Bolt Reviews

I have been a big Disney fan all my life. After quite a solid Renaissance, with only Hercules and Pocahontas lacking that extra Disney magic, the Disney movies of the 00s have been mixed. Emperor's New Groove and Lilo and Stitch were great, on the other hand Home on the Range and Chicken Little were forced, predictable and forgettable.

Bolt did have me interested, but I wasn't as enthused with the initial casting of Miley Cyrus, who I can't stand. Actually in the movie, she does okay and her character is quite cute.

While it is far from amazing and far from a Disney classic like Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio, The Lion King, Bambi and Sleeping Beauty, Bolt is one of the better Disney movies of the 00s. It does have its rushed and predictable spots, especially with the ending, and the human characters excepting Penny aren't as appealing and aren't given as much attention to detail as they ought to have done.

But what does compensate are some stunning animation with excellent character design, amazing colours and beautiful background art, a rousing soundtrack, a fast-paced and heart-warming story overall and witty scripting. The voice work is top notch, while John Travolta is suitably eloquent as the title character the real plaudits go to Susie Essman as the best character of the movie Mittens and Malcolm McDowell as Dr.Calico.

In conclusion, a surprisingly enjoyable family movie and one of the better Disney efforts to come out so far in this millennium. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox

Starting with Chicken Little in 2005, Disney made the switch from hand-drawn animation to computer-generated. By 2008, they had acquired Pixar, promoted John Lasseter to head of Disney’s animation department, and announced plans to alternate between hand-drawn and computer animation. Bolt would be all CG, while the next year’s The Princess and the Frog would be a return to hand-drawn. In hindsight, this ambitious plan fizzled out shortly after it began.

 

While the animation is most certainly a step up from the awkward and ugly character designs, Bolt doesn’t play with the hard-set formula much. We know exactly where the film is going to go, and where it will end, by the time the first act winds down. Thankfully, Lasseter’s prominence in the studio also brought about a resurgence in creating lovable and endearing characters, something that had been missing from the studio’s output for several years.

 

It is missing some of the sincerity and heart that makes Pixar’s older films work so well. This is a major problem, as Disney is clearly trying to marry its old approach to film-making with their newly acquired division, producing something that has all of the kinetic energy and polish of Pixar, but is missing that central spark. Not to say that Bolt doesn’t strive for emotional moments, but it needed to exhibit some restraint to really develop its major relationships and emotions. It’s to its credit and its benefit that the film moves, but it needed a few more moments of quiet reflection and connection to really blossom.

 

None of this is to say that Bolt doesn’t work, because it does. It’s a very charming, sweet, and fun film. The numerous action sequences really liven up the film, as they’re full of energy and smooth animation. The story hits all of its marks, strikes all of the right poses, and never misses. I do wish it had done something more innovative, or pushed back harder against the rigged formula.

 

For the most part, the vocal cast is top notch. John Travolta, Susie Essman, and Mark Walton are turn in surprisingly strong and memorable vocal performances, Malcolm McDowell and James Lipton turn in fun supporting turns, and the film could have used more of their ridiculous characters. The only major problem in the main vocal cast is Miley Cyrus, she is given little to do, and it feels like she was only cast in the role as a concession to Hannah Montana fans, leeching off of the success of the newest major Disney It Girl.

 

This was a first time viewing experience for me, and I can see why it’s regarded now as the first step in a resurgence with the studio. It’s a quality film, and a surprise Oscar nominee, that reminds us of the better moments in the studio’s long history of family entertainment. This revival doesn’t offer much in the way of new thrills, but if their focus is on crafting solid films, they’re doing a great job. But a little boundary pushing never hurt.

There's no doubt about it- "Bolt" is great family entertainment, bolstered by bright, engaging animation and likable characters. My only worry is that people will shy away from this movie because of some irrational hatred from one of the voice actors, Miley Cyrus. Well, let me put your mind to rest folks- Penny (voiced by Cyrus) is not even the lead, and in the scenes she is in she does a fine job, and in actuality, does not make you want to put your head through a wall, although her singing might be a different matter.

