Balto 3 : Sur l'aile du vent

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

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.

Although I'm still not sure if we needed the sequels to Balto, because the first movie was based on a true story, this was a little silly to make two sequels, but it's all good. I can see why they would want to continue the story in some ways, a lot of children enjoy these movies and I don't blame them. It's very hopeful and a fun story that everyone loves and it touches their hearts.

This time Balto is with his son, Kodi, Kodi and his friends are a team who deliver very important mail to the city. A pilot challenges the dogs to a race because he believes that he can deliver the mail faster than the dogs, well, Kodi asks Balto for help and to lead the race. The dogs end up winning but unfortunately, Boris who is also on the plane, and the pilot crash and Balto has to go back with his friends to help Boris and the man.

Balto 3 was a great animated film that was also a great finish for the story of Balto. Like I said, as much as it wasn't needed, it makes for a great family film and I know all the kids will like it. I miss the old animation and this was a great flash back, Balto is a great story that shouldn't be missed.

6/10

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