John Travolta Movie:

				Label: Walt Disney Pictures Salesrank:
		MPAA Rating: Media: Theatrical Release

Bolt [Theatrical Release] Reviews:
Bolt DVD Release Month & Year
2008-12-02 - The Bolt DVD should be released in April 2009 maybe just in case anyone is wondering.

Surprisingly Good
2008-11-30 - The ads for this movie had me peg it as a simple animated comedy, but it was much more than that. Yes there were plenty of laughs, but there was also some good action sequences (the first 10 minutes were absolutely incredible). But most of all there were some very touching moments, one of the final scenes actually moved me to tears, a bit of a warning to parents: you might find the scene just little intense for children, thought I don't remember it happening during my viewing, I've heard from others that it actually made their children cry. All in all an excellent film, easily comparable to Pixar's best.

Quite possibly the best Disney movie ever
2008-11-26 - Bolt is essentially the story of a girl and her dog. Penny, a young TV star, and her dog Bolt form a dynamic crime-fighting duo. The only problem is that it's unbeknownst to Bolt; he thinks it's real, and he's convinced that he really has all the crazy powers (i.e. laser eyes, battering ram for a head, ground-shaking "Superbark"). When Penny and Bolt get separated - a direct result from a meddling corporate executive at the TV station - Bolt is left to deal with the real world, and his vulnerability, as he tries to find and protect his human by traveling the country using a map from a waffle restaurant.

First and foremost, Bolt is hilarious. I laughed nearly the entire movie. The scenes truly are brilliant, providing just enough depth and character development to make an adult laugh, but also enough up-front comedy to make a kid roll in the aisles. When Bolt meets up with some street-wise pigeons sporting brilliant "New Yoark" accents, the hilarity begins to make cheeks hurt. When the birds trick Bolt into attacking a wise-cracking alley cat named Mittens, there are laughs-a-minute and a little side pain. When the two encounter Rhino, a hyperactive hamster who religiously and fanatically watches Bolt's show, an uproarious crescendo of laughter induced tears is guaranteed. Rhino is absolutely brilliant, using his hamster ball as not only a means to change the channel, but also as a battering ram. He's maniacally determined to fulfill his destiny by helping Bolt find Penny, and thereby thwarting evil.

As the trio travel the country, Bolt learns the harsh lesson that he was not genetically altered, and begins a new journey of discovery. With Mittens and Rhino, who steals absolutely every scene and deserves his own spin-off movie, Bolt gets into all sorts of trouble, and eventually uncovers how to be a normal dog, with some pity and guidance from Mittens. Along the way they encounter other perfectly voiced and animated pigeons, each with a regional dialect and realistic head-bobbing movements. They are guaranteed laughs every time on screen.

To discuss this movie and not mention either the heart or crisp animation would be a great disservice. The animation is razor-sharp in every scene, with some views that had me analyzing single blades of grass, and others leaving me mesmerized at how life-like everything appeared to be. During some moments, it's easy to get caught up into thinking it's a real movie with real scenes.

Aside from the brilliance of the animation and the humor - oh my goodness the humor - there are not-so-subtle sub-themes of kindness, friendship, loyalty, love, and bravery that are perfect for the younger audience. The messages are somewhat lost on older audiences because they're so transparent, but the real purpose is to drive home the point to children, which Bolt does nearly flawlessly - especially with Rhino's "You go!" speech.

Simply put, this movie has a feel-good heart and humor combination. I highly recommend this for not just children, but for all audiences.

Pixar Influence Runs Deep
2008-11-23 - Considering the cast and Disney's erratic hit-and-miss record with non-Pixar CGI, my expectations were a bit tempered for this one, but it actually ranks right up there with the best Pixar efforts. John Lasseter -- the Pixar exec responsible for Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Disney's other great CGI, Meet the Robinsons -- heads this one up and likely deserves a heap of credit for its success as nothing in the two co-Directors' resumes could have predicted it.

Bolt follows the Pixar formula to the letter: a terrific, fast-paced story with a lot of heart that focuses on the characters and not the celebrity voices -- I'm looking at you, Dreamworks -- complemented by excellent animation and a soundtrack that doesn't overdo it. Travolta, who I usually can't stand, is quite good as Bolt; Susie Essman and Mark Walton steal every scene they're in as his sidekicks; and the pigeons...well, the pigeons absolutely blow Madagascar's penguins out of the water!

We didn't catch the 3D version, but didn't feel like we missed out on anything, and as much as the kids enjoyed it, I think we loved it even more than they did. That said, look for dogs to appear in a lot of letters to Santa this season!

A Winner
2008-11-23 - PG Rating
1 hour 36 minutes
Walt Disney Animation

John Travolta as Bolt and Miley Cyrus as Penny

Bolt (an American White Shepherd) is the action star along with his owner Penny of a popular TV show. He believes that he really has superhero powers as that how everybody wanted him to believe to be. They fear that once he discover that he is just an ordinary dog that it will completely destroy his act. As a result, Bolt is excommunicated to the real world. Even his owner Penny is not allowed to take him home for the weekend. A sad flight for both Penny and Bolt.

The adventure started when he accidentally escaped to the real world. He was shipped to New York City and has to find his way to go back to his owner in Hollywood. Along the way he met Mr Mittens (an alley cat) and a hamster Rhino inside a plastic ball (who oftentimes steal the show). He then learns that he doesn't have superpowers at all.

It is another winner for Disney. Wonderful animation and wonderful story. Great lessons about friendship. Moving happy ending. This is a film that is certainly a very welcome addition to anybody's DVD collection. Specially if you have children.