Review: Bolt

Bolt

OPENING: 11/21/2008

STUDIO: Disney

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
A hero is unleashed.

Opening Statement
This latest flick from the folks at Walt Disney shows some signs of promise for the studio. Disney’s animated films of the past decade or so have been rather lackluster, both in the 2-D and 3-D animation departments. Films like Home on the Range and Chicken Little just haven’t been offering audiences much to get excited about. Now that Pixar heavy hitter John Lasseter is overseeing things, there is a sign of hope. Lasseter is only credited as an executive producer here, but his influence is more than evident. Bolt isn’t quite a Pixar-caliber motion picture, but it wants to be, and it’s a huge step in the right direction.

Facts of the Case
A teenage girl named Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus) is in trouble. Her father has just been kidnapped by the evil Green-Eyed Man (Malcom McDowell, A Clockwork Orange), and she can’t go back home. Penny determines that she’s not just going to run and hide. She’s going to do everything within her power to get her father back, even if it means taking on all the Men in Black who work for the Green-Eyed Man. After all, Penny has a secret weapon on her side. That would be Bolt (John Travolta, Get Shorty), a genetically-enhanced dog with remarkable superpowers. Together, Bolt and Penny are going to beat the bad guys and save the day!

At least, that’s how things are going in the television series that Bolt and Penny are filming. Unfortunately, poor Bolt does not realize that he is in a television series. In an attempt to get as much “realism” as possible from the proceedings, the director (James Lipton, Inside the Actor’s Studio) has done everything necessary to prevent Bolt from knowing that he’s just acting. Until now, each episode has gone smoothly. The bad guys try to hurt Penny, Bolt saves Penny, and everything is just fine and dandy by the time each episode concludes. Then the network decides to throw a cliffhanger into the mix. They separate Bolt from Penny until the start of the next shoot, which sends Bolt into a panic. He has to get Penny back!

Through a series of odd events that I will not reveal here, Bolt finds himself lost in New York City. Penny is all the way on the other side of the country, in Hollywood, California. He has to get back to her, and he thinks it will be easy. After all, he’s a super-dog. He has no idea that he has been aided by talented special effects teams all this time. Joining him for the journey are a couple of new friends: a cynical cat named Mittens (Susie Essman, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and a hyper hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton). Will these three amigos be able to complete their cross-country mission? Will Bolt be reunited with Penny? Will Bolt learn that he isn’t really a Superdog before he gets himself hurt?


The Evidence
Despite a plot that relies heavily on Hollywood humor, the film valiantly remains free of the sort of obnoxious pop culture references that have damaged so many animated films in recent times. Despite a lot of slapstick humor and goofiness, the film manages to offer up reasonably complex characters who are genuinely sympathetic. Despite the presence of big names like John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, the film largely avoids celebrity stunt casting in favor of casting actors who are capable of nailing the specific role (Susie Essman and Mark Walton are superb picks for the two largest supporting roles). The film achieves a lot more than I expected it to, and I’m pleased to finally be able to recommend a Disney animated film again.

The story is a well-oiled machine. Film-within-a-film elements aside, this is pretty traditional stuff that is handled with skillful professionalism. Carefully measured doses of comedy, action, and drama are mixed in to create a satisfactory viewing experience. It’s a film that has enough energy and color to keep the kids happy, but also enough intelligence and depth to make the film a satisfactory viewing experience for adults. The animation here is quite solid, and the action scenes are simultaneously amusing and exciting. I might say that the film does a nice job parodying action movies, but I’m not really sure that such a thing is possible anymore (Hot Fuzz is an exception). Considering the sort of preposterous stuff we see onscreen these days, I don’t think that “fake action” in Bolt is terribly far-fetched… which kind of makes it even funnier.

Sure, the story is a bit on the predictable side. You can see most of the plot developments coming around the corner. There are also a few too many silly supporting characters… it seems like the film has a desire to introduce us to a new duo or trio of goofballs each reel. These problems pale in comparison to the attributes.

Closing Statement
Bolt may be a bit formulaic, but the formula this time around is much more effective. Nobody has quite reached Pixar’s level yet… but between Dreamworks’ Kung Fu Panda and Disney’s Bolt, is evident that the other studios are finally realizing that telling a good story actually works on both a critical and commercial level, and I hope it is a sign of good things to come in the future. This one is a fun family film.

The Verdict
8/10

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