Balto - Il mistero del lupo

What with the popularity of their numerous direct-to-video sequels to The Land Before Time and An American Tail, it's not surprising that Universal's latest video offering is a sequel to their 1995 Balto. The original is based on the true story of a dog who, facing unbelievable dangers, brought medicine to those of Nome, Alaska when many children were suffering a life-threatening sickness. This one finds Balto father to some adorable pups, all of whom are adopted by a human eight weeks after birth – except Aleu, who looks more like a wolf then her half-wolf father. When a hunter mistakes her for one, Balto reveals the truth about her mixed heritage, and she runs – with Dad hot on her trail, thanks to a mysterious raven from a reoccurring nightmare. The result is an enjoyable Wolf Quest, which surprisingly doesn't do harm to the original. While the animation here isn't top-notch – more Cartoon Network-ish -- that's to be expected from a direct-to-video sequel. Indeed, the film's main fault is being a musical – featuring a singing rat – something the first movie never was designed to be. The songs are good, and fit well, but longtime fans of the original might be a bit disappointed. On a nicer note, the villains from within the wolf pack pleasantly resemble Steele and his gang of bully dogs from the first movie, and the bear sequence would have been just as brilliant as the one in the original if not for the cheesy `inner knowing' ending to the scene. By far not as good as the first, but a wonderful movie nonetheless, and one I'll definitely watch again. ***** (5/5).