A Wish for Wings That Work. A Wish for Wings That Work. Cover. Author. Berkeley Breathed. Balto III: Wings Of Change Video Download' title='Balto III: Wings Of Change Video Download' />Balto is a 1995 American animated epic drama adventure film directed by Simon Wells, produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The AwardBait Song trope as used in popular culture. Or The Big Damn Bronze Age DisneyStyle AwardBaiting EndCredits Power Ballad. You Tropers who grew. The official website of the City of New York. Find information about important alerts, 311 services, news, programs, events, government employment, the office of the. Illustrator. Berkeley Breathed. Cover artist. Berkeley Breathed. Country. United States. Language. English. Genre. Childrens. Publisher. Little Brown Co. Publication date. Pages. 32. ISBN0 3. A Wish for Wings That Work An Opus Christmas Story is a childrens book by Berkeley Breathed that was published in 1. It was made into an animated television special that same year. The book and special feature characters from Breatheds comic strips Bloom County and Outland. The story centers on Opus the Penguin a main character of all three of Breatheds comic strips, and at the time appearing in Outland. Opus is downhearted because, as a penguin, he cannot fly. He orders a machine and assembles it when it comes time to test the machine by jumping off a three mile high cliff, Opus decides to do something less dangerous, and goes home to make anchovy. Christmas cookies. He does not give up on his dream though, and makes a Christmas wish to Santa Claus for wings that will go On Christmas Eve, Santa is making his usual delivery when he loses his reindeer and crashes into a lake. Opus jumps in and uses his natural swimming skills to pull Santa out. To thank Opus for his daring rescue, a group of ducks pick him up and take him flying through the air. TV specialeditOn December 1. CBS. 12 It was directed by Skip Jones and was produced by Peggy Regan for Steven Spielbergs Amblin Television for Universal Cartoon Studios. It was released on DVD on November 6, 2. Critical receptioneditLisa Horowitz of Variety gave the special a positive review, saying that it crams a lot of action and intelligence into its half hour. She also praised the animation and vocal performances. Breathed, who was credited as the writer and executive producer of the special, was disappointed with the overall results. Asked in a 2. 00. Washington Post interview where a copy of the special could be found on VHS or DVD, Breathed replied. Hopefully in the rubbish pail. We can do better than that and we will with an eventual Opus film. Im glad you enjoyed it. I presume your family was on speed when they watched it. I would imagine it helps. In a 2. 00. 7 interview, Breathed said that the reason he disliked the special was simply unspectacular ratings and that his humor wasnt meant for television, even if it was done right. Watch The Land Before Time XIV: Journey Of The Brave here. He also blamed his own lack of writing experience, as I wrote the script. And the director was way over his head. Breathed said that he had wanted Sterling Holloway to provide the voice for Opus. According to a 2. Breathed interview, the director inserted numerous inappropriate jokes into the specials background scenes. ReferenceseditExternal linksedit. Balto film Wikipedia. Balto is a 1. 99. Americananimatedepicdramaadventure film directed by Simon Wells, produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is loosely based on a true story about the dog of the same name who helped save children from the diphtheriaepidemic in the 1. Nome. The live action portions of the film were shot at Central Park in New York City. The film was the third and final animated feature produced by Steven Spielbergs Amblimation animation studio. Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Bonne Radford acted as executive producers on the film. Although the films theatrical run was overshadowed by the success of the competing Pixar film Toy Story, its subsequent strong sales on home video led to two direct to video sequels Balto II Wolf Quest 2. Balto III Wings of Change 2. In New York City, an elderly woman and her granddaughter are walking through Central Park, looking for a memorial statue. As they seat themselves for a rest, the grandmother tells a story about Nome, Alaska back in 1. Balto, a wolfdog hybrid, lives on the outskirts of Nome with his adoptive father, a snow goose named Boris and two polar bears, Muk and Luk. Being half breed, Balto is ridiculed by dogs and humans alike. His only friends in town are a beautiful red husky named Jenna, whom Balto has a crush on, and her owner, Rosy. He is later challenged by the towns favorite sled dog, Steele, a fierce and arrogant Alaskan Malamute. Later that night, all of the children, including Rosy, fall ill with diphtheria and the doctor is out of antitoxin. The local wireless operator relays news of the outbreak and word travels to the territory capital at Juneau, where the governor orders antitoxin to be sent to Nome. However, severe winter weather conditions prevent medicine from being brought by sea or air and the closest rail line from Juneau ends at Nenana, 6. Nome. A dog race is held to determine the best fit dogs for a sled dog team to get the medicine. Balto enters and wins, but Steele stamps on Baltos paw which causes him to growl at the musher, getting him disqualified out of fear that he might turn on the musher due to his wolfdog heritage. The team departs that night with Steele in the lead and later picks up the medicine successfully, but on the way back, conditions