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.
When Blu, a domesticated macaw from small-town Minnesota, meets the fiercely independent Jewel, he takes off on an adventure to Rio de Janeiro with the bird of his dreams.
Director:
Carlos Saldanha
Stars:
Jesse Eisenberg,
Anne Hathaway,
George Lopez
A local scientist is often regarded as a failure until he invents a machine that can make food fall from the sky. But little does he know, that things are about to take a turn for the worst.
A woman transformed into a giant after she is struck by a meteorite on her wedding day becomes part of a team of monsters sent in by the U.S. government to defeat an alien mastermind trying to take over Earth.
Directors:
Rob Letterman,
Conrad Vernon
Stars:
Reese Witherspoon,
Rainn Wilson,
Stephen Colbert
The supervillain Megamind finally defeats his nemesis, the superhero Metro Man. But without a hero, he loses all purpose and must find new meaning to his life.
Barry B. Benson, a bee just graduated from college, is disillusioned at his lone career choice: making honey. On a special trip outside the hive, Barry's life is saved by Vanessa, a florist in New York City. As their relationship blossoms, he discovers humans actually eat honey, and subsequently decides to sue them.
Directors:
Simon J. Smith,
Steve Hickner
Stars:
Jerry Seinfeld,
Renée Zellweger,
Matthew Broderick
A scheming raccoon fools a mismatched family of forest creatures into helping him repay a debt of food, by invading the new suburban sprawl that popped up while they were hibernating...and learns a lesson about family himself.
Directors:
Tim Johnson,
Karey Kirkpatrick
Stars:
Bruce Willis,
Garry Shandling,
Steve Carell
Boog, a domesticated 900lb. Grizzly bear, finds himself stranded in the woods 3 days before Open Season. Forced to rely on Elliot, a fast-talking mule deer, the two form an unlikely friendship and must quickly rally other forest animals if they are to form a rag-tag army against the hunters.
An outlaw cat, his childhood egg-friend and a seductive thief kitty set out in search for the eggs of the fabled Golden Goose to clear his name, restore his lost honor and regain the trust of his mother and town.
Director:
Chris Miller
Stars:
Antonio Banderas,
Salma Hayek,
Zach Galifianakis
Flint Lockwood now works at The Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V. But he's forced to leave his post when he learns that his most infamous machine is still operational, and is churning out menacing food-animal hybrids.
It's a jungle out there for Blu, Jewel and their three kids after they're hurtled from Rio de Janeiro to the wilds of the Amazon. As Blu tries to fit in, he goes beak-to-beak with the vengeful Nigel, and meets his father-in-law.
Director:
Carlos Saldanha
Stars:
Jesse Eisenberg,
Anne Hathaway,
Jemaine Clement
The story of an uptown rat that gets flushed down the toilet from his penthouse apartment, ending in the sewers of London, where he has to learn a whole new and different way of life.
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.Written by
jcsmarchesi
Not the first Disney animated picture with a lead character named Penny. The lead human character in The Rescuers (1977) was also named Penny. See more »
Goofs
At the end of the "dog-face" RV park montage, there's a slow pan across the park. A grill is visible in the foreground, but the smoke coming from it is frozen in place. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Young Penny:
[points to puppy Bolt, decisively]
That one.
See more »
Crazy Credits
At the end of the credits, a hamster running in a hamster wheel comes up with the words. When he stops running, the words stop moving. Another hamster enters in from the left to take his place. After a high-five, they switch. The first hamster walks off, the second starts running, and the credits resume rolling. See more »
Alternate Versions
In Russia the movie is called "Volt", because "Bolt" is Russian slang for penis. See more »
Standing out in the crowd is not always the easiest thing to accomplish for an animated film, but above what you may expect, against WALL∙E's heart, and Kung Fu Panda's slapstick hilarity, Disney's Bolt jumps forward as simply the most fun.
What makes Bolt noteworthy as well as a success on its own terms is its ability to take an age-old message about being true to oneself and finding your inner hero, and mesh it with a unique storyline that ends up spawning what, at first glance at least, seems wholly unique. Coupled with the expectedly bright crisp animation and stellar voice work, makes Bolt better yet, and a sure contender for best animated film at this years Oscars. Bolt also reclaims the original song work of Disney past, conceived between its also star and teen sensation Miley Cirus and Jenny Lewis and both compilations are memorable and sweet. Bolt never dives for the heartstrings, but scores its emotional points through well developed characters and thoughtful situations.
