Bolt is the forty-eighth animated feature from Walt Disney. The titular canine, Bolt (John Travolta), is a small white German Sheppard with an array of superpowers. He works alongside Penny (Miley Cyrus) as the duo constantly thwarts the evil machinations of Dr. Calico (Malcolm McDowell) and his hench-cat (Diedrich Bader). Amongst his arsenal of super-powers is Bolt’s super-bark, which can topple buildings and stop an armada of bad-guy vehicles. There’s only one catch… Bolt isn’t really a superdog. He just thinks he is. Raised on the set of a television show, Bolt never sees the cameras and microphones. The producers use carefully planned out special effects to make his super powers look real. This is all so that they can get a natural reaction from their four-legged star.
The downside to this is that Bolt has never learned to be a real dog. Instead, he is a fearless protector of Penny. Ironically, Penny just wants Bolt to have the chance to be a real dog and is unhappy with keeping the truth from him. During a misguided attempt to save Penny from being kidnapped, Bolt ends up on the other side of the country, in the unfamiliar surrounds of New York City. There he meets Mittens (Susie Essman), whom he believes to be one of Calico’s minions. The two embark on a cross-country trip back to Hollywood to rescue Penny. It is during this trek the pair meet Rhino (Mark Walton), a hamster who lives in a plastic ball. This unlikely pairing is where the funny kicks into high gear as Rhino simply steals the movie.
Bolt benefits greatly from being under the auspices of Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter. Lasseter and his colleagues at Pixar are masters at taking a fine idea and elevating it to something extraordinary. Bolt doesn’t quite reach that level, but its not for a lack of trying. The biggest flaws are that the story is very predictable and the emotional moments are a little too long and way too heavy-handed. Fortunately, that is not enough to ruin the film. Another ringing endorsement came from my three year old son, who was ready to watch it again as soon as we left the theater. That kind of acceptance from their target demographic has to please Disney Marketing.
Bolt opens Friday, November 21st.
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On November 24, 2008, Melanie said:
That three-year-old you mentioned can’t stop talking about the movie. He asks to see it again at least twice or three times Every Single Day. Disney must have done something right. For once.