feel little more than filler. And I really disliked the character of Stella, she was annoying and served no real purpose to the story. However, apart from Stella's song, which I have always found ear-gratingly-bad, the songs are really quite nice especially the credits song. The soundtrack has that mysterious whimsy that fits wonderfully, and the dialogue is thought-provoking and means well. There are also improvements over Wolf Quest, there is a much more coherent story, there is more of the first movie's feel here and Kodi is a much more likable character than Aleu. Other than Stella the characters are great. The voice acting, while not as good as any of that of the first film, is decent. Sean Astin is great as Kodi, and as Balto, while not sounding entirely like Kevin Bacon, Maurice LaMarche again shows what a superb voice actor he is. Jodi Benson is appropriately sympathetic as Jenna, and Keith Carradine brings a certain gruffness to Duke. All in all, not a bad sequel if not on the same level as the original Balto. 7/10 Bethany Cox