My Take: Good family entertainment with pleasant animation yet familiar plot elements.
Universal may have released THE LAND BEFORE TIME which was a terrific family animated adventure and, in my opinion, a worthy Disney contender in the 80's (not exactly the best time for Disney until THE LITTLE MERMAID came along), but they're still not Disney. With reaping one mighty triumph after another, classic after classic, Disney has proved to be at the top of their game (a game which they themselves started by the way). Universal, with former Disney animator Don Bluth working alongside them, is one of Disney's first business rival, a studio challenging Disney with their own animated efforts. Besides THE LAND BEFORE TIME (certainly the best of the bunch), there's AN American TAIL and its sequel, both of which doesn't match Disney's regal highness.
By 1995, Universal released another contender to the Disney throne. It's BALTO, an animated adventure supposedly based on true events of a courageous sled dog mellowed down to kids movie material (talking animals, wild antics, mild fictional perils). For an animated film, BALTO fulfills all the requirements: a pristine animated environment filled with interactive characters, a stylish voice cast, fast pacing and all the essential trappings to drag both adults and kids to purchase. But while it fulfills being an animated adventure, it rarely succeeds on being a brilliant one. It's appealing for kids, with maybe a few tidbits to attract adult attention, but it's still miles away from Disney territory.
The film is less a true story as mere fairy tale, as Balto (voiced by Kevin Bacon), an Ugly Duckling of a half-wolf (half-husky, half-wolf) usually tormented and embarrassed by the other sled dogs, including the cream-of-the-crop town "hero" Steel (voiced by Jim Cummings). His only real friends in the world is a talkative goose named Boris (voiced by Bob Hoskins) and a pair of twin polar bear cubs (voiced by Phil Collins). Pretty soon, a dangerous epidemic plagues the small Nome town, and after the sled team sent to pick up the antitoxins have failed, Balto seeks a chance to play hero as he sets of on his own to find the team, bring the medicine back to the ill-stricken town and have a monument inscribed before him (Okay, that last one wasn't exactly part of his plans!). Along the way, the film manages to provide a few good moments, including a battle against a giant Grizzly bear (why it isn't hibernating at this time of the year I don't know) which might scare the kids a little, but is no doubt some of the film's more exciting moments. There's also an avalanche (two actually, one on a cave).
The voice cast is adequate, as is the animation, but BALTO can't help but fall short. The characters, story and everything else, while good, are not Disney caliber and definitely feel more like a forced imitation. But as pure family entertainment, I didn't mind taking BALTO out for a spin. Therefore, I suggest a worthy rental would do just fine.
Rating: *** out of 5.
Universal may have released THE LAND BEFORE TIME which was a terrific family animated adventure and, in my opinion, a worthy Disney contender in the 80's (not exactly the best time for Disney until THE LITTLE MERMAID came along), but they're still not Disney. With reaping one mighty triumph after another, classic after classic, Disney has proved to be at the top of their game (a game which they themselves started by the way). Universal, with former Disney animator Don Bluth working alongside them, is one of Disney's first business rival, a studio challenging Disney with their own animated efforts. Besides THE LAND BEFORE TIME (certainly the best of the bunch), there's AN American TAIL and its sequel, both of which doesn't match Disney's regal highness.
By 1995, Universal released another contender to the Disney throne. It's BALTO, an animated adventure supposedly based on true events of a courageous sled dog mellowed down to kids movie material (talking animals, wild antics, mild fictional perils). For an animated film, BALTO fulfills all the requirements: a pristine animated environment filled with interactive characters, a stylish voice cast, fast pacing and all the essential trappings to drag both adults and kids to purchase. But while it fulfills being an animated adventure, it rarely succeeds on being a brilliant one. It's appealing for kids, with maybe a few tidbits to attract adult attention, but it's still miles away from Disney territory.
The film is less a true story as mere fairy tale, as Balto (voiced by Kevin Bacon), an Ugly Duckling of a half-wolf (half-husky, half-wolf) usually tormented and embarrassed by the other sled dogs, including the cream-of-the-crop town "hero" Steel (voiced by Jim Cummings). His only real friends in the world is a talkative goose named Boris (voiced by Bob Hoskins) and a pair of twin polar bear cubs (voiced by Phil Collins). Pretty soon, a dangerous epidemic plagues the small Nome town, and after the sled team sent to pick up the antitoxins have failed, Balto seeks a chance to play hero as he sets of on his own to find the team, bring the medicine back to the ill-stricken town and have a monument inscribed before him (Okay, that last one wasn't exactly part of his plans!). Along the way, the film manages to provide a few good moments, including a battle against a giant Grizzly bear (why it isn't hibernating at this time of the year I don't know) which might scare the kids a little, but is no doubt some of the film's more exciting moments. There's also an avalanche (two actually, one on a cave).
The voice cast is adequate, as is the animation, but BALTO can't help but fall short. The characters, story and everything else, while good, are not Disney caliber and definitely feel more like a forced imitation. But as pure family entertainment, I didn't mind taking BALTO out for a spin. Therefore, I suggest a worthy rental would do just fine.
Rating: *** out of 5.