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
