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Category:    Home > Reviews > Animated > Computer Animation > Comedy > Bolt (Disney Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)

Bolt (Disney Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)

 

Picture: A-     Sound: A-     Extras: B-     Film: B-

 

 

This reviewer has been a long time fan of animated films; especially Disney and Pixar. Disney’s most recent CGI film, Bolt, however, did not demonstrate the same amount of heart and creativity that I have become so accustomed to from the landmark company.  With 2008 being an epic animation year with film’s like Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E and Dreamworks’ Kung-Fu Panda, I was expecting Bolt to hold the same level of excellence.  The film demonstrates beautiful art design, smooth voice acting from the likes of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, and a good story concept.  In the end, somehow the film did not demonstrate much follow through and fell short of what was seemingly a promising hit.

 

The story of Bolt is an interesting one that features a television dog named Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) who does not realize his Hollywood world and superpowers are not real and believes his owner is truly in danger.  The film follows the same basic story structure that many films have before it; the dog (confused about his reality) thinks his master (Penny, voiced by Miley Cyrus) is actually in trouble and escapes his confinement (movie trailer) to save her, but getting lost on cross country adventure in the process.  Along the way Bolt meets several friends, some more willing to help than others.  It is the film’s simplistic premise of dog on a cross country mission to save master that is the film’s downfall as it has been done time and time again and quickly becomes a bore.

 

The “newer elements” of the film even seem recycled as they are greatly reminiscent of past films like The Truman Show or Toy Story, never quite standing out as a creative, individualist adventure tale.  Besides the dog not realizing he does not actually possess any powers (Buzz Lightyear?) and the dog setting out to find his master (Toy Story again?); most of the film has an aura like it has all been done before.  The story starts with Bolt setting out to save Penny, then meeting his apprehensive companion Mittens the Cat (Susie Essman of Curb Your Enthusiasm) and the enthusiastic fan Rhino the Gerbil (Mark Walton), a USA adventure, followed by a realization he may not have powers, then finally the heartbreaking/adventurous reunion of dog and master.  The plot suffers from predictability and weak comedy.  Rhino steals the show most of the time, whereas Bolt and Mittens are just drab throughout and only have seldom shining moments.  The film is light, but still will manage to escape as mildly enjoyable and cute for younger audiences; it simply just does not have the heart of classic Disney animation or the creative magic Pixar brings to the table.

 

The technical features on this 3-Disc set are amazing as the picture and sound BOLT across your screen and speakers.  The picture is presented in a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 image in a 1.78 X 1 Widescreen that is splendid through.  The colors are amazingly bright, warm, and glowing as they are nearly portrayed here on Blu-ray.  The image is bold throughout with solid, inky blacks that make the picture pop and colors that saturate every moment of the film.  The detailed picture is admirable and you would be hard pressed to find many better Blu-ray presentations out today.  The sound is equally extraordinary in its DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround format that blasts the speakers nearly to their fullest, using the full spectrum 360-degrees.  The soundscape is fully immersed as the films dialogue, ambient noises, and musical scores pristinely pan across the speakers.  The soundtrack is simply terrific from beginning to end with a rich full track throughout.

 

 

The extras did not excite this reviewer, especially after not being too thrilled by the film itself.  The extras include the following:

 

Blu-ray Disc

Super Rhino Short

Rhino in this new cute short goes on his own adventure.  The short in many ways turns out to be more entertaining than the film itself.

In Session with John Travolta and Miley Cyrus

This supposed behind-the-scenes look falls short of being anything useful as it is just a bunch of movie clips and small segments with the actors strung together that don’t add anything to the film viewing experience or extra features.

Music Video of “I thought I Lost You” performed by Miley Cyrus and John Travolta

A lackluster and dreadful performance by a seemingly talented duo that runs under 4minutes (thankfully!).

A New Breed of Directors: The Filmmaker’s Journey

A short (5minute) interview with directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard as they briefly discuss their feelings on the film and the process of making it come to life.  Pixar head John Lasseter even jumps in to praise to duo.

Deleted Scenes

Two scenes that were deleted from the film are presented here in story book form.  The scenes neither adding nor detracting from the film, but I can see why they were cut for time.

Act, Speak! The Voices of Bolt

The actors jump into their recording booths and offer some input on who their characters are and how they decided to portray them.

Creating the World of Bolt

The BEST feature on the set has Williams and Howard discussing their choice to use a combination of CGI and painted backdrop in creating the world of Bolt; giving it an edge that no CGI film has had before.  This feature lends to explain why the film is so visually impressive even if the storyline is lacking.

Bolt’s Be-Awesome Mission Game

          A mini game for kids to enjoy that did little to impress this reviewer.

Bolt Art Gallery

DVD

Digital Copy

 

 

In the end, I would recommend Bolt for a younger audience who have yet to experience the plethora of films that are similar to this one and will in no way be able to sight the inherent flaws.  Long time Disney/Pixar fans (this is not a Pixar film) may be disappointed somewhat by the drab storyline, but the characters are somewhat fun and the visuals are truly stunning.  If you wish to showcase what your HD television and Blu-ray player can do Bolt is a great choice.

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II


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