| Review:
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Hollywood can be such a cruel place. It won’t even
allow a TV dog to know the difference between fantasy and
reality. Disney’s Oscar-nominated “Bolt” tells the story
of such a dog, an adorable American White Shepherd (voiced
by John Travolta) that stars in a popular sci-fi/action/adventure
series. The problem is that the studio people don’t want
him to know that it’s all fake; for the sake of completely
believable performances, they shield him from the outside
world, and the don’t clear the sets until he goes to his
trailer. ***
In this sense, “Bolt” is kind of like a computer animated,
family friendly version of “The Truman Show,” a film founded
on a premise that could probably be considered a form of
abuse. I say this because forcing a person (or an animal)
to believe something that isn’t true is just plain wrong.
Why should Bolt be allowed to believe that he’s really a
genetically modified dog with an assortment of superpowers?
What possible good could come out of that? ***
It seems that I’m investing a little too much in this
film, emotionally speaking. But truth be told, there is
a lot of emotion in it, despite the fact that it’s essentially
a fun-filled story with lots of colorful characters. It
goes back to an observation I made for another 2008 Disney
film, “Beverley Hills Chihuahua”: Movies about animals are
inherently depressing. ***
Animated movies might be worse because animals are
made to emote in much the same way a human does, especially
when it comes to their eyes. We can actually tell when they’re
happy, sad, hurt, and frightened. We see a lot of that in
“Bolt,” which only makes it that much more effective. Of
course, we also see a lot of humor, most of which is provided
by an assortment of wacky supporting characters. ***
Bolt’s owner is a loving teenage girl named Penny (voiced
by Miley Cyrus), who’s also an actress on the series. One
day, the director (voiced by James Lipton) decides to film
a cliffhanger episode to appeal to the eighteen to thirty-five
age demographic. The final scene features Penny being kidnapped
by the evil Dr. Calico (voiced by Malcolm McDowell), who
already has her father in his clutches. ***
Since Bolt believes that Penny really was kidnapped,
he escapes from the Hollywood soundstage and goes on a rescue
mission. He accidentally gets sealed in a Styrofoam-packed
box and is shipped to New York City; once there, he meets
an alley cat named Mittens (voiced by Susie Essman) and
takes her prisoner, thinking she knows about Penny and Dr.
Calico. Faced with a delusional dog that goes to extreme
measures (such as holding her over the edge of a freeway
overpass), Mittens plays along. Hopefully, she will eventually
find an opportunity to escape. ***
Using a U.S. map from a waffle restaurant, Mittens
tells Bolt that Penny is being held captive in Hollywood.
On their cross-country journey, they meet Rhino (voiced
by Mark Walton), a pudgy, TV-loving hamster that spends
most of his time inside a clear plastic ball. Like many
side characters in an animated film, Rhino absolutely steals
the show; he’s an eager thrill seeker, and because he’s
also one of Bolt’s biggest fans, he willingly joins him
on his mission to save Penny. ***
Unfortunately, Bolt has yet to realize that he never
was genetically altered. For a long time, he believes that
pink Styrofoam peanuts drained him of his powers. He also
believes that the black bolt on his side is a natural mark.
But as is expected, his journey home will be one of discovery,
not only in terms of his identity, but also in terms of
acceptance and friendship. ***
Mittens, for example, eventually takes pity on Bolt
and tries her best to lift his spirits. She shows him what
real dogs do, such as sticking their heads out the window
of a moving car, fetching a stick, and even drinking out
of the toilet. Bolt, in turn, begins to see Mittens in a
different light, which is why he’s determined to rescue
her after being captured by Animal Control officers. ***
Of the films numerous side characters, none are more
fun than the pigeons. Much like with people, the part of
the country Bolt is in determines the pigeons’ accents;
the ones in New York all sound like Mafia hitmen while the
ones in Los Angeles sound like surfer dudes. When you couple
this with realistic head movements—bobs and turns and whatnot—the
result is absolutely hilarious. ***
Another fun character is Penny’s agent (voiced by Greg
Germann), who isn’t an animal in the sense that he doesn’t
have fur or feathers or a beak. He does, however, have the
uncanny ability to say the worst thing at the worst possible
time, and he obviously cares more about money than Penny’s
feelings. ***
When “Bolt” was originally released, specially selected
theaters presented it in 3-D. I don’t know whether or not
the DVD release will give viewers that option. But to be
perfectly honest, I don’t think it matters one way or the
other; enhanced effects don’t have much bearing on a film’s
story, especially if it’s good. Regardless of dimension,
“Bolt” is terrific family entertainment, fun and meaningful,
humorous and heartfelt, with a colorful look that captures
all the joy, the excitement, and the tenderness. ***
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| Special
Features: |
The single disc DVD edition includes “Super Rhino,”
an all-new animated short starring the hamster from “Bolt.”
In addition to the short, both the 2-disc DVD edition and
the Blu-Ray edition include three featurettes--“Creating
the World of ‘Bolt,’” “Act, Speak! The Voices of ‘Bolt,’”
and “A New Breed of Director: A Filmmaker’s Journey.” Viewers
can browse a selection of deleted scenes with optional introductions
by directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard. The DVD and
Blu-Ray editions also include a digital copy of the film,
the music video for Miley Cyrus’ “I Thought I Lost You,”
and a behind-the-scenes look at John Travolta and Cyrus
recording the song. Exclusive to the Blu-Ray edition are
Bolt’s Be-Awesome Mission Game, an art gallery, and BD-Live
links that grant access to Movie Chat, Movie Mail, Movie
Challenge, and Movie Rewards. The Blu-Ray edition also includes
a third disc featuring a standard DVD presentation of the
film. ***
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