Cinefantastique Online

Eclipsed by the dynamic duo of WALL-E and KUNG FU PANDA, BOLT is the other great computer-animated film of 2008 - an overlooked  effort that is quite worthy in its own right – an exciting and action-packed film filled with drama, pathos, and laughs that will satisfy the whole family. In the manner of CG family-oriented families, it races through all the familiar elements (cute characters for the kids, amusing action for the teens, and tongue-in cheek humor for the adults), but it manuvers the terrain with just the right expertise to make the journey worthwhile. In short, there is more than enough entertainment value to have pushed this to the top of the year’s blockbusters, yet the film got off to a slow start at the box office, thanks to the sleeper success of TWLIGHT, which opened the same weekend.  Fortunately, you cannot keep a good dog down, and BOLT bounced back the next weekend, actually earning more durings its sophomore session than during its debut, indicating that strong word-of-mouth had rescued it from what could have been a fast exit from the big screen en route to video oblivion. The film would up with a domestic take of $112.6-million and a worldwide total of $192.2-million – less than half of WALL-E’s $531-million total but still better than many other films that opened stronger.

Perhaps BOLT’s slow start was caused by the advertising campaign, which suggested a painful slapstick comedy. The premise is that Bolt is the star of a TV show in which he plays a super-powered dog, but the clueless canine believes his exploits are real. Trailers suggested that most of the film would consist of sight gags in which Bolt injured himself while trying to recreate his TV stunts in real life. Animal lovers can be notoriously sensitive to images of animal abuse, even fictional ones; perhaps this turned away customers who might otherwise have flocked to the movie on opening weekend.

Those who did show up were pleasantly surprised by the film – which exploits the premise for a relatively few gags at Bolt’s expense, instead focusing on the character’s journey as he seeks to reunite with his owner. Along the way, he learns to enjoy the life of being just an ordinary dog, without the pressures of saving the world on a weekly basis.

Things get off to a great start with an extended opening sequence that features enough weaponry to power the next ten DIE HARDs, Bond films, and any other action opus you can think of; in fact, this is probably the best staged action extravaganza of the year – wildly over the top and yet never confusing or jumbled (the way too many live-action films are these days). As viewers guess from having seen the trailer, this spectacular set-piece turns out to be an episode of Bolt’s TV show – which is really the biggest flaw of the sequence. What we see is so much fun that it is easy to wish the rest of the film continued in this direction, with Bolt as the super-powered pooch battling evil. (At the very least, Disney should create some short subjects along this line – or even a real half-hour TV series.)

The rest of the film is about how the deluded doggie gets lost, realizes he is not really a superhero, and finds his way back to his owner. Though something of a let-down from the exciting opening, this plot line ultimately justifies itself with solid characterization and humor. It really is a blast to see Bolt staring intensely at a lock, expecting it to melt from heat vision; it is even more of a blast to see him learning to enjoy such typical canine behavior as riding in a car with his head hanging out the window and his tongue wagging in the breeze.

The animation is pristine and beautiful, especially in Disney Digital 3-D, which enhances the “reality” of the image without overusing the tired old gimmicks (like ping-pong balls popping out of the screen). The sense of depth is convincing and avoids the eye-strain of older 3-D process.

The voice cast is strong, and the script does a good job at navigating the characters around the typical course. You just know the cat and the dog are going to hate each other at first and then become friends, but by the end, you buy it.

The script cleverly brings the narrative around full circle, ending with another sequence of Bolt rescuing Penny – but this time in real life, without the benefit of special effects. Here, the film’s gambit of making Bolt a “real” dog instead of a superhero pays off. The climax eschews the adrenaline-fueled excitement of the opening in favor of some genuine suspense as Bolt shows some real heroism that is all the more impressive because it is achieved without superpowers. In this regard, BOLT outshines SUPERMAN RETURNS (which botched the sequence in which the Kryptonian is reduced to merely human strength). It is easy to act like a hero when you are invulnerable; you deserve to be called a hero when you put yourself at risk.

It is pretty damn impressive that a cartoon about talking animals could pull this off ane make it as moving as any live-action film. BOLT may not surpass WALL-E (which also put its vulnerable title character in major jeopardy), but it does give the cute little robot a run for its money.

BOLT(2008). Directed by Byron Howard, Chris Williams. Written by Dan Fogelman, Chris Williams. Voices: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton, Greg Gemann, Diedrich Bader.