Emerging from Disney's wounded in-house animation arm, "Bolt" is as routinely arranged a tale as the Mouse House is capable of telling. However, the lack of screenwriting imagination is offset by the inherent charm of the picture, resulting in a pleasing arrangement of CG-animated action set-pieces and slapstick comedy to push "Bolt" beyond the repetitive family film norm.
Bolt (voiced by John Travolta in a winningly playful performance) is a
"Bolt' is a nice change of pace from the Disney Animation Studios norm. Coming after the misguided antics of "Chicken Little" and "Meet the Robinsons," "Bolt" settles into more comfort food tones, showcasing the antics of cute animals against a backdrop of pure
Trouble is, there's no real bite to "Bolt" in either plot or emotion, leaving behind a frustratingly shallow movie that's much too quick to lay the melodrama on thick in an attempt to reach out to the viewer. Bolt's arc from superdog to confused canine is a point belabored into ground by the filmmakers, who whip the straightforward plot point over and over, reducing the movie's pace to a crawl at certain critical junctures. The sympathetic goo is extended to Mittens and Penny as well, who get their own overscripted cross to bear, again, stopping the movie cold in the name of derivative manipulation.
"Bolt" is breezier as a road movie, watching the group cross the country on their way to
More admiration for "Bolt" is revealed with the film's soundtrack, employing Jenny Lewis (a musical performer of staggering serenity and crushing grace) to provide a mid-movie montage with a bouncy, folksy song entitled "Barking at the Moon." Further surprise arrives at the end credits, with John Travolta returning to his "Let Her In" musical roots to duet with Cyrus on the tune "I Thought I Lost You."
Filled with explosive canine derring-do, gorgeous animation with a pleasing fixation on
--- B plus
BOLT Movie Review by Matt Goldberg
It's so hard to find a family film that worth championing. You either have unwatchable pap like "
"Bolt" won me over in the first minute by having Bolt as a puppy wrestling with a chew toy. If the film was just that for ninety minutes, I would still love it. But the filmmakers decided not to coast on that and actually provide a story: Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) has what I'd like to call "Buzz Lightyear-syndrome": he thinks because he plays a super-powered pup on TV, he actually has super-powers. This isn't Bolt's fault: the director wants Bolt method acting so everyone, including his owner Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus), keeps him in the dark. But when an episode ends in a cliff-hanger instead of with Penny rescued, Bolt breaks out of his confinement only to end up on the opposite side of the country and working to make his way back home. Along the way, he crosses paths with the world-weary alley cat Mittens (voiced by Susie Essman who does great work even when she's not cursing up a storm at Jeff Garlin on "Curb Your Enthusiasm") and a hyper-active hamster and Bolt's biggest fan named Rhino (voiced by Mark Walton).
While there's nothing original or groundbreaking about "Bolt", there's rarely anything cynical. There's an over-zealous agent who's too annoying to be comedic but other than that, it's a fun ride. "Bolt" comes through with the same energy as though no other film has done this before and that earnestness and drive kept me wholly entertained throughout. Unfortunately, while that energy makes for a great movie-going experience, the lack of originality has the film fading fast from my memory.
But "Bolt" isn't aiming to be the year's most memorable film. It's trying to be a family film that the whole family can enjoy rather than a movie that parents are dragged to by their kids and then forced to sit and regret their lives while a talking
Rating ----- B minus