deteriorate and the disoriented team ends up stranded at the base of a steep mountainside slope with the musher knocked unconscious. When the word reaches Nome that the sled team is missing, the town prepares for the worst. Balto sets out in search of the sled team, along with Boris, Muk and Luk. On the way, they are attacked by a huge grizzly bear, but Jenna, who followed their mark tracks, intervenes. The bear pursues Balto out onto a frozen lake, where it falls through the ice and drowns, while Muk and Luk dive in to save Balto from a similar fate. Jenna is injured in the bear fight and cannot continue. Balto instructs Boris and the polar bears to take her back home while he continues on alone Jenna gives him her bandanna and Boris gives him some advice. Balto eventually finds the team, but Steele does not want his help and attacks him until he loses his balance and falls off a cliff. Balto takes charge of the team, but Steele, refusing to concede defeat, throws them off the trail and they lose their way again. While attempting to save the medicine from falling down a cliff, Balto himself falls. Back in Nome, Jenna is explaining Baltos mission to the other dogs, but they dont believe her. When Steele returns, he claims the entire team, including Balto, is dead he uses Jennas bandanna as supposed proof. However, Jenna sees through his lies and assures Balto will return with the medicine, but the others remain skeptical. Using a trick Balto showed her earlier, she places broken colored glass bottles on the outskirts of town and shine a lantern on them to simulate the lights of an aurora, hoping it will help guide Balto home. When Balto regains consciousness, he is ready to give up hope, but when a large, white wolf appears and he notices the medicine crate still intact nearby, he realizes that his part wolf heritage is a strength, not a weakness, and drags the medicine back up the cliff to the waiting team. Using his advanced senses, Balto is able to filter out the false markers Steele created. After encountering further challenges and losing only one vial, Balto and the sled team finally make it back to Nome. A pity playing Steele is exposed as a liar and abandoned by the other dogs, ruining his reputation. Reunited with Jenna and his friends, Balto earns respect from both the dogs and the townspeople. He visits a cured Rosy, who thanks him for saving her. Back in the present day, the elderly woman and her granddaughter finally find the memorial commemorating Balto, and she explains the Iditarod trail covers the same path that Balto and his team took from Nenana to Nome. The woman, who is revealed to be an old Rosy, repeats the same line, Thank you, Balto. I would have been lost without you, before walking off to join her granddaughter and her Siberian Husky, Blaze. The film ends with the Balto statue standing proudly in the sunlight. Cast and characterseditKevin Bacon as Balto, a young adult male wolfdog being half husky and half wolf. Jeffrey James Varab and Dick Zondag served as the supervising animators for Balto. Bob Hoskins as Boris, a Russian snow goose and Baltos caretaker and sidekick. Kristof Serrand served as the supervising animator for Boris. Bridget Fonda as Jenna, a female Husky and Rosys pet as well as Baltos love interest. Robert Stevenhagen served as the supervising animator for Jenna. Juliette Brewer as Rosy, Jennas owner and a kind, excitable girl who was the only human in Nome who is kind to Balto. She falls ill, but Balto brings the medicine to save her and the other children. David Bowers served as the supervising animator for Rosy. Jim Cummings as Steele, an Alaskan Malamute and Baltos rival who also has a crush on Jenna. Sahin Ersz served as the supervising animator for Steele. Phil Collins as Muk and Luk, a pair of polar bear cubs, Muk talks but not Luk. Nicolas Marlet served as the supervising animator for Muk and Luk. Jack Angel, Danny Mann and Robbie Rist as Nikki, Kaltag and Star respectively, the three prominent members of Steeles team. William Salazar served as the supervising animator for the team. Sandra Dickinson as Dixie, a female Pomeranian and one of Jennas friends who adores Steele until his lies are exposed. Dickinson also voices Sylvie, a female Afghan Hound who is Jennas friend as well and Rosys mother. Patrick Mate served as the supervising animator for Sylvie and Dixie. Lola Bates Campbell as Rosys unnamed granddaughter, who appears in the live action sequences and is accompanied by her dog Blaze, a purebred Siberian Husky. William Roberts as Rosys father. Donald Sinden as Curtis Welch, the doctor. Bill Bailey as a butcher. Garrick Hagon as a telegraph operator. Frank Welker as the Grizzly bear uncreditedHistorical differenceseditThe film portrays Balto 1. March 1. 93. 3 as a gray wolfdog. In real life, Balto was a pure bred Siberian Husky and was black and white in color. Baltos colors changed to brown due to light exposure whilst on display in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The makers of the film may have chosen to differentiate Balto from the other prominent sled dog of the movie, Steele, who also had a black and white coat. The sled run to retrieve the medicine was a relay. Instead of being the leader of the first team, Balto was the leader of the last team to carry the medicine to Nome. The longest and most hazardous distance was traveled by the team led by Togo. In the sequels, Balto became a proud father with Jenna within a litter of puppies who grew up and moved on with their lives, but in real life, Balto was a fixed male dog Therefore, even if he lived with a female dog they would never have puppies.