It
seems that Bolt is the star of a action TV series where everyone around
him knows it's fake but he is kept in the dark because, as the director
puts it, "if the dog believes it, the audience will believe it".
Unfortunately,
the audience isn't believing it like they used to and ratings are
slipping, so they introduce a new element : cliffhanger endings.
For
a dog trained to think he has amazing abilities, the idea of waiting a
whole day to save Penny doesn't really work for him, and before anyone
can stop him he is out in the real world on the other side of the
country on a rescue mission.
What follows is a CGI version of Milo and Otis
with a lot more action (and wisecracks) as Bolt teams up with
streetwise stray cat Mittens (Susie Essman) on a cross country journey
back to Penny.
Pretty much everything here works : the
opening action sequences are as "over the top" exciting as you could hope
for, the jokes when Bolt hits the real world and gradually learns his
powers just don't work are rock solid.
The sentiment during the
final act (as Bolt learns that his super-powers are fake, the obvious
question is : was his relationship with Penny fake too?) is, well,
pretty heavy handed, but at least the film earns it.
It is a busy time of year for kids movies, but this one is running well ahead of the pack. Bluray Extras with Sean Lynch
As anyone who has been sucked into the Bluray / HD TV revolution can
tell you - the medium is never better at use than when watching a
Disney CGI animated film. Which means that something as bright and
intricate as Bolt is absolutley visually sublime.
The visuals and sound are so crisp here, it's downright astonishing.
As
always, Disney know how to load up the Special Features section of a
disc, and this is no different - with a whole swag of featurrettes
including "A New Breed Of Directors: The Filmmakers' Journey", "Act,
Speak! The Voices Of BOLT", "Creating The World Of BOLT".
And, of course, the most appealing aspect of the Bluray... those nifty pop-up menus! Damn they are cool!
Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: 70%
|
