Although Horner didn't wrote many animated scores in his career (only 7), he definitely was at his best when he wrote them. Starting with An American Tail and ending with Balto, it was a wonderful journey that brought one great score after another. Unfortunately, after Balto, Horner abandoned the animation genre. I just hope that Horner will one day return to the genre. What's sadder still is that not one of Horner animation scores was nominated for an Academy Award or a Golden Globe.
But I am here to talk about the Balto score. It really contains Horner at his best, probably it is the most mature score that he's written for an animation feature. Once again, he's proven that he can write not only great scores, but also pretty songs.
For Balto, Horner decided to leave Will Jennings and team again with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil to write the theme song. While the trio was at their best during An American Tail, they didn't do that well here. 'Reach for the Light' is the song that begins and ends the soundtrack, and also serves as the inspiration for one the themes. Performed by Steve Winwood (never heard of him) and a children choir, it's a pretty good song, but it doesn't fit in the soundtrack. It doesn't have the same majestic touch that Horner put in his score.
After the song has ended, here comes Horner! And what a way to begin his soundtrack! The Main Theme is absolutely astonishing. It has a heroic sound in it that leaves you spellbound. The main theme, like the rest of the soundtrack, is performed by Horner's ever-faithful London Symphony Orchestra. By the time we get to 'Balto's Story Unfolds', the music turns into a more action-adventurous type of sound, based on the theme song. 'The Dogsled Race' is an action cue that really suggests the idea of a race, and a tight race if you might say.
'Rosy Goes to the Doctor' is a mixture of both comical and lush tone. It's a good way to rest our ears after the last 3 minutes of action cues. I must say that it is one of the best tracks on the soundtrack.
'Boris and Balto' is by far the funniest track on the album. I think that Horner had a great time when he wrote it.
'The Journey Begins' is another adventurous cue that, at first, makes you think that you are dealing with an Indiana Jones movie. But still, it has that Horner touch in it. After the intro, the tempo slows down a bit build into a marvelous full orchestra performance.
'Grizzly Bear' is probably the scariest track on the album. However, knowing that he had to do mainly with young audiences, Horner tried not to make it too scary. And he succeded. Although, adult soundtrack fans will interpret this track a little differently than the young ones.
After 'Grizzly Bear', Horner gives us a chance to take a breath and relax with 'Jenna/Telegraphing the News'. Another lush cue that makes you prepare for the next action track, 'Steele's Treachery'. Not as scary as 'Grizzly Bear', but still pretty threatening. 'The Epidemic's Toll' is an interesting track, that suggests the idea of needing to help those back home.
And we've saved the best for the last. 'Heritage of the Wolf' and 'Balto Brings the Medicine' really unleashes Horner's arsenal and, combined with the majestic sound of the LSO, they create a unique sound that gives you goosebumps. And, on top of that, Horner added a choir that enhances the music even further. What a wonderful way to end the score!
Now we've come to the end. The soundtrack reaches the finish line with the song 'Reach for the Light', reprised in a long version. By now, the listeners are spellbound and I don't think that they will pay much attention to the song.
Overall, Balto is one of the best scores that Horner did for an animated feature and marks a marvelous end to his series of 7 animated films. Even though it doesn' rise up to the two massive Horner scores of 1995 (Braveheart and Apollo 13), it is still a wonderful work. Unfortunately, the soundtrack became out of print in 1997, only two years after it was first released. That is a pity because a soundtrack like this would have deserved a chance to be in many soundtrack lovers collection. But still, all is not lost and you can still find it, although it won't be cheap but it will be worth it. It's really frustrating that many Horner great soundtracks are in this situation (An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Cocoon, Once Upon a Forest, The Land Before Time, Glory and others). At first, I wanted to give Balto a 9 because of the song. However, I will not let a single song ruin the 10 that this soundtrack truly deserves. Highly recommended!