MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

Bolt Rated PG

Directed by Chris Williams and Byron Howard.  Animated Feature

Photo © Walt Disney Pictures
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

Full-length animated films take a long time to make – sometimes as long as three years from conception to completion – so there’s plenty of time to come up with beautiful vistas, colorful voice casting and interesting scripts.  Well, two out of three ain’t bad. 

Bolt is beautiful to look at, and the 3D effects are there to bring depth to the visuals (and not used as a cheap gimmick).  But the plot of this film seems cobbled together from about six other previous films. 

Bolt (John Travolta) is a dog that is raised from birth (in a sterile Hollywood fantasy factory) to believe that he is a superhero dog with super powers (ala “The Truman Show”).  The film opens with a scene from Bolt’s popular TV adventure show, which is a satirical nod to Michael Bay’s overdone action films (this was also done in “The Incredibles”)  When he is separated from his beloved master Penny (Miley Cyrus) and shipped to New York City, Bolt is not only exposed to the real world (where his exceptional powers have vanished) but he is forced to travel cross-country, first with a street thug of a cat named Mittens (Susie Essman) to whom he is literally tied to and forced to understand (“The Defiant Ones”). 

The trip back to California is also reminiscent of the Disney film “Homeward Bound” and Bolt’s self-discovery is not unlike what Buzz Lightyear had to endure in “Toy Story 2”.  The real burst of life comes in the form of a hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton) who joins the party, enclosed in a hamster exercise ball. Rhino idolizes Bolt as a TV star and is willing to go the distance to be of help.  Will they make it back to California?  Will Bolt be reunited with Penny? 

It’s the visual beauty that sticks with you, but this tale is such a bunch of second-hand goods that I found little to really engage my imagination.  And the middle section on the road is very talky and will be boring to preschoolers.  I am starting to get tired of Hollywood films spoofing the film community, as well.  You could do a lot worst than Bolt, but that’s no reason to buy a ticket.  Like a bolt of lightening across the horizon, this film initially dazzles but then is utterly forgettable.

Pitchfork Rating: Three halos (A gentle and positive film about self-discovery.)
One pitchfork (There are the mildly crude jokes necessary to move a kid’s movie from “G” to “PG”.)

COMMENTS!

Do you have comments about this movie or movie review? Email comments. (Your comments will be posted to our web site.)