Bolt

Standing out in the crowd is not always the easiest thing to accomplish for an animated film, but above what you may expect, against WALL∙E's heart, and Kung Fu Panda's slapstick hilarity, Disney's Bolt jumps forward as simply the most fun.

What makes Bolt noteworthy as well as a success on its own terms is its ability to take an age-old message about being true to oneself and finding your inner hero, and mesh it with a unique storyline that ends up spawning what, at first glance at least, seems wholly unique. Coupled with the expectedly bright crisp animation and stellar voice work, makes Bolt better yet, and a sure contender for best animated film at this years Oscars. Bolt also reclaims the original song work of Disney past, conceived between its also star and teen sensation Miley Cirus and Jenny Lewis and both compilations are memorable and sweet. Bolt never dives for the heartstrings, but scores its emotional points through well developed characters and thoughtful situations.

Bolt opens with a very entertaining action sequence in which Bolt (voiced to surprising effect by John Travolta) and his master Penny (Miley Cirus) are chased by well equipped super villains which plays out in the vein of The Incredibles. The genetically altered canine can leap helicopters in a single bound, melt evil with laser eyes and destroy villains at a whim with his super-bark. It is soon revealed that the action speckled lives of Penny and Bolt is in fact a hit television show, which requires Bolt to be kept in the dark about the nature of his existence; in brief, he actually believes he has super powers. But after a cliff-hanger ending of an episode in which Penny is taken, prompts Bolt to escape, determined to reclaim his friend and master. Embarking for the first time into the real world he haphazardly enlist the help of a very reluctant cat (Susie Essman) and a fan-boy err...fan- hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton) and along the way learns, and earns, the true stripes of a hero and that of friendship.

If everything I mentioned above was not enough to make you see this film, I can also reveal that Bolt is an at times hilarious send-up of the movie industry and genre clichés. Propelled by the hilarious supporting voice work including Malcolm McDowell, Dietrich Bader and James Lipton the blend of comedy, drama, and flat out entertainment value is unmatched. Also worth an enthusiastic mention are the pigeons that show up throughout the course of Bolt's adventure. Not only (as with all) is the voicing perfect but the physical humour implored is gut-busting, with the feathery fools twitching their heads in a pigeon- esquire way during their meetings with Bolt to glorious results.

If you have a chance, you obviously should see this film in 3-D, however it is still well worth your money viewed in a traditional medium. Bolt is a reminder of why Disney was such an animation juggernaut and it is pleasant to see them recapturing some of their past glory. And just in case you want it mentioned bluntly, yes there are many jokes that older patrons will more then enjoy. It is always refreshing to see an old formula revamped so effectively and certainly always welcome to see a movie that can put a smile on faces of all ages.

8.5 / 10.0

View all my reviews at Simon Says Movie Reviews: www.simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com

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.

Bolt follows a canine actor known for playing a super hero on a TV show, he is supported from his owner and must find his way back to her, all while believing he truly has super powers.

Bolt is loads of fun! There are lots of creative action scenes, plenty of funny jokes, and even some emotional scenes. Bolt has the makings of a Disney classic, but it does come up a little short of the usual Disney magic.

Firstly, the story lacks depth, the story basically tells itself in the first 30 minutes, then fuels the rest with action, comedy and drama. Secondly Miley Cyrus proved to be an annoying choice for voicing one of the main characters, not only is she an ear-sore, but she struggles to express different emotions vocally, her voice feels fake and just detracts from the overall film.

Luckily there's still plenty good in Bolt, it's definitely a great choice for a family friendly action comedy!

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!

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.