Bolt

Voices of: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton, Greg Germann, Diedrich Bader, Nick Swardson, Dan Fogelman, Chloe Grace Moretz, Randy Savage
Directed by: Byron Howard, Chris Williams
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Bolt (John Travolta) is the star of an action television series that he believes is real. When he is separated from his owner (Miley Cyrus), he embarks on a journey to find her, but without the powers he's always relied upon.

Review:

Tim: Bolt is definitely a lesser Disney effort. I think that's fair to say. However, second tier movies can still be good and this movie certainly qualifies in that realm. There likely will never be a trilogy of these films (the characters, premise, and execution aren't great enough for that), but it's still an entertaining effort. I enjoyed the film, as did my four year-old son.

Underdog stories are always enjoyable and to some extent, Bolt falls into that category. The premise of the movie is lacking the brilliant simplicity of Disney's best efforts, but it's worth exploring. A dog who believes he has superpowers is suddenly thrust into a world where he doesn't. This causes him to (understandably) lose his sense of identity. Throughout the journey to be reunited with his owner, he questions many of the assumptions and beliefs he's always held and needs to rediscover who he is. The whole thing is mostly above the heads of most kids, but is fairly entertaining for more mature viewers.

The movie doesn't quite get this balance right, but it's pretty close. Kids will enjoy an action road trip movie about a dog overcoming obstacles to get home. There's the deeper exploration of his identity and what it means to rethink who you are, that adults will find at least mildly appealing. The way it ended up, my son was fairly interested in the story and I felt the same. This movie doesn't hit the cross-demographic appeal that the best Disney movies hit, but I never felt disappointed I was watching the film. That's a success in its own right.

John Travolta does a fairly good job voicing Bolt. He might not have the greatest, most distinct voice for this, but he was enjoyable in that role. Miley Cyrus did a good job voicing Penny. Her voice is certainly more distinct, but she blended into the character. I thought she worked well. The rest of the voice cast was good, but there weren't any real standouts. No complaints in this area, though.

One of the biggest issues with the film is that the characters aren't all that memorable. Bolt is pretty decent and somewhat cool. Penny is a bit too forgettable and doesn't have enough of a personality. Mittens is a decent character. It's funny to see her interact with Bolt and her disdain is pretty entertaining. I'm not sure she's compelling enough to want to see again, but she works within the context of this film. Rhino was pretty funny and definitely brought some levity to the film.

While not a great movie, I was surprised that Bolt was entertaining, often exciting, and had more depth than the average animated movie. It was an enjoyable film and I had a fun time watching it. I would consider this a win for Disney.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, The Secret Life of Pets