"Bolt" Movie Review

We switch things up a bit in this week’s review and take a look at a film that’s been hovering around the top of the box-office for a number of weeks. Bolt (PG) is the latest animated feature film from Disney Pictures and tells the tale of a TV-star canine who truly believes that his TV life is actually his reality. The movie showcases the voicing talents of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus and Susie Essman.

Ryan: As far as animated films goes, Bolt is a pleasant movie-going experience. The film will not only satisfy kids but the adults that accompany them as well. The movie doesn’t have the depth or quite the substance of a Pixar movie (and maybe it’s not fair to compare every new animated release to Pixar) but it’s an entertaining film. The movie is not cutting edge in any facet including the animation but it succeeds as a pleasurable family film.

Andy: The art of making an animated kid’s film for wide release has fairly well been perfected. While not all of them are going to be amazing, it is impressive how few of them are bad. It is pretty safe to say that Bolt will give you exactly what you expect. It is fun to watch, funny at times, and never boring. You cannot really ask for much more out of a children’s movie than that.

Ryan: One aspect of Bolt that kind of surprised me is how well the filmmakers executed the whole dual reality theme. Having a kid-driven film with a story dealing with confusing realities is an idea that might be over a lot of kid's heads. Thankfully the filmmakers handled the story aptly (and cleverly) and the movie is relatively easy to follow even for younger audience members. And I believe that older moviegoers will appreciate how the movie tries to aspire to be more than just a straight-ahead animated tale.

Andy: A nice aspect of Bolt is that it is, in its heart, an action movie. The opening sequence is full of over the top action that takes full advantage of the animated medium to deliver some very fun shots. What’s more, the whole thing is done tongue-in-cheek enough that it doesn’t seem absurd. The action is maintained throughout the rest of the film enough to keep viewers of all ages interested.

Ryan: It seems that nowadays the voicing talents in animated features are almost as important (or more) to the perception of the movie than ever before. Whether or not that's good or bad is a discussion for another time but I tend to think that getting “big names” is not always the best strategy. With Bolt Travolta and Cyrus are the two biggest names and neither of them enhance or distract from the film. Without the question the best voice work is done by Susie Essman as Mittens the cat. She brings a lot of energy to her work (check her out on TV's, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and in Bolt she brings a (albeit toned down) level of sassiness.

Andy: While Bolt does not fail on any level, it fails to achieve a level of superiority that many animated films strive for. That’s fine; it doesn’t seem like Bolt was trying to redefine anything. It fully accomplishes its goal of being a cute, entertaining animated option for the holiday season. It may not be the most memorable cartoon movie to come out this year, but it’s hard to find any real complaints about it, either.

Bolt is an above average animated feature with few surprises and few shortcomings. Final grade: B.