John Travolta voices the eponymous character, a white German Shepherd who is adopted and taken home by a little girl, his little girl, who as it comes to pass, becomes the star of a very lame television show. In the show, Penny plays a prepubescent badass who fights the evil Doctor Calico (voiced by Malcolm McDowell) as his minions side by side with the genetically engineered Bolt.

The catch- Bolt, who has been duped by camera tricks and showbiz gimmicks, thinks the show is real, and fights every new episode to save his beloved Penny. The director (voiced by James Lipton,) in order to evoke convincing acting from the job, refuses to take multiple takes and never lets Bolt of the set of the TV show, much to Penny's dismay.

When Bolt is accidentally shipped off to New York City in a cardboard box, he must face real-world consequences for his confused behavior. For the first time he bleeds, he becomes hungry, and he is separated from Penny. It is there he meets Mittens (voice of Susie Essman,) a streetwise alley cat whose fate becomes entangled with Bolt's. The scenes introducing Mittens are hilarious and cleverly conceived.

The next addition to the group, Rhino the hyperactive hamster (voice of Mark Walton,) makes things a little silly but his goofiness will please kids and the young at heart. Mittens wants Bolt to stay with her, but Bolt insists on journeying on to find Penny, which leads to an exciting and emotional finale.

I loved the characters in this movie, and this bears up to multiple viewings. It's touching, but doesn't tear you up (like "The Fox and the Hound," which reduces me to tears) and isn't too scary or dark for kids. I also liked the fact that they made Penny's mother overweight without adding any fat jokes or showing her eating a cheeseburger in every other scene. The movies need more positive portrayals like that.

"Bolt" is a very cute movie that should charm audiences of all ages, especially animal lovers. I don't recall a single potty-related or off-color joke, although some of the showbiz satire should go over the heads of kids. A must see family film!

Thanks to Pixar, Disney is still ruling the animation world but they don't seem to manage to reach much success with their own productions and this movie is a pretty good example. To be honest, it was at least better than ‘Chicken Little’ or ‘Meet the Robinsons’ and I would go as far as saying that, until that point in time, it was actually their best computer animated feature. Still, it was far from reaching the Pixar greatness. I mean, the animation was decent, the characters were quite cute but the story was still way too pedestrian and predictable to make it exceptional whatsoever. I guess the problem with Disney was that they wanted too much that their productions would look like those made by Pixar and Dreamworks when, in fact, they should try to keep their own identity and make some real Disney flicks ('Tangled' is a pretty good example, in my opinion). Recently, they did have a major critical and financial success with 'Wreck-It-Ralph' so we'll see if they manage to keep this new interesting trend. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, in spite of its flaws, I still believe that it is a fairly entertaining animated movie and it is worth a look, especially if you want to to watch something with your kids.

The canine star of a fictional sci-fi/action show that believes his powers are real embarks on a cross country trek to save his co-star from a threat he believes is just as real.

very funny and action movie. i like movies that are some how close to this movie.

Great animation as expected, quite entretaing but very predictable. Okay, it´s for kids but most animated movies nowadays are extremely cool for adults too (A pixar fan speaking!)
Cute animals, good friends. Watch ir with your nephew.

I think this is the best CGI animation Disney has done without Pixar at the helm. In previous attempts I think the story lines were on the weak side. This movie has enough of a story to keep the adults and the kids entertained. Some of the action scenes would rival the stunts done in the Matrix movies. I was impressed with the quality of the work.

The plot in this movie revolves around Bolt being taken from LA to New York and away from his person. Bolt is the star of a TV show in which he has super powers and always protects his person. He obviously wants to get back to her. Along the way he enlists a cat and hampster to help him on his quest. He figures out that he doesn't really have these powers and this leads to some very funny scenes.

If you are a fan of Disney animation, you won't be disappointed with this effort. The movie is fast paced and very entertaining. The adults won't be disappointed taking the family to this movie or adding it to your DVD collection.