Balto III: Wings of Change

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

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...

This direct-to-video sequel is already out in Europe, so that's why I've already seen it. And guess what : I love it! Not only because I'm a Balto fan, but because it's a really good animated movie, especially for a DTV (and we all know that the DTV sequels are usually all but good!).

In fact, it gives a slightly different feeling compared to the original or Wolf Quest. I don't know exactly why, but this is the first time I felt that with an animated sequel...And it's really a nice thing ;) The story is one of the best points : there are a lot of things happening, perhaps even more than in the first, and everything goes quickly. There are no boring passages, although some will probably not please everyone. No magic here, the humans are back for good, all the key points of the scenario give a feeling of reality; so it is much closer to the original on that side. The characters aren't still very well drawn; in fact, it depends, sometimes they are perfectly drawn, nearly as in the first one, and sometimes much less. I would say it is common for a DTV on that side. However, the backgrounds are AWESOME. The colors are more than beautiful, and the less beautiful backgrounds are on pair with the most beautiful in the original. It's another thing that is really impressive for a DTV sequel, seeing that IMO they are as beautiful as some big animated movies like "Brother Bear" or "Spirit", and perhaps even more! As for the musics : I would say the same thing. While there are still some empty passages, the soundtrack is really, really awesome, impressive, especially near the end. It may not have the shrewd style of Horner's Balto 1 soundtrack, yet the score from Adam Berry is exceptional, and make some passages unforgettable. To give a better idea of what I overall think of the film, I would summarize that into one word : beautiful. Really, really beautiful. Beautiful scenario, beautiful musics, beautiful graphics... Some of you might be wondering if they will rent it or buy it directly. Well, I believe that this film has more than enough replay value, when Wolf Quest had nearly none; so IMO, it is definitely a must-buy for every Balto fan, and even for everyone else ;)

To summarize : A wonderful film. Definitely a must-see for Balto fans, and one of the best DTV sequels ever made to an animated movie (maybe the best with TLK 1/2). It may have some flaws, but there are so many qualities in the scenario, graphics, musics...that everyone will let through these minor problems, and enjoy the great story it offers. If you liked Wolf Quest, you have all chances to love it. If you didn't, but still liked the original Balto, believe me : it's somewhat different from WQ, so you don't have any reason to not watch it just because WQ was a disappointment. Unlike Wolf Quest, I really can't see anyone who wouldn't like it.

The original Balto was amazing. A much-loved favourite of mine. I also enjoyed Balto II - Wolf Quest. But then came Balto III - Wings of Change. First impressions, poor animation with computer animated elements. None of the characters had their original voices - nor did they even sound like the originals. Whoever thought up Stella the Goose should be sued. She is an unnecessary character who, in my mind, ruins the entire film. I do like Kodi, Balto's son in this film. He is given a lovely character and makes the film actually worth watching. No mention is given to Aleu though? All in all, this is a poor ending to the Balto sequels and was most probably even less popular than poor Balto was originally. An addition to a Balto fans collection but otherwise, do not waste your money.

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