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Description
(aka Animation Unknown #36)

Welcome friend to what I'd like to (finally) call Amblimation Unknown Week. Yes, Amblimation: the Sega Dreamcast of animation studios. It came out of nowhere, had a lot of gret things to offer and seemed like the next big thing but, even though it died with the 90's, it's still fondly regarded by those who've seen it. This will be a first for Animation Unknown as we have an entire COMPANY that qualifies for a slot, but considering how little they actually put out, I figured might as well tackle it all. I don't normally review film STUDIOS--especially not based on potential--but this studio died long before its time to shine and I think we should finally give it the recognition it deserves. First, a little background.
Amblimation is a now-defunct branch of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, which only lasted from 1989 to 1997 and released 3 films. The VIRTUAL BOY had a larger library than that, and on even shorter a lifespan too! While there were 3 movies, the studio's next project would've been an adaptation of Andrew Llyod Webber's musical Cats but that probably would've been their swan song anyway. All 3 movies were directed by Simon Wells (the great-grandson of famous author H.G. Wells; seriously, look it up), who's only other claim to fame is the long-forgotten and atrocious 2002 remake of his grandfather's sci-fi novel The Time Machine--which was his very last directing move before moving into story artist work in quite a few films over the years. Extra 1/2 Star for all 3 movies I'll be reviewing right off the bat. So...without further ado, let's get started with Balto:

Plot- Set in 1925 Nome, Alaska, the film is a historical fiction based on the 1925 serum run that saved countless children during a diphtheria outbreak. Balto, our lead character, is a part-husky/part-wolf who takes place in a race to earn a spot amongst the fastest sled dogs in Alaska. However, he must overcome the predjudice of both the town and his fellow sleg dogs, including the conniving, ruthless Steel.
Characters- for the characters, we've got some amazing talent across the board: Kevin Bacon playing the street-smart but also secretly lonely Balto, Bob Hoskins as Balto's sole friend Boris the snow goose and the film's source of comic relief, Jodi Benson as Balto's love interest Jenna, and thevery prolific Alan Cumming as Steel. While everyone manages a fantastic performance, it's Steel who's the real MVP here.
I'm seriously shocked that he doesn't end up in more Underrated Villain lists because his totally unexplained vendetta against Balto is just absurd. Sure, you can argue that it might be because he thinks Balto is tring to steal Jenna from him or took his place as head of the pack, but he goes as far as tampering with trail marks to get them lost. STEEL IS WILLING TO LET CHILDREN DIE just to spite his rival!
While we're at it, might as well throw Enjoyment into there too because I don't have a lot to add to this segment: Everyone who's seen this movie, myself included, still say that it holds up pretty well. From the animation (which I'll touch on in a bit), to the cast, to the amazing looking ice and snow (and this was YEARS before snow and ice would be perfected in animation by Frozen), it's a movie that will leave a noticable, lasting impression on you for years to come.
Creativity- You may recall I referred to this as a "historical fiction" and there's a reason for that. Yes, there was actually a part-wolf Husky who did run in the Serum run to Nome, but it was only in the final leg of the race where another dog named Togo actually handled the most difficult part of the race. This is common knowledge, thanks to the Internet. However, historical accuracy shoudn't make a movie any less enjoyable or fun; just look at Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Despite a few faults, if this was the movie Amblimation were going out on then I'd say they had a strong finish.
Animation- This is going to be a new segment I introduce for Animation Unknown going forward. Now I've said time and again that good animation is not a requirement for a good story, and in fact a good story can make up for bad animation if it's done correctly (look at South Park, or Bojack Hoseman, or even Archer). However, this one is only on a 1 to 5 scale and I won't do this unless I feel it necessary.
Amblimation had an amazing talent for some of the best non-Disney animation of the time and I can't even tell you how many times I've had to tell people that movies like Balto were NOT some lost Don Bluth movie or something. Since this section is going to be rendered redundant for the rest of this theme week, just assume it gets a 5 out of 5 because it's not like you can argue that.
Execution- would this movie have been any better if Togo were in it? I'm not here to answer that so I can't say for certain. Is the movie still fun on it's own? Absolutely! While by no means a flawless film (the emotional moments can feel just a bit hamfisted at times, Steel lacks much motivation...or subtlety, and the polar bears I failed to mention don't make for decent comc relief), it's a very enjoyable experience and, like the other movies we'll be getting to, it was a victim of "Right Place, Wrong Time" opening against Toy Story. The sequels? That's not up to me, but they're certainly a step down.

Final Score: Plot (7), Characters (8), Enjoyment (8), Creativity (6), Execution (7)= 36 + Extra Credit (1/2 Star for Simon Wells, 1/2 for Amblimation, 1 Star for Animation, 1/2 or the studio's final release)= 48/50

Tomorrow: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story.

