Balto III: Wings of Change (2004)

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... See full summary »

Director:

Phil Weinstein

Writers:

Elana Lesser, Cliff Ruby

Stars:

Sean Astin, Jodi Benson, Keith Carradine

Cast

Cast overview:
Sean Astin	...	Kodi (voice)
Jodi Benson	...	Jenna (voice)
Keith Carradine	...	Duke (voice)
Bill Fagerbakke	...	Ralph / Mr. Conner (voice)
Charles Fleischer	...	Boris / White Mountain Postmaster (voice)
Charity James	...	Dusty (voice)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Balto / Moose 1 / Moose 2 (voice)
Kathy Najimy	...	Dipsy (voice)
David Paymer	...	Mel (voice)
Kevin Schon	...	Muc / Luc / Simpson (voice)
Jean Smart	...	Stella (voice)
Carl Weathers	...	Kirby (voice)

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

balto character | roman numeral in title | direct to video | slimehouse | dog | 

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Taglines:

An American hero is back! The adventure continues!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the end of the movie, the final shot of Duke's plane turns into the famous 24-cent U.S. Postage stamp showing a 1918 Curtiss Jenny.

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Goofs

In the beginning of the movie, a couple shots after Kirby says "Zip it, Ralph! We would've been on time if you hadn't been dragging your butt the whole way!", in a close-up shot of Dusty, you can see the back part of Kodi and a small part of Ralph's face. Look at Kodi's tail. The white part is clearly missing, and it is only a longer version of his tail from when he was a pup.

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Quotes

Balto: It will come, you see, it will come.
Jenna: [yawns] Why does that have such a familiar ring to it.
Balto: I know, we been coming up here for the last three days.
Jenna: At the crack of dawn.
Balto: Okay, so it's been a little under the early side, but that's when I saw it, trust me, it will be worth it.
Jenna: Well, wake me up when it arrives.
Jenna: [the plane passes over them making such a loud noise it wakes up Jenna] Its louder then a wild-eye grisly!
Balto: isn't it beautiful, come on Jenna!

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Crazy Credits

Santa is credited "as himself".

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Alternate Versions

The R1 DVD release uses the Universal Pictures logo from PAL masters (despite the whole film retaining its original audio pitch and speed) while the North American VHS, TV broadcasts, and digital releases retain the Universal Pictures logo in a normal pitch.

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Connections

References Rocky III (1982)

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Soundtracks

Come On Up and Fly
Written by Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom
Performed by Jean Smart
Backup Vocals by Kimaya Seward and Ken Stacy
Produced by Michele Brourman

User Reviews

Wonderful! Highly recommended

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 2004 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Balto: Wings of Change

Filming Locations:

Universal Cartoon Studios - 121 W Lexington Avenue, Glendale, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Cartoon Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1