By Josh Moss
josh@louisville.com
OK, parents, a new animated Disney movie (in 3-D!) is in theaters about a dog named Bolt who stars on an action TV show with his real-life owner, Penny. And, get this, Miley Cyrus, who is probably only weeks away from world domination with her mega-successful “Hannah Montana” franchise, does Penny’s voice. Yes, those squeals are coming from your children, wherever they are.
Are the squeals warranted? Well, yeah, if you’re a kid. Thing is, “Bolt,” from newbie directors Byron Howard and Chris Williams (Williams co-wrote the screenplay with Dan Fogelman, who penned last winter’s dud “Fred Claus”), doesn’t quite stack up to other recent animated flicks such as “Wall-E” or “Kung Fu Panda.” The “Bolt” story just isn’t as thoughtful or entertaining. But that doesn’t mean the 3-D adventure isn’t fun.
John Travolta voices Bolt, a little white German shepherd with a black lightning bolt in his fur. Makeup artists have drawn that on for the TV series the dog stars in with Penny. Here’s the catch: Bolt thinks the entire thing is real, doesn’t even notice the cameras or realize a show is being filmed. He believes he can melt things with his eyes, sprint at super-human (canine?) speeds and unleash a “super-bark” that destroys everything in its path. Even off set, Bolt believes he possesses these powers.
When the script on the TV show puts Penny in danger, Bolt, uh, bolts from his trailer thinking everything’s real. He wants to save his owner, but winds up in a package headed to New York. The rest of the movie chronicles the dog’s cross-country trip back to Penny in Hollywood — with the help of a cat named Mittens (voiced by TV vet Susie Essman) and a hamster named Rhino (voiced by Mark Walton, “Chicken Little”).
Overall, the animation is, well, not as good as what Pixar churns out. That’s the standard these days. Though the 3-D element will make younger moviegoers smile, it seems like a gimmick that doesn’t add to the storytelling whatsoever. That said, there is one exciting scene in which TV-show Bolt pulls Penny on a scooter, weaving between speeding traffic on city streets. Cool stuff.
Travolta seems a little somber as the voice of Bolt, even when the script doesn’t require that emotion. Cyrus has fun as Penny and could pursue a career in voice acting if, you know, for some reason the whole “Hannah Montana” thing doesn’t work out. Walton gives the best performance as the voice of Rhino, who seems like he’s slammed one too many Red Bulls. Hands down, the best characters are the various pigeons that pop up throughout the journey. The Hollywood pigeons (who actually have an assistant!) are a riot.
The problem overall is that the relationships, even the one between Bolt and his owner (whom he calls his “person”), don’t seem heartfelt, especially after what we’ve come to expect from Disney. The strongest bond is between Bolt and Mittens, and we’ll admit that it is nice watching the cat teach Bolt about the simple things in life when the dog discovers he can’t charge through brick walls anymore. The scene in which Bolt sticks his head out of a moving car, tongue out and all, is one to remember.
“Bolt” isn’t the best thing Disney has put out recently. But as far as the kids are concerned, aren’t Miley Cyrus and a talking dog with super-powers enough?
2 fleurs di lis out of 4
