Also available as Bolt 3D in selected cinemas.
For super-dog Bolt (voiced by John Travolta), every day is filled with adventure, danger and intrigue – at least until the cameras stop rolling. When the canine star of a hit TV show is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to New York City, he begins his biggest adventure yet – a cross-country journey through the real world. Armed only with the delusions that all his amazing feats and powers are real, and with the help of two unlikely traveling companions – a jaded, abandoned housecat named Mittens (voiced by Susie Essman), and TV-obsessed hamster in a plastic ball named Rhino – Bolt discovers he doesn't need superpowers to be a hero. Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) brings her vocal talents to the role of Penny, Bolt's human co-star on the television series.
I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
This is a solo Disney project, without the involvement of Pixar (the genius company responsible for Ratatouille and WALL-E). Be at ease, however, for the Mouse House has done a top job and, whilst not reaching the giddy heights of the films just mentioned, their Bolt is funny, enjoyable, and terrifically entertaining.
It’s a modern spin on The Incredible Journey (in which three animals trek across America), combining mash-up elements of the superhero and espionage genres that served Pixar's The Incredibles so well. Bolt (voiced by John Travolta), is the canine star of a hit TV show, filmed in Hollywood, but things go awry when he accidentally gets himself shipped across the country to New York City. To complicate matters, he thinks his TV-show powers are real, a la Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story.
There’s a great sense of Americana, of a nostalgic, romantic view of the United States that hasn’t been seen on screen for a while. This comes across strongest in a sweet little road trip montage, set to a country song by Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis. And throughout the film, the animation style puts the CG characters against a hand-painted backdrop, further adding to the traditional appeal.
But the real kicker is the 3D presentation [available at certain cinemas in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch]. I can’t speak highly enough about how eye-poppingly amazing this looks. The opening action sequence, in particular, was made just so much more thrilling by the optical illusion of depth.
Bolt suffers a little from a script that verges on formulaic; one that borrows rather than invents. But the combination of winning characters, heart-warming sentiment and well-choreographed action gets a big lick of approval.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
Bolt is the star of a TV show, and all his powers are just CGI, but he doesn't know it yet. He gets separated from the girl who plays his owner but in the end they are re-united and she adopts him as her own pet.
There's a terrific tenderness in Travolta's performance, while Cyrus and company are similarly effective.
At the end of the day, Bolt is a sweet Disney family film.
What keeps Bolt fresh is an unaffected exuberance, a genuine sense of fun, that is expressed above all through obsessive attention to craft.
It's doubtful that audiences go to animated features to hear movie stars talk. They go because a film sounds like fun and something their kids and maybe they themselves might enjoy. Bolt is all that and more.
Bears some telltale signs of Pixar's trademark smarts, but still looks like a mutt compared to the younger company's customary purebreds.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 1st Jan 2009.
Release date: January 1st 2009.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
