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List Price: $29.99 | | Label: ABC Video
Salesrank: 177
Released: March 24, 2009 |
| Our Price: $14.89 |
| Used Price: $7.92 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is the star of the biggest show in Hollywood. The only problem is, he thinks the whole thing is real. When the super dog is accidentally shipped to New York City and separated from Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus), his beloved co-star and owner, Bolt springs into action to find his way home. Together with his hilarious new sidekicks Rhino (voiced by Mark Walton) – Bolt’s #1 Fan – and a street-smart cat named Mittens (voiced by Susie Essman), Bolt sets off on an amazing journey where he discovers he doesn’t need super powers to be a hero.
Description of Bolt (Single-Disc Edition):
Bolt is a funny animated film about a dog who thinks he has superpowers. It is also a movie about friendship, perseverance, and the power of believing in oneself. Everyone knows that superheroes on television are not real, but super-dog Bolt (John Travolta) is a canine star who has been carefully raised to believe that he really possesses superpowers. Bolt is completely devoted to his human co-star Penny (Miley Cyrus), so when Penny is captured by the evil Dr. Calico (Malcolm McDowell) in their latest television episode and then Bolt accidentally gets loose in the real world, Bolt sets off on a journey to save her. Bolt is confounded when his super powers are suddenly ineffective, but inspiration strikes and Bolt quickly discovers the mysterious, power-stealing effects of Styrofoam packing peanuts. An encounter with alley cat Mittens (Susie Essman) gives Bolt some eye-opening lessons about being a real dog in the real world, while star-struck, ball-enclosed hamster Rhino (Mark Walton) revels in the opportunity to serve as Bolt's sidekick in the quest to rescue Penny. The trio traverses the United States from waffle house to waffle house on a hysterical quest to find Penny and prove that the relationship between Penny and Bolt is real. In the end, Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino learn that everyone is special in their own way and they discover the true power of believing in oneself and one's friends. Select theaters showed Bolt in Real-D 3-D which features some nice effects, but the film is probably equally enjoyable in the traditional format. A fun film with a nice message and a huge dose of cute, Bolt is good entertainment for the entire family. --Tami Horiuchi
Stills from Bolt (Click for larger image)
Bolt (Single-Disc Edition) Reviews:
Super cute movie! 
2009-11-29 - This movie is just packed with every thing that makes you feel like a kid again. It's full of adventure, action, friendship, and takes you on a journey of a sweet little dog Bolt, and his new found friends. It shows that what goes in life is not always what it may seem, and touches you in a way that you won't forget! Highly recommend for family, and dog lovers!
The only dog I'd have
2009-11-14 - This movie is so cute! I had seen it on Encore and then I saw it again, then I saw it one more time. So, I bought it. I think when the cat is teaching the dog to beg is a riot! The escape from the animal shelter is pretty funny, too. The art work is fabulous! The pigeons act just like pigeons and have iridescent feathers on their necks--it is so realistic!
I love the music, too. Anyone would love this movie. I think it is going to make good gifts for Christmas.
Replacement
2009-11-13 - I bought this to replace the damaged one, that I bought earlier. I, however, ran into the same problem; mixed up scenes on the cd. It's a good thing that I had already seen the movie at the theater, or I'd have been totally confused. Enjoyed the movie though.
Bolt (Single-Disc Edition) 
2009-11-11 - If you are looking for a special gift for a dog-lover this is it! Bolt is a very lovable mutt who meets adversity with grit and determination, along with his brave companions, who travel the country with him. This animated film has a clever, topical plot line and uses superior animation techniques. One of the best, from Pixar.
Heart Warming!
2009-11-06 - While the plot was predictable, the way it was carried out was great. It was such a good movie that the predictable plot could be overlooked and made almost refreshing. The dog reminded me of my dog and the cat reminded me of my cat and the hampster reminded me of my guinea pig. The bonds between them all and the girl just sum up how I feel about a dog's loyalty and cat's personality and the feisty little rodent sidekick. :)
As other reviewers have said, the animation and effects/characters/CG is the best Disney CG so far (not counting Pixar/Disney CG in this). They perfected the characteristics and traits of real animals in the animation of the animals, but also was able to personify the animals as well. This is one of John Travolta's best work I think - he did such a good job as the voice of Bolt that I didn't even realize it was him (which when you don't realize an actor is that actor, I think that means they did a fantastic job). I loved the duet between Bolt (Travolta) and Penny (Miley Cyrus) and the little 2-D animation for the end credits - there are just so many things about this movie that I loved - it was all the details and small things they did to make it realistic. It was believable and cute and sweet and heart-wrenching and touching. Maybe it's because I love animals and all the animals in this movie reminded me of mine or others I have met, but I was pleasantly surprised and endeared by this movie when I wasn't expecting much of anything out of Disney (CG) movies anymore.
My only regret with this movie was I got to see an early plot/story outline and artwork for the movie back when it was in preproduction (Disney came and did a presentation at my college on the movies they were making and this was one of them), and it seemed so much more original. The cat was supposed to be a mechanic with an eyepatch, and Bolt was a TV star, but more of a pampered one and the film was at that time titled "American Dog" and it was more about Bolt becoming his own person rather than just the "movie star." He was still on a cross-country journey out to rescue his owner (Penny) but there seemed to be more originality to the story and characters. Overall, this film turned out really well, but I just wonder what it COULD have been had it been more original and not so cookie-cutter. The artist that designed and created Lilo and Stitch was also the one to come up with the original story/character designs and while the animals look really similar to how they did in preproduction, I would have liked to have seen his ideas be the ones they used for the final version.
I think the area that has the most impact in this movie is its emotional content. If you love your pets (dogs especially) and know that they will do anything for you, then you will also like this movie. If all you care about is a surprising new story idea, then you probably won't like it.
P.S. The pigeons' animation (and probably their accents) nailed it.
