: (James Horner) The 1995 animated story of
Balto, the real-life wolf/dog hybrid that led a dog sled of medical
supplies to a remote part of Alaska in 1925 to save its inhabitants from
an outbreak of diphtheria, used traditional two-dimensional animation
and followed the format of Universal Pictures' and Steven Spielberg's
Amblin formula for such films of the late 1980's and early 1990's. While
they proved to be no match for musical ventures that Disney was offering
at the time, these films weren't without their merits. This entry opens
and closes with live-action scenes to connect to the real-life
historical events and frame the narrative for ultimate
family-friendliness. The running partnership between composer James
Horner, director Simon West, and Spielberg's production house came to an
end with
, but the composer in particular delivered one of
his strongest animation scores for the occasion, one logically
highlighted by metallic percussion representating the locale of snow and
ice. The film marked the substantial end to Horner's string of
successful scores for children's films, and it would be over a decade
before the veteran composer would revisit the genre in earnest. After
the large-scale popularity of his orchestral powerhouse scores for the
live-action films
, Horner attempted to
continue the alternative magic of the collaboration that exploded with
success in
, leading to a curious assortment of
assignments for animated children's films, most of which suffering from
their obscurity at the box office. As each entry in the series continued
to build upon the same style of orchestral sound, these energizing
scores for animated films were the beginning of the fuel for the fire as
far as Horner's most ardent critics were concerned. This group of
scores, while none so dynamic as
in 1988,
were all generally similar in construction, orchestration, melodic
structure, and the easy-going song renditions that always accompanied
them over their end credits. A cynical listener could hear far too much
of
The animated genre was best suited to Horner's habit of
re-use, for the same style of music often worked in various situations
well enough for kids and thankful parents who couldn't care less about
which musical motifs were repeated several times. In the case of
Balto, the re-use scenario is evident but not overbearing. While
Horner certainly filled in cues with material similar to his previous
animated film scores, and the choral finale will definitely remind of
Apollo 13, the motifs here are never so blatantly lifted as in
the manner that would legitimately drive film score fans nuts in his
dramatic scores like
Deep Impact,
Bicentennial Man, and
A Beautiful Mind. The basic formula is still predictable,
however. The London Symphony Orchestra, a small choir, and a solo song
artist offer an hour of the same kind of material heard in all of
Horner's other animated scores. There is no direct imitation, which
makes
Balto a more refreshing finale to the genre for Horner. In
fact, the simple integrity of
Balto and its two major variations
on the same theme make it an easy and enjoyable listening experience.
That theme's more valiant half is a heroic identity that reminds of
fragments from Jerry Goldsmith's
The Ghost in the Darkness (a
later score), and it erupts first at about 3:10 in "Main Title/Balto's
Story Unfolds" and receives several ferocious performances on brass in
"The Journey Begins" and "Balto Brings the Medicine." The more romantic
variant of the same melody is heard almost immediately at the outset of
"Main Title" and in less obvious incarnations throughout. Secondary
themes are rare but include an outstanding, long-lined representation of
lineage for the lead character in "Heritage of the Wolf" (1:29) and the
film version of "Not Dog Nor Wolf" (0:11). A true love theme is hinted a
couple of times in "Balto Sees Jenna" on either side of a sleazy motif
for the villain (0:29) that is reprised in "Quarantine" and "Balto
Returns." The strength of the score lies in both its refusal to lift
exact motifs from previous Horner efforts and, more importantly, its
ability to sustain a somewhat engaging and exciting tone of action
throughout its entire contents without becoming tedious. The central
action between "The Journey Begins" and "Steele's Treachery" provide
more than 15 minutes of outstanding and sustained adventure
material.
The final ten minutes of
Balto completes the
narrative with gusto, the duo of "Heritage of the Wolf" and "Balto
Brings the Medicine" cranking up the drama with a choir and a secondary
motif of danger similar again to
Apollo 13, and the opening of
the latter cue parades the main theme with a magnificent choral
expression of celebration. (The victorious counterpoint reminiscent of
The Rocketeer was removed in the film version of the cue.) The
refreshing light percussion recognizing the snowy setting excels here.
Balto's lack of particularly strong secondary character themes is
compensated for by its refusal to degenerate into slapstick stupidity
and its sheer energy at nearly every turn. As for the song performed at
the beginning and end by Steve Winwood, reuniting Horner with the
composing team that brought
An American Tail so much success,
it's among the weaker of the composer's score-to-song adaptations due to
a slight gospel nature that doesn't really mesh with the topic of the
film or the rest of the score. A wintery ballad was definitely called
for here. Overall, if you're a Horner collector already satisfied with
the animated film score selection of his that you own, then there's
really no need to rush out and find
Balto. That said, it is
endearingly genuine, entertainingly consistent, and symphonically
stronger than many of his average, three-star efforts for the genre.
Balto's limited lifting of material from previous Horner efforts
was ironically one reason why it slipped by without much initial
comment, but its obscurity was long due to two other contributing
factors. First, it was one of the last of Horner's fruitful pairings
with the MCA Records label, which, after this and
Apollo 13,
began its slide into oblivion. Thus,
Balto remained completely
out of print for many years. Also, 1995 was a true breakout year for
Horner, with
Legends of the Fall leading to
Braveheart and
Apollo 13. Even his controversial involvement with
Jade
generated more attention that year. With so many spectacular Horner
offerings at the time,
Balto, as strong as it is on its own four
feet, became lost in the bigger picture. Intrada Records came to its
rescue in 2018, though, its limited CD adding several missing pieces,
offering the re-scored film versions of important cues, and including
the earlier, MCA album versions as well. It's a delightfully satisfying
album for a cheery and likeable Horner success.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
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