Volt, star malgré lui

This film is about a dog that believes his friend is in grave danger. What he does not know is that he is the star of a reality TV show.

Who would have thought "Bolt" would be so thrilling and entertaining! The opening action sequence is rushed with adrenaline, it excites me even though it is an animation! The plot is intelligent, interesting and fun, the great thing is that it entertains without the need of any toilet or gross out humour. The super-bark and laser eye scenes are so hilarious, in a cute and mesmerising way. In addition, the transition of Bolt from being a super dog to realising he he has no powers is very well presented, that it makes me feel sad for Bolt. The animation is flawless, and all the characters in the animation are super cute. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of "Bolt", I think it makes perfect family entertainment.

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.

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!

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.

Bolt is a fun movie! It's not harmful or offensive and it's got some heart and genius emotion. Lighten up!