MOVIE REVIEW: Bolt

MadProfessah and The Other Half saw the animated film Bolt at our local theater in Alhambra, CA and paid the extra bucks to see it in "Disney Digital 3-D." Since some of my favorite movies of the last few years have been Pixar's The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille (2007) and Wall-E (2008) we generally try to see well-reviewed animated films, although we still have not seen Madagascar 2 or Kung Fu Panda.

Bolt features the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus and was written and directed by Chris Williams. It is the story of a dog (named Bolt, voiced by Travolta) who is the star of a television show where he plays a "super