Bolt (2008)

Genre

Adventure | Animation | Comedy

Directors

Chris Williams | Byron Howard

Country

USA

Voice Cast

John Travolta, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Miley Cyrus, Malcolm McDowell, Nick Swardson, Diedrich Bader, Chloë Grace Moretz, Greg Germann, James Lipton, Randy Savage, Kari Wahlgren, Grey DeLisle, J. P. Manoux, Brian Stepanek, John DiMaggio, Jenny Lewis

Storyline

Bolt (John Travolta), the canine star of a sci-fi/action TV show that believes his powers are real, embarks on a cross country trek to save his co-star (Miley Cyrus) from a threat he believes is real.

Opinion

Standing out in the crowd is not always easy for an animated film, especially if that same year sees released "WALL E" and "Kung Fu Panda". "Bolt" doesn't manage to stand out as it is cute but isn't really much more than just a kids film.

The story lacks originality as it almost seems "The Truman Show" starring a dog instead of Jim Carrey, and it's very simplistic. It does start quite good, but then it slows down dramatically. 

Forget about the wit and depth of "WALL E" and the humour, and fun of "Kung Fu Panda", because this film lacks in both. It does have some jokes, and provides enough entertainment for kids, but there isn't much stimulation for adults. 

The characters, which are visually very beautiful - the animation is great overall-, are quite flat and stereotyped. There isn't a lot of character development and each animal has a character that reflects what we think about the attitude of that particular race or species. If they were humans instead of animals, I believe many would have said the film was racist. I hope I didn't went too far with that.

However, the film manages to deliver to kids its message: be true to yourself and find your inner hero.

I wasn't sure about the voice cast at first, but after watching I was quite satisfied. John Travolta does a good job as the leading character, Bolt the dog, and Miley Cyrus, too, does a fine job, and the song they sing together is good.

In a nutshell, it's a go for kids, it's a no if you're an adult without kids.