Typical animated goodness. Funny, cute and always entertaining (Bolt (DVD))

Member Name: Benjammar

Product:	Bolt (DVD)
Date:	04/07/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ticks all the boxes for an animated film. Jokes, voice acting and characters are all very well done

Disadvantages: Plot is predictable and maybe a little bit silly

I love watching animated films, not because I am a child at heart but because I always know I'm going to be entertained. I think they are films for any occasion and all ages which make them easy and comfortable to watch. They are a safe watch for a Friday night rental or a trip to the cinema. I knew I was going to be satisfied with Bolt but the real issue is whether or not Bolt would be up there with the all the time greats of animated films. I'm talking about the likes of Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Shrek and personally for me Monsters Inc and Ice Age. From recent films I'd put Wall-E as the more modern classic. So Bolt was going to be good, but how good?

The Cast

Bolt - John Travolta
Penny - Miley Cyrus
Mittens - Susie Essman
Rhino - Mark Walton

There are loads more people who provided their voice to the film however these are the important four. However, I will touch up on the other characters later.

The Plot

The film starts with Penny and Bolt acting in a TV show unsurprisingly called Bolt. Within the show Bolt is a super dog whose powers include super strength, super speed, laser eyes and the famous 'super bark'. Bolt is unaware that his surroundings are all fake; he believes his powers are genuinely real and he has never left the set of the show since arriving. At the end of one episode we see Penny being kidnapped by the super villain Doctor Calico leaving the show on a cliffhanger. Bolt not knowing this is part of the show sets out to free Penny however he accidentally runs into a window leaving him unconscious in a box full of Styrofoam. This box is then shipped away from Hollywood all the way across America to New York.

When Bolt regains consciousness he sets out on a mission to get back to Hollywood to free Penny. To do this he enlists the help of an alley cat called Mittens who he believes is helping Doctor Calico. Along the way they meet Rhino; a hamster that has watched Bolt on TV and of course, is a massive fan who also believes Bolt has superpowers. The film follows the story of these three as they travel across America where Bolt slowly begins to realize he is just a normal dog with no super powers.

The Good

This is a classic animated film in my eyes. It's funny, charming, cute and has the happy ever after ending. I won't mention anymore of the plot but it's very predictable however this doesn't really matter here. Pretty much every animated film can be predicted from a mile off; what's important is the journey from start to finish and Bolt is definitely a journey worth taking. The jokes are funny for all ages, I'm 19 and I found myself laughing on a regular basis. Kids are guaranteed to love it.

The graphics are of a high quality, there are no detailed rain or water effects that you might associate with Ratatouille however they are generally solid throughout. The emotion expressed by the characters is vital here and it's very well done. Bolt is brilliantly drawn as he does the cute look incredibly well but also looks exactly right when doing a serious straight faced look. I can guarantee a lot of people will be thinking 'Wawa' when they see Bolt's cute look. Rhino has been designed to perfection; I think a lot of people will see him as the star of this film. He's a little bit on the tubby side, but that's what makes him so funny. His big eyes and goofy teeth suit his stupid character down to the ground. Mittens has been drawn very thin and weak which doesn't sound like a good thing but it makes you feel sympathetic towards her and this is clearly what the designers were aiming for. It's a nice mix of characters that work well together.

The voice acting is top notch; John Travolta was a very good choice to provide the voice of Bolt. He expresses all the different feelings and emotions very well, never once does it feel awkward or out of place. Personally for me Susie Essman as Mittens is actually the star voice here. She has a difficult role to fill as Mittens starts the film scared of Bolt and wanting to get away from him as soon as possible. Her character changes a great deal throughout the film and Essman does a good job in keeping inline with this change.

Other mentions must go to the pigeons that appear in the film. They make an early appearance in the film and then a second different set appear towards the end. The pigeons remind of Scrat (The squirrel) from Ice Age. They have little bearing on the plot but provide some of the best moments in the film. They were my personal favorites for the whole film and I would love it if they were to appear in a mini animation film in the near future.

A final mention goes to the Agent of Penny who does a good job in providing the classic annoying character throughout the film. I wrote that as if someone acted his role but I think you get the idea!

The Bad

It's hard to criticize these types of films because they tend to be thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish however I think it's only fair all aspects and view points are covered. These were some things I picked up on whilst watching it; you may or may not notice these or care about them. First would be the predictability. I mentioned it before saying it didn't really matter and personally I wasn't bothered about it however those who are picky will be disappointed by it. One of the reasons why I loved Wall-E was that I wasn't 100% sure how it was going to end, however Bolt is fairly obviously in comparison.

The only loop hole in the story would probably be the plot itself. Bolt, Mittens and Rhino travel from New York to Hollywood (That's from East to West coast for those who don't know their geography) via jumping on the back of trains and lorries. Hitch hiking as a human being across America would be difficult let alone as an animal. Again it doesn't really matter and the majority won't care however it is a bit silly at times.

I might get slated for saying this but Rhino annoyed me at some points in the film. What makes Rhino a funny character is his blind bravery in helping Bolt throughout the film however I felt the film didn't need another character who believed Bolt was real. Mark Walton does a good job in providing his voice however I think it could have been done better by someone else. I know a lot of people will love Rhino to bits but his stupidity almost frustrated me at times. Younger audiences won't see this; I'm probably on my own on this one. Even though he was a tad annoying Rhino does produce some of the best jokes in the film

Overall

Another fantastic animation film. There's not really anything wrong with this film; it delivers on every front for what an animated film should be like. I don't think this will be remembered up there with the classic animated films but that's more because the good isn't great, not because there's anything bad here. I think it's easy to make a good animated film but difficult to make a truly great animated film. Well worth a watch none the less, entertaining for all.

Summary: Entertaining for all ages, there's no reason why you shouldn't watch this film