Bolt opens with a very entertaining action sequence in which Bolt (voiced to surprising effect by John Travolta) and his master Penny (Miley Cirus) are chased by well equipped super villains which plays out in the vein of The Incredibles. The genetically altered canine can leap helicopters in a single bound, melt evil with laser eyes and destroy villains at a whim with his super-bark. It is soon revealed that the action speckled lives of Penny and Bolt is in fact a hit television show, which requires Bolt to be kept in the dark about the nature of his existence; in brief, he actually believes he has super powers. But after a cliff-hanger ending of an episode in which Penny is taken, prompts Bolt to escape, determined to reclaim his friend and master. Embarking for the first time into the real world he haphazardly enlist the help of a very reluctant cat (Susie Essman) and a fan-boy err...fan- hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton) and along the way learns, and earns, the true stripes of a hero and that of friendship.
If everything I mentioned above was not enough to make you see this film, I can also reveal that Bolt is an at times hilarious send-up of the movie industry and genre clichés. Propelled by the hilarious supporting voice work including Malcolm McDowell, Dietrich Bader and James Lipton the blend of comedy, drama, and flat out entertainment value is unmatched. Also worth an enthusiastic mention are the pigeons that show up throughout the course of Bolt's adventure. Not only (as with all) is the voicing perfect but the physical humour implored is gut-busting, with the feathery fools twitching their heads in a pigeon- esquire way during their meetings with Bolt to glorious results.
If you have a chance, you obviously should see this film in 3-D, however it is still well worth your money viewed in a traditional medium. Bolt is a reminder of why Disney was such an animation juggernaut and it is pleasant to see them recapturing some of their past glory. And just in case you want it mentioned bluntly, yes there are many jokes that older patrons will more then enjoy. It is always refreshing to see an old formula revamped so effectively and certainly always welcome to see a movie that can put a smile on faces of all ages.
8.5 / 10.0
View all my reviews at Simon Says Movie Reviews: www.simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com
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Standing out in the crowd is not always the easiest thing to accomplish for an animated film, but above what you may expect, against WALL∙E's heart, and Kung Fu Panda's slapstick hilarity, Disney's Bolt jumps forward as simply the most fun.
What makes Bolt noteworthy as well as a success on its own terms is its ability to take an age-old message about being true to oneself and finding your inner hero, and mesh it with a unique storyline that ends up spawning what, at first glance at least, seems wholly unique. Coupled with the expectedly bright crisp animation and stellar voice work, makes Bolt better yet, and a sure contender for best animated film at this years Oscars. Bolt also reclaims the original song work of Disney past, conceived between its also star and teen sensation Miley Cirus and Jenny Lewis and both compilations are memorable and sweet. Bolt never dives for the heartstrings, but scores its emotional points through well developed characters and thoughtful situations.
Bolt opens with a very entertaining action sequence in which Bolt (voiced to surprising effect by John Travolta) and his master Penny (Miley Cirus) are chased by well equipped super villains which plays out in the vein of The Incredibles. The genetically altered canine can leap helicopters in a single bound, melt evil with laser eyes and destroy villains at a whim with his super-bark. It is soon revealed that the action speckled lives of Penny and Bolt is in fact a hit television show, which requires Bolt to be kept in the dark about the nature of his existence; in brief, he actually believes he has super powers. But after a cliff-hanger ending of an episode in which Penny is taken, prompts Bolt to escape, determined to reclaim his friend and master. Embarking for the first time into the real world he haphazardly enlist the help of a very reluctant cat (Susie Essman) and a fan-boy err...fan- hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton) and along the way learns, and earns, the true stripes of a hero and that of friendship.
If everything I mentioned above was not enough to make you see this film, I can also reveal that Bolt is an at times hilarious send-up of the movie industry and genre clichés. Propelled by the hilarious supporting voice work including Malcolm McDowell, Dietrich Bader and James Lipton the blend of comedy, drama, and flat out entertainment value is unmatched. Also worth an enthusiastic mention are the pigeons that show up throughout the course of Bolt's adventure. Not only (as with all) is the voicing perfect but the physical humour implored is gut-busting, with the feathery fools twitching their heads in a pigeon- esquire way during their meetings with Bolt to glorious results.
If you have a chance, you obviously should see this film in 3-D, however it is still well worth your money viewed in a traditional medium. Bolt is a reminder of why Disney was such an animation juggernaut and it is pleasant to see them recapturing some of their past glory. And just in case you want it mentioned bluntly, yes there are many jokes that older patrons will more then enjoy. It is always refreshing to see an old formula revamped so effectively and certainly always welcome to see a movie that can put a smile on faces of all ages.
8.5 / 10.0
View all my reviews at Simon Says Movie Reviews: www.simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com