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