Bolt barks greatness

WOBURN, Mass. — Disney makes a hit with their latest movie Bolt by using the Pixar talent it acquired in 2006 to bring back‚ their‚ successful animated movies. Bolt, a cute white German Sheppard who was raised in a TV set and believes has superpowers, was charming, funny and appreciated by young and old audiences alike.

What made Bolt such a good film to watch was just that; everybody at the theater laughed at the same moments, there were no masked jokes for the kids or boring cheesiness for the children. John Lasseter, the executive producer of the film, put his experience from Toy Story to good use. The CGI animation was fantastically good, as was the plotline and character development.

Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is an acting dog who stars in a hit action television show and has never been let out from the studio. Because of this he was raised thinking that he truly has heat vision and a super bark. His costar, Penny (voiced by Miley Cirus) is kidnapped in one of the show’s climatic ending scenes, which freaks out the dog. Without understanding what is going on, Bolt decides to go rescue the tween girl and discover he is just another dog once he is in the real world.

Along the way of disheartening realizations about his fake powers Bolt takes a sassy cat, Mittens (by Susie Essman), hostage and meets a hyperactive hamster in a ball, (13-year Disney animation veteran Mark Walton). Together they venture on a cross-country quest to find Penny and the imagery that accompanies them is beautiful. In the first minutes of the film where an action scene from Bolt’s show is taking place this detail to the images is established.

Through the entire film viewers can see and feel the racing cars Bolt escapes from, the change of weather and the wind blowing or the sun shining. It all works in creating authenticity that draws people in. What makes them stay is the dialogue. By far the best one-liners and laughs were provided by the hamster in the ball.

Rhino is one of Bolt’s super fans and just as the dog thinks he has powers that have suddenly disappeared, Rhino believes he will be the sidekick for his hero. Eventually both the dog and the hamster come to the conclusion that the powers are nothing more than special effects but learn (Disney couldn’t miss the morale of the story) that they are special no matter what. Created for all audiences Bolt will be a holiday hit and a Disney video classic.

To make your Bolt experience better folks at Disney graced us with a super prize pack to give to one lucky reader. It includes the movie’s plush toys, movie-themed doggie‚ treats and the film’s Wii game amongst other goodies. Email your contact information to [email protected]‚ by January 1st to enter! Bolt gifts for your little ones are also available at all Toys “R” Us.