Balto III – Sein größtes Abenteuer (Video 2004)

Balto III – Sein größtes Abenteuer: Directed by Phil Weinstein. With Sean Astin, Jodi Benson, Keith Carradine, Bill Fagerbakke. The mail in the north used to be delivered by dogsled, but the success of airplane delivery leaves Balto and the other sled dogs feeling neglected. However, when a delivery plane crashes on a mountain side, the sled dogs get the opportunity to show their worth. This story also prominently features Balto’s son, Kodi, who was among the puppy litter that we met in Balto II: Wolf Quest.

“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 donu0026#39;t feel that this movie captured the true essence of Balto. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMy two biggest problems with this movie are 1) the voices. It really detracts from animated sequels when they donu0026#39;t use the same actors. I sit there through half the movie not really believing itu0026#39;s that character because Iu0026#39;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 sheu0026#39;s just not there…I mean, at least give an explanation as to why sheu0026#39;s not in the story. And yes, this is a kidu0026#39;s animated movie, and some may argue that Iu0026#39;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 youu0026#39;re in the movie, and believe what youu0026#39;re seeing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs for the actual content of the movie, the plot in this one is much better. There actually is a purpose, and while itu0026#39;s not as heroic or pivotal as in the first Balto, it is still important. Personally, I think it wouldu0026#39;ve been a lot more interesting if Balto had been in a race and gotten hurt somewhere in the wilderness, and his son Kodiak u0026amp; his daughter Aleu had to lead a team to find him and save him. I would also have put Jenna on Baltou0026#39;s team…I donu0026#39;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 u0026amp; Stella detract from the movie. It started off well because we care about Boris and like that heu0026#39;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 Jennau0026#39;s song to Balto, but even then, the u0026#39;lyricsu0026#39; as it were are so one-dimensional and juvenile I couldnu0026#39;t decide whether to laugh or scoff.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, 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 wasnu0026#39;t enough conflict and/or obstacles in this movie to make it interesting and further the plot along, especially considering there is no villain. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKudos to the CG animators and directors, but next time work on better character development and PLEASE, if you canu0026#39;t get the same voice talents, get some with the same voice tone.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e5.5 out of 10”