Description
(aka Animation Unknown #36)

Welcome friend to what I'd like to (finally) call Amblimation Unknown Week. Yes, Amblimation: the Sega Dreamcast of animation studios. It came out of nowhere, had a lot of gret things to offer and seemed like the next big thing but, even though it died with the 90's, it's still fondly regarded by those who've seen it. This will be a first for Animation Unknown as we have an entire COMPANY that qualifies for a slot, but considering how little they actually put out, I figured might as well tackle it all. I don't normally review film STUDIOS--especially not based on potential--but this studio died long before its time to shine and I think we should finally give it the recognition it deserves. First, a little background.
Amblimation is a now-defunct branch of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, which only lasted from 1989 to 1997 and released 3 films. The VIRTUAL BOY had a larger library than that, and on even shorter a lifespan too! While there were 3 movies, the studio's next project would've been an adaptation of Andrew Llyod Webber's musical Cats but that probably would've been their swan song anyway. All 3 movies were directed by Simon Wells (the great-grandson of famous author H.G. Wells; seriously, look it up), who's only other claim to fame is the long-forgotten and atrocious 2002 remake of his grandfather's sci-fi novel The Time Machine--which was his very last directing move before moving into story artist work in quite a few films over the years. Extra 1/2 Star for all 3 movies I'll be reviewing right off the bat. So...without further ado, let's get started with Balto:

Plot- Set in 1925 Nome, Alaska, the film is a historical fiction based on the 1925 serum run that saved countless children during a diphtheria outbreak. Balto, our lead character, is a part-husky/part-wolf who takes place in a race to earn a spot amongst the fastest sled dogs in Alaska. However, he must overcome the predjudice of both the town and his fellow sleg dogs, including the conniving, ruthless Steel.
Characters- for the characters, we've got some amazing talent across the board: Kevin Bacon playing the street-smart but also secretly lonely Balto, Bob Hoskins as Balto's sole friend Boris the snow goose and the film's source of comic relief, Jodi Benson as Balto's love interest Jenna, and thevery prolific Alan Cumming as Steel. While everyone manages a fantastic performance, it's Steel who's the real MVP here.
I'm seriously shocked that he doesn't end up in more Underrated Villain lists because his totally unexplained vendetta against Balto is just absurd. Sure, you can argue that it might be because he thinks Balto is tring to steal Jenna from him or took his place as head of the pack, but he goes as far as tampering with trail marks to get them lost. STEEL IS WILLING TO LET CHILDREN DIE just to spite his rival!
While we're at it, might as well throw Enjoyment into there too because I don't have a lot to add to this segment: Everyone who's seen this movie, myself included, still say that it holds up pretty well. From the animation (which I'll touch on in a bit), to the cast, to the amazing looking ice and snow (and this was YEARS before snow and ice would be perfected in animation by Frozen), it's a movie that will leave a noticable, lasting impression on you for years to come.
Creativity- You may recall I referred to this as a "historical fiction" and there's a reason for that. Yes, there was actually a part-wolf Husky who did run in the Serum run to Nome, but it was only in the final leg of the race where another dog named Togo actually handled the most difficult part of the race. This is common knowledge, thanks to the Internet. However, historical accuracy shoudn't make a movie any less enjoyable or fun; just look at Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Despite a few faults, if this was the movie Amblimation were going out on then I'd say they had a strong finish.
Animation- This is going to be a new segment I introduce for Animation Unknown going forward. Now I've said time and again that good animation is not a requirement for a good story, and in fact a good story can make up for bad animation if it's done correctly (look at South Park, or Bojack Hoseman, or even Archer). However, this one is only on a 1 to 5 scale and I won't do this unless I feel it necessary.
Amblimation had an amazing talent for some of the best non-Disney animation of the time and I can't even tell you how many times I've had to tell people that movies like Balto were NOT some lost Don Bluth movie or something. Since this section is going to be rendered redundant for the rest of this theme week, just assume it gets a 5 out of 5 because it's not like you can argue that.
Execution- would this movie have been any better if Togo were in it? I'm not here to answer that so I can't say for certain. Is the movie still fun on it's own? Absolutely! While by no means a flawless film (the emotional moments can feel just a bit hamfisted at times, Steel lacks much motivation...or subtlety, and the polar bears I failed to mention don't make for decent comc relief), it's a very enjoyable experience and, like the other movies we'll be getting to, it was a victim of "Right Place, Wrong Time" opening against Toy Story. The sequels? That's not up to me, but they're certainly a step down.

Final Score: Plot (7), Characters (8), Enjoyment (8), Creativity (6), Execution (7)= 36 + Extra Credit (1/2 Star for Simon Wells, 1/2 for Amblimation, 1 Star for Animation, 1/2 or the studio's final release)= 48/50

Tomorrow: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story.