Bolt Review

There are no spoilers in this review.

PLOT: The canine star of a fictional sci-fi/action show that believes his powers are real embarks on a cross country trek to save his co-star from a threat he believes is just as real.


THE GOOD: Story. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I wanted to see Bolt when it first came out in theatres. The main reason was for its intriguing storyline. The idea is quite gripping. Also, this is the first movie that Juliana actually sat down to watch with me. She cuddled with me on the couch for at least 45 minutes watching the movie. She laughed when Bolt chased his tail; it was the cutest thing. Anyway, if a movie can keep the attention of a 17 month old, then it should keep your attention.


Animation. The quality of the visuals is certainly nothing compared to Pixar, but Disney Animation has made great strides from even Chicken Little. Plus, Disney Chief Creative Officer and executive producer of Bolt, John Lasseter, gave the animation team 18 months to complete the film. Normally, films like Bolt are given four years to design. That is a huge accomplishment in its own right. I liked how they animated the action sequences in the film. Really well-made.

Touching. While the movie does throw in plenty of humor, the movie is really touching. It speaks volumes on the topic of friendship. It is genuinely heartwarming and none of the scenes feel too cheesy.

Voice acting. I think the voice acting was pretty darn good in Bolt. As much as I'd love to hate on Miley Cyrus, she's actually not too bad. A little static at times, but she could have been a lot worse. John Travolta fits Bolt pretty well. Susie Essman was a great choice for Mittens and Mark Walton did a good job as Rhino the hamster. My favorite performance was by Greg Germann who did the voice for the agent of Miley's character. He was hilarious.


THE BAD: Music. Original soundtrack and score were pretty lame. Not very memorable. Miley could have really added a better "hit" to this movie.


Simple humor. There's not enough complex or adult humor in the movie to make it as good as the Pixar or Dreamworks films. Some funny moments, but nothing like the other examples.


THE END: While the end product of Bolt might not be what the original creator Chris Sanders had in mind, Lasseter and co. still released a great product that Disney can feel proud about. The movie is great for families and kids. It hits on all the key elements that make family animated movies so great. Check it out.


DISCUSS: Did you like Bolt? How would you compare it to other non-Pixar Disney computer animated movies (e.g. Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons)? How does it compare to Pixar and Dreamworks Animation? What could have been better in Bolt?