Bolt: Ein Hund für alle Fälle

Story-wise, there's nothing remarkably new about "Bolt," Walt Disney Animation's latest feature to hit the screens, but considering its patchy recent filmography, it's certainly a step to the right direction for the animation studio, now headed by Pixar-meister John Lasseter. While it's far below the sophisticated narratives and well-drawn characters of Pixar classics such as "Toy Story," "The Incredibles" and this year's "Wall-E," "Bolt" nevertheless charms its way to the screen with its eager-to-please lead character and diverting visuals.

Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is the canine star of a TV show where he plays a superdog whose lifelong mission is to protect his "person", Penny (Miley Cyrus), from the evil forces around them. Problem is, as the creators of the show fervently believe that the show's success lies mainly in its realism, they have gone to great lengths to lead Bolt into believing everything is real and everything seems to be going well.

That is until a studio mishap has Bolt improbably shipped across the country from Hollywood to New York. With the help of Mittens (Susie Essman), an alley cat who strangely knows more about dog ways than Bolt himself, and Bolt-fanatic hamster Rhino (Mark Walton), he goes on a long cross-country tripping to find his way back to Penny.

Byron Howard and Chris Williams direct a calculated script by Williams and Dan Fogelman where nothing is terribly special, especially if you're not a dog-loving tween girl (I do love dogs, though), though it has enough sensitivity (that's Lasseter working) up its sleeve for some unashamedly touching moments. And with its cheery visuals, lively characters and a breezy pace, it also has enough going for the adults as well as the kids. It's safe harmless stuff.

Its an animated movie about a dog. GIVEN, its a 'kids' movie. Unlike many animated movies, the dialog isn't full of innuendos or 'hidden' humor that only adults would 'get'. Its easily understood by kids, the animation is top-rate (as would be expected) and the characters are engaging and easy to enjoy. I admit that even though I love animation, I went to this sneak preview with a few misgivings. The trailers didn't look all that exciting, and I didn't expect to see anything I hadn't already seen. On one hand, I was right. The animation WAS very good, but nothing that hadn't been done before. But on the other hand I was pleasantly wrong. The formula works perfectly for Bolt. It was fun, didn't have any 'dull' spots, and while my theater was filled with a fairly consistent mix of children and young teens, and a relative smattering of adults, everyone seemed to enjoy it. Laughter was pretty consistent among the old and young, and at the end of the flick I heard something I rarely get to experience in theaters these days: applause. Granted, the adults were the ones applauding, and I joined in enthusiastically. The wife and I agree that this was one movie where we felt we got more than our dollars' worth. Thats a rare treat. Bolt did not disappoint on any level -and will find a spot in our library when the DVD eventually hits market. I fully expect this movie to do very well.

The plot concerns a dog (Bolt) who doesn't realize that his entire life is just a TV show. So, when he accidentally gets lost in the real world, he cannot understand why his super-powers have disappeared. And so, until he meets a wise and worldly cat, he flounders--unable to figure out how he got there or how to get back to the little girl he loves.

This is not the deepest story I have ever seen for a computer animated movie, but it was quite charming and fun--something that many other family movies could emulate. In fact, compared to previous Disney-produced CGI movies (other than those from the separate Pixar unit), BOLT is a significant improvement--both in story and in animation quality. If you don't believe this, just try watching CHICKEN LITTLE some time--it lacks the charm and universal appeal of BOLT. In other words, CHICKEN LITTLE was purely for very little kids--adults would mostly be bored by the film. MEET THE ROBINSONS was a bit of an improvement, but with BOLT I could finally enjoy the movie along with my kids.

Fun, well-animated and different. While not exactly a must-see, this is a very good film.

My kiddos liked this a lot, better than some other middling Disney movies from this era, like Home on the Range. They enjoyed the like-able main characters, including the cat; the exciting cross-country adventure; and the bond between the girl and her dog that held the movie together. So the basics were well done, as was the animation. Still, I thought it's most interesting as an allegory - Bolt is deliberately fooled by humans, and overestimates its own self importance (and, by extension, the importance of her owner Penny); similarly, the agents and producers overestimate their own performance. But once the illusion has been shattered, Bolt is able to still find meaning in his companionship with Penny. As new rabbit owners, we realize that this is more a dog thing. Rabbits, for example, are realistic like cats, but less cynical: they expect food from us, and love to play with us as long as we keep bringing it!

Standing out in the crowd is not always the easiest thing to accomplish for an animated film, but above what you may expect, against WALL∙E's heart, and Kung Fu Panda's slapstick hilarity, Disney's Bolt jumps forward as simply the most fun.

What makes Bolt noteworthy as well as a success on its own terms is its ability to take an age-old message about being true to oneself and finding your inner hero, and mesh it with a unique storyline that ends up spawning what, at first glance at least, seems wholly unique. Coupled with the expectedly bright crisp animation and stellar voice work, makes Bolt better yet, and a sure contender for best animated film at this years Oscars. Bolt also reclaims the original song work of Disney past, conceived between its also star and teen sensation Miley Cirus and Jenny Lewis and both compilations are memorable and sweet. Bolt never dives for the heartstrings, but scores its emotional points through well developed characters and thoughtful situations.

Bolt opens with a very entertaining action sequence in which Bolt (voiced to surprising effect by John Travolta) and his master Penny (Miley Cirus) are chased by well equipped super villains which plays out in the vein of The Incredibles. The genetically altered canine can leap helicopters in a single bound, melt evil with laser eyes and destroy villains at a whim with his super-bark. It is soon revealed that the action speckled lives of Penny and Bolt is in fact a hit television show, which requires Bolt to be kept in the dark about the nature of his existence; in brief, he actually believes he has super powers. But after a cliff-hanger ending of an episode in which Penny is taken, prompts Bolt to escape, determined to reclaim his friend and master. Embarking for the first time into the real world he haphazardly enlist the help of a very reluctant cat (Susie Essman) and a fan-boy err...fan- hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton) and along the way learns, and earns, the true stripes of a hero and that of friendship.

If everything I mentioned above was not enough to make you see this film, I can also reveal that Bolt is an at times hilarious send-up of the movie industry and genre clichés. Propelled by the hilarious supporting voice work including Malcolm McDowell, Dietrich Bader and James Lipton the blend of comedy, drama, and flat out entertainment value is unmatched. Also worth an enthusiastic mention are the pigeons that show up throughout the course of Bolt's adventure. Not only (as with all) is the voicing perfect but the physical humour implored is gut-busting, with the feathery fools twitching their heads in a pigeon- esquire way during their meetings with Bolt to glorious results.

If you have a chance, you obviously should see this film in 3-D, however it is still well worth your money viewed in a traditional medium. Bolt is a reminder of why Disney was such an animation juggernaut and it is pleasant to see them recapturing some of their past glory. And just in case you want it mentioned bluntly, yes there are many jokes that older patrons will more then enjoy. It is always refreshing to see an old formula revamped so effectively and certainly always welcome to see a movie that can put a smile on faces of all ages.

8.5 / 10.0

View all my reviews at Simon Says Movie Reviews: www.simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com