Sweetly Endearing Bolt a Super Adventure
After young Penny’s (Miley Cyrus) scientist father is kidnapped by the nefarious green-eyed man Dr. Calico (Malcolm McDowell), she and her trusted super-pooch Bolt (John Travolta) take on the dangerous mission of trying to get him back. No matter what obstacles get thrown in their way, be they squadrons of attack helicopters, legions of electrically-charged motorcycle warriors or cackling black kitty cats eagerly anticipating their demise, these two will emerge victorious, their undying love from one to the other all the protection they need to keep them from harm.
Bolt (John Travolta) and Penny (Miley Cyrus) get ready for action in Walt Disney Pictures' Bolt
None of this is real, of course. It’s all just a television show and Penny is just an actress. Problem is, Bolt doesn’t know the world he’s living in is all make believe, he truly does think he has superpowers, and after he gets mistakenly shipped across the United States from Hollywood to New York the only think on his mind is using them to get back to his person so he can keep her safe.
The best thing that ever happened to Walt Disney’s animation department was when Pixar chief John Lasseter came aboard to lead the unit after the two studios came to a new production agreement. If instantly classic sensations like Toy Story, Monster, Inc, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille and WALL-E have proven nothing else, it has certainly shown this man knows a good story when he sees one, and he’s got both box office receipts and the Oscar statuettes to prove it.
The sweetly endearing and pleasantly enchanting Bolt is no exception. Bizarrely rated PG (there is some minor fiery peril during the rambunctious climax, but nothing so extreme young children will feel any undue stress), this quiet character-driven comedy is perfectly suited for viewers of just about any age. The film breezes by in what feels like an instant, the emotional warmth exuded by the relationships genuine and true.
Not that parents are going to be doing back flips. This one is more Curious George than The Incredibles, and after the cute faux-television opening concludes the resultant storyline tones down the fireworks to instead focus upon the burgeoning relationship between Bolt, streetwise alley cat named Mittens (Susie Essman) and roly-poly hamster Rhino (Mark Walton). More, while Dan Fogelman (Cars) and Chris Williams’ (The Emperor’s New Groove) script thankfully doesn’t follow many of the usual clichés, it also doesn’t do anything so out of the ordinary that any of the happenings could be considered a surprise, the ultimate destination about as forgone as the Tennessee Titans not finishing the NFL season undefeated.
But those are minor problems, and for all my nitpicking I can’t say I didn’t enjoy myself while I was sitting in the theater. There are some wonderfully touching moments, the humor (especially the assorted flocks of pigeons interrupting things to levy their own distinct brand of comic relief) is surprisingly dry and the vocalizations are all pretty much spot on the nose. On top of that, young children are going to eat the film up with a spoon, the majority of them sure to sit in rapture start to finish their only complaint being they can’t stay in their seats and watch it all over again.
I’ve seen better animated films this year (both Kung Fu Panda and especially WALL-E put this wannabe superdog to almost pitiable shame) but that doesn’t make Bolt any less worthwhile. It didn’t change my life but it did keep me entertained, and there was a time not too long ago that a Disney produced animated film couldn’t even do that. So, thank you John Lasseter. You’ve made the animation house that Mickey built worth taking seriously again, and considering the recent track record (The Wild, anyone?) that’s a feat even old Walt himself would be proud of.
Side note, Bolt is playing in some theaters in digitally projected 3-D even though the film itself was not animated specifically for that format. While it looks just fine (some of the layering is admittedly rather remarkable), don’t feel like you have to see it that way. The movie will play just as good without the glasses making the extra cost most theaters charge to see it that way not really worth the expense.
Film Rating: êêê (out of 4)
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