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ChrisM602
Reviews
Balto (1995)
This movie deserved better
This is possibly one of the most underrated films in movie history. "Balto" has a great storyline, colorful characters, decent animation, and a powerful soundtrack. The only thing this movie lacked was "big stars", which is what seems to decide how good a movie is these days. It's such a shame that people will dismiss any movie just because the actors or staff is not well known. Balto is one of these examples (for the exception of Kevin Bacon, but even he is no Johnny Depp in the popularity contest).
What I like most about the film are the characters. The characters are dynamic and show much expression. It gives the animation a very 3D feel if the characters speak to you.
Good animation is hard to find these days. People are slowly forgetting the joys of hand drawn animation. Computer animation is what runs family flicks. Balto is guilty of some computer animation but they blend it in nicely.
The storyline was well played out. Many people remark on the pace of the film. I agree that the pace was perfect. It didn't go too fast or too slow. It kept moving and kept you engaged.
The soundtrack was excellent. One thing that I noticed about Balto was the soundtrack. It adds so much mood and life to the film. It also blends in. I don't remember any annoying repetitive theme, the music flows with the film. Tranquil during the calm parts and hard hitting during action. One thing I was worried about was that this movie would have some sort of song in there by a pop artist. These song sequences (most common in family flicks) can interrupt movies. To my pleasant surprise, there weren't any! Pure orchestra; the way it was intended.
Family flicks have a challenge that many fail: appeal to ALL ages. PIXAR is an example of a company that masters this. Ages from 6 to 60 loved PIXAR films. This is because they didn't make it too silly, but made it silly enough for the kiddies. On an A to F scale on how Balto performed, I would give it a B-. I could survive on the film, it brought me back to my childhood days. I just think that the "Sled Dog Trio/Steele's Gang" and Muk & Luk brought a little immaturity, but only slightly. It wasn't too much for me, it just reminded me that this was family flick
But as a critic, I must make a few points. I didn't like on how there were really pudgy looking sled dogs and really tiny ones. Maybe it was to help young eyes tell the difference between them, I don't know. It just bothered me for some reason. Another point is the voice acting wasn't the most superb thing. The voices sounded pretty bland. Although, Borris was a good performance. But the howling seemed so... fake. It seemed like the actors themselves were doing their own howls.
***************possible spoiler****************
When I saw the "White Wolf" scene, Balto raised his head. I was anticipating something epic, "Yes he's going to howl! He's going to do it!" then it all came crashing down with a falsetto-human sounding, "Arrrroooooooooo". Such a mood killer.
**************spoiler end**********************
But the rest of the movie makes up for it.
Overall, this movie is worth a watch. It's a great flick for everyone, kids through adults. Suggestion for the guys out there. If you have a girlfriend that has a soft spot for dogs and kid films (which many of them do) this is a good flick.
Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa (1992)
Great show. Never deserved its fate.
This show is a work of art. It's a cartoon made for kids, but I'm 17 and I'm in love with this show. I can appreciate it because there are complex things that older audiences may enjoy like the puns of the character names or the complexity of the universe. Here are the things I enjoy: 1. A nice touch is the fact that the arch-villain is also the sheriff of Cowtown, who is also a pawn of the corrupt mayor. A twist like that makes the show intriguing.
2. The voice acting is outstanding. Capturing that dialect makes it interesting. Not to mention that each character has his/her unique way of saying things. Dakota's one-word "yep"s is the best dialog.
3. Each character has a stylized firearm. It may seem ridiculous at first, but you get used to it. (Moo shooting stars bullets reminds me of ninjas, which is awesome) 4. The characters have such deep personalities. The top-gun attitude of Cowlorado, the smooth operator talking of the mayor, the adventurous and inquisitive Cody, and each of the bad guys have a style to them.
5. Like all the old school cartoons, this show had morals. Things like honesty or telling an adult were talked about in the show.
My only complaint in the show is that "yippy-ky-yay" or "yee-haw" thing they do frequently. But that's hardly an issue. The rest of the show makes up for it. We need the show back. Kids have no respect for cartoons anymore.