Bolt 2008
I saw this movie in 3D. Following in the computer-animated footsteps of Pixar, this is a movie with some big name voices (John Travolta in the title role). Some of the elements are familiar: Bolt doesn’t know he’s not a superhero, just like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. There a few laughs from that, but this story is more like Lassie Come Home as a girl is separated from her dog. Meanwhile the dog does a lot of growing up while on the road back and has to rely on some newfound friends for help. It’s a very positive story and generally stays away from being too sentimental. I love dogs, so a movie about dogs is going to appeal to me anyway. There are some good moments as one of his friends tells him to try sticking his head out the window of a moving vehicle to see if he likes it (knowing he will, because he’s a dog). There’s still a lot of plot to get through and the movie isn’t up to Toy Story but it is better than most animated features and well worth seeing. A-.
The 3D effect was decent and adds marginally to the movie, though as always it is more of a gimmick than anything.
Written: 25 Dec 2008
Owned on: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital