Bolt (2008)

The canine star of a fictional sci-fi/action show that believes his powers are real embarks on a cross country trek to save his co-star from a threat he believes is just as real.

Directors:

Byron Howard, Chris Williams

Writers:

Dan Fogelman (screenplay by), Chris Williams (screenplay by)

Stars:

John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 31 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Travolta	...	Bolt (voice)
Miley Cyrus	...	Penny (voice)
Susie Essman	...	Mittens (voice)
Mark Walton	...	Rhino (voice)
Malcolm McDowell	...	Dr. Calico (voice)
James Lipton	...	The Director (voice)
Greg Germann	...	The Agent (voice)
Diedrich Bader	...	Veteran Cat (voice)
Nick Swardson	...	Blake (voice)
J.P. Manoux	...	Tom (voice)
Dan Fogelman	...	Billy (voice)
Kari Wahlgren	...	Mindy (voice)
Chloë Grace Moretz	...	Young Penny (voice) (as Chloë Moretz)
Randy Savage	...	Thug (voice)
Ronn Moss	...	Dr. Forrester (voice)

Storyline

Bolt, an American white shepherd, has lived his whole life on the set of his action TV show, where he believes he has superpowers. When separated from the studio by accident, he meets a female alley cat named Mittens and a hamster named Rhino. He's trying to find the way home, to the studio. Along the way, he learns that he doesn't have superpowers and that the show is not real.

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Plot Keywords:

hollywood | reference to tiger beat magazine | time bomb | 3 dimensional | supernatural power | 

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Taglines:

Fully Awesome 2008

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild action and peril

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Dog

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$26,223,128, 23 November 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$114,053,579

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$309,979,994

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital EX DTS-ES

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To help the crew relax under the film's punishing schedule, and also to give them a peek into the mindset of Rhino, a giant inflatable hamster ball was set up in the studio.

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Goofs

(at around 10 mins) The director is upset because a boom microphone is visible in the frame and "the dog could have seen that." Regardless of what the camera captured, the microphone and its operator were out in the open on the set itself, where Bolt could have seen them during filming, even if they were edited out later.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Penny: [points to puppy Bolt, decisively] That one.

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Crazy Credits

PRODUCTION BABIES: Kora, Harper, McKenna, Benjamin, Delaney, Emmett, Sarah, Anya, Sofia, Cleo, Alena, Braedyn, Clara, Elijah, Ellie, Ari, Aidan, Erin, Geoffrey, Avery, Shingo, Bridgette, Megan, Anik, Enzo, Melissa, Kate, Adelaide, Eden, Khiley, Sadie, Helena, Alena, Mackenzie, Riley, Leo, Melissa, Will, Aisling, Xander, Paris, Tristan, Siddharth, Sophia, Ria, Sadie, Megan, Lucas, Holly, Victoria, Keane, Eili, Joseph, Morgan, Teagan, Annie, Luke.

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Alternate Versions

In the French version, Bolt is called Volt and dubbed by Richard Anconina. The two actor cats and the various pigeons are voiced by comedic duo Omar Sy and Fred Testot. All French cinemas carrying the 3D version of the film showed it exclusively in its French dub. The film in its original English (with French subtitles) was only shown in 2D. A goof occurs when re-lettering the written name. The dog's tag and the billboards seen, read Volt during the first part of the movie, but read Bolt later on.

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Connections

Referenced in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: The Princess and the Frog (2009)

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Soundtracks

I Thought I Lost You
Written by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele
Performed by Miley Cyrus and John Travolta
Produced by Scott Cutler and Anne Preven
Mixed by Trina Shoemaker
Miley Cyrus appears courtesy of Hollywood Records

User Reviews

Easily my favorite Disney film, and perhaps my absolute favorite movie of all time

The 2000s have not been very kind to Walt Disney Animation. While there has been the occasional Emperor's New Groove or Lilo and Stitch, the majority of their films from this decade have been rather mediocre (most notably 2005's Chicken Little, which - ironically - remains the studio's highest-grossing film of the 2000s). With that said, I initially had some doubts about Bolt, despite hearing that it would be Disney Animation's first film supervised by Pixar founder John Lasseter. The surprisingly positive reviews posted shortly before the film's release convinced me to buy a ticket. Thankfully, I was forced to eat my words; welcome back, Disney.

The film revolves around Bolt, a white German Shephered who has spent his entire life on the set of a TV show in which he portrays a "superdog". As a result, he believes that the events on film (and his super powers) are real. When he is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to New York City, he embarks on a cross-country journey to reunite with his owner and co-star, Penny. Along the way, Bolt teams up with a jaded alley cat named Mittens and a TV-obsessed hamster named Rhino who also happens to be an extreme Bolt fanboy.

First of all, the effects in this movie are unbelievable. Everything in the movie looks so realistic and yet doesn't contradict with the animated cartoon-esquire characters. Also, while Bolt is obviously the star of the movie, the real comedy comes from his unlikely companions. In fact, my favorite character of the bunch is Mittens the cat, voiced excellently by Susie Essman. Very seldom do I hear/see a character and say "I can't imagine anybody doing a better job playing him/her", but Essman really brings a lot to this already memorable character. And though I found him to be pretty irritating at first, some of the best lines in the movie come from Rhino the hamster.

Lastly, in one of the opening scenes we see Bolt as he is in the TV Show to set the understanding of Bolt's world. Seriously, that was made of awesome. The scene was action packed and full of excitement. I would watch the show that Bolt is in. If I had to have a complaint, it would be that it takes some ideas from several other films (such as Homeward Bound, Toy Story, and The Truman Show). That said, it still manages to feel like its own film, and with grace.

With terrific animation, an incredibly heartwarming story, and some of the most endearing characters I've ever seen on film (animated or otherwise), Bolt has not only become my favorite Disney film (Pixar included), but perhaps my absolute favorite movie of all time. It feels strange saying that, especially considering that I didn't even expect to like the film, but I simply can't think of a movie that I've loved more. It's also one of the very few films that manages to bring me to tears every time that I watch it, and when a movie is able to affect me on that kind of level, it automatically becomes a winner.