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Balto II: Wolf Quest

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  • All Animation Is Disney: This film falls victim to being mistaken for a Disney work. It is a Direct-to-Video, Disney-looking, animated musical released at a time when Disney had many direct-to-video sequels.
  • Allegedly Optimistic Ending: So how's Balto going to break the news to Jenna that their daughter has left and they'll most likely never see her again?
  • Awesome Music:
    • “Taking You Home” is a sweet, tender song played as Balto and Jenna watch their pups go off to good homes. Even though it’s a happy moment, it’s also bittersweet watching the new parents see their babies taken away - and worse, when nobody wants Aleu.
    • “Who You Really Are” has great, ethereal score and wonderfully pretty vocals from Rob Paulsen, as well as ominous chanting to go along with the trippy, atmospheric visuals.
    • "The Grand Design" is a catchy song that has lovely bass and imposing spoken word by David Carradine and Mark Hamill, really driving home the themes of destiny as the two leaders debate over the fate of the pack.
    • The primary instrumental theme, heard as the last bit of score in the credits, sounds appropriately adventurous and epic befitting the untamed Alaskan wilderness.
  • Base-Breaking Character:
    • Since the film's release, Aleu has either been seen as a well-rounded and likeable main character, while others see her as too annoying and impulsive.
    • Niiju has also proved divisive. Some find the character to be a poorly fleshed-out Expy of Steele from the first film, while others prefer him to Steele for being more of a Well-Intentioned Extremist than an arrogant bully. The one thing that both defenders and detractors of the film generally agree on is that Mark Hamill's performance is to be praised.
  • Captain Obvious Reveal: When Nava states that the pack will be led by "one who is wolf but does not know it”, the characters immediately assume this to be Balto, which makes no sense since he already accepted his wolf heritage in the previous film. In essence, Nava's prophecy immediately spells out that Aleu, who has spent the whole film struggling with her identity, will be the one to embrace her wolf nature and lead the pack, despite the film itself trying to present this revelation as a major twist later on.
  • He Really Can Act: Maurice LaMarche not only does a splendid job flawlessly imitating Kevin Bacon, but he still delivers a solid performance in his own right. Many voice actors like LaMarche’s friend Rob Paulsen have attested that imitating another actor is one thing, but still giving a good performance is another, and LaMarche does both.
  • Popular with Furries: Due to its heavy emphasis on wolves and wolf-dogs, it's arguably even more popular with furries than the original.
  • Sequelitis: Few if any will say it’s better than the first film.
  • So Okay, It's Average: It’s generally not regarded as a great film or as good as the first film, but most fans concede there was some clear effort put into it with decent songs, a great atmosphere, and an interesting journey for the characters.
  • Strawman Has a Point: Niiju does have a point that the pack is running out of food; Nava preaching vague morals and prophecies that even he doesn't fully understand doesn't put food in anyone's mouth. Nava's talk of a vague "grand design" would probably be more well-received if the wolf pack wasn't on the brink of starvation and if Nava had an actual plan to combat the starvation. Granted, Niiju's plan of fighting other animal clans isn’t a great idea either as Nava points out it will only result in further famine in the ecosystem, but it’s not hard to see why the pack joined him for a night.
  • Tear Jerker:
    • The scene where Balto and Jenna’s puppies are given away. This is how it has to be given they’re dogs in a human world, but it’s no less heartbreaking to see Jenna weeping as her babies are taken away. The bright side is that the song makes it clear that they’re going to good homes, and will presumably stay in Nome so it’s not goodbye forever, but it’s still parents being forced to let their children go. What’s worse is Aleu not being adopted by anybody and not understanding why, only waving goodbye to her siblings as they’re taken away. By the end, Jenna wants to try again, but Balto refuses to keep putting Aleu through it, knowing exactly what’s going on.
    • As good hearted and wise as Nava is, the climax ultimately makes it clear that he’s simply too old to join the pack on the exodus let alone lead them anymore. He can barely offer any aid to Aleu even before Niju attacks, and when Balto tries to get Aleu to help Nava swim to the pack… Nava gives him a sad look that says it all without saying anything.
    • The ending, where Balto and Aleu part ways over an instrumental "Someone Who Loves You", tugs on the heartstrings.
  • They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
    • After running away from home, Aleu is offscreen for the middle portion of the film while Balto searches for her, so we don’t see how she handles life in the wild before meeting her spirit guide.
    • Balto himself is ultimately sidelined in the second half of the film after he reunites with his daughter, and he contributes very little to the third act as the focus shifts to Aleu and Nava.
    • The wolf pack are an interesting set of characters, and their storyline involves a complex spiritual and moral conflict between Nava and Niiju as they vie for leadership. As they are only introduced in the last twenty minutes of the film, their plotline is rushed through and none of the characters are as fleshed out as they could have been.
    • Niiju is initially portrayed as a Well-Intentioned Extremist who genuinely wants what's best for the pack, giving him potential as a compelling antagonist and a contrast to Steele in the first film. Due to his short screentime, his nuance is ultimately ignored and he is instead reduced to a one-dimensional villain in the climax.
    • The rest of Balto’s children aren't given a lot of screen time because the central focus is on Aleu, but they don’t show up after they’ve adopted, so it’s never revealed how their relationship with Aleu went or how they will handle the fact she leads a wolf pack and will likely never see each other again. Only a couple of the pups are named, a male named Dingo and a female who is named Saba at the ending credits. The only other puppy getting focus is in the next movie.
  • They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: The film already has a decent concept of Balto learning to let Aleu grow up and accept herself, but this plotline is weighed down by confusing and unsubtle supernatural elements.

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