Volt

The 2000s have not been very kind to Walt Disney Animation. While there has been the occasional Emperor's New Groove or Lilo and Stitch, the majority of their films from this decade have been rather mediocre (most notably 2005's Chicken Little, which - ironically - remains the studio's highest-grossing film of the 2000s). With that said, I initially had some doubts about Bolt, despite hearing that it would be Disney Animation's first film supervised by Pixar founder John Lasseter. The surprisingly positive reviews posted shortly before the film's release convinced me to buy a ticket. Thankfully, I was forced to eat my words; welcome back, Disney.

The film revolves around Bolt, a white German Shephered who has spent his entire life on the set of a TV show in which he portrays a "superdog". As a result, he believes that the events on film (and his super powers) are real. When he is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to New York City, he embarks on a cross-country journey to reunite with his owner and co-star, Penny. Along the way, Bolt teams up with a jaded alley cat named Mittens and a TV-obsessed hamster named Rhino who also happens to be an extreme Bolt fanboy.

First of all, the effects in this movie are unbelievable. Everything in the movie looks so realistic and yet doesn't contradict with the animated cartoon-esquire characters. Also, while Bolt is obviously the star of the movie, the real comedy comes from his unlikely companions. In fact, my favorite character of the bunch is Mittens the cat, voiced excellently by Susie Essman. Very seldom do I hear/see a character and say "I can't imagine anybody doing a better job playing him/her", but Essman really brings a lot to this already memorable character. And though I found him to be pretty irritating at first, some of the best lines in the movie come from Rhino the hamster.

Lastly, in one of the opening scenes we see Bolt as he is in the TV Show to set the understanding of Bolt's world. Seriously, that was made of awesome. The scene was action packed and full of excitement. I would watch the show that Bolt is in. If I had to have a complaint, it would be that it takes some ideas from several other films (such as Homeward Bound, Toy Story, and The Truman Show). That said, it still manages to feel like its own film, and with grace.

With terrific animation, an incredibly heartwarming story, and some of the most endearing characters I've ever seen on film (animated or otherwise), Bolt has not only become my favorite Disney film (Pixar included), but perhaps my absolute favorite movie of all time. It feels strange saying that, especially considering that I didn't even expect to like the film, but I simply can't think of a movie that I've loved more. It's also one of the very few films that manages to bring me to tears every time that I watch it, and when a movie is able to affect me on that kind of level, it automatically becomes a winner.

My kiddos liked this a lot, better than some other middling Disney movies from this era, like Home on the Range. They enjoyed the like-able main characters, including the cat; the exciting cross-country adventure; and the bond between the girl and her dog that held the movie together. So the basics were well done, as was the animation. Still, I thought it's most interesting as an allegory - Bolt is deliberately fooled by humans, and overestimates its own self importance (and, by extension, the importance of her owner Penny); similarly, the agents and producers overestimate their own performance. But once the illusion has been shattered, Bolt is able to still find meaning in his companionship with Penny. As new rabbit owners, we realize that this is more a dog thing. Rabbits, for example, are realistic like cats, but less cynical: they expect food from us, and love to play with us as long as we keep bringing it!

Bolt is a fun movie! It's not harmful or offensive and it's got some heart and genius emotion. Lighten up!

Story-wise, there's nothing remarkably new about "Bolt," Walt Disney Animation's latest feature to hit the screens, but considering its patchy recent filmography, it's certainly a step to the right direction for the animation studio, now headed by Pixar-meister John Lasseter. While it's far below the sophisticated narratives and well-drawn characters of Pixar classics such as "Toy Story," "The Incredibles" and this year's "Wall-E," "Bolt" nevertheless charms its way to the screen with its eager-to-please lead character and diverting visuals.

Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is the canine star of a TV show where he plays a superdog whose lifelong mission is to protect his "person", Penny (Miley Cyrus), from the evil forces around them. Problem is, as the creators of the show fervently believe that the show's success lies mainly in its realism, they have gone to great lengths to lead Bolt into believing everything is real and everything seems to be going well.

That is until a studio mishap has Bolt improbably shipped across the country from Hollywood to New York. With the help of Mittens (Susie Essman), an alley cat who strangely knows more about dog ways than Bolt himself, and Bolt-fanatic hamster Rhino (Mark Walton), he goes on a long cross-country tripping to find his way back to Penny.

Byron Howard and Chris Williams direct a calculated script by Williams and Dan Fogelman where nothing is terribly special, especially if you're not a dog-loving tween girl (I do love dogs, though), though it has enough sensitivity (that's Lasseter working) up its sleeve for some unashamedly touching moments. And with its cheery visuals, lively characters and a breezy pace, it also has enough going for the adults as well as the kids. It's safe harmless stuff.

I have been anticipating the release of Bolt for several months. I had an opportunity to see a screening of it and it exceeded all my expectations. Bolt is a wonderful movie with a good story and heart, something that Pixar has done well but Disney has struggled with. I believe the addition of John Lasseter to Disney Animation has made a significant impact on the quality and continuity of this film. Yes, it is CGI. You may ask, "Why is Disney doing CGI when Pixar already does?" All the studios are doing CGI right now. I have been very impressed with Pixar's CGI detail, however the detail in Bolt is even better. Creating a dog with fur that gets dirty, wet, wind-blown and looks real is very impressive (at least it is to me). In addition to better detail, the color and light of this film is so true to life, you'll think it's the real thing.

I laughed, cried, and was on the edge of my seat. Disney has created some lovable characters who will definitely win the hearts of millions. Congrats to the entire Disney Animation studio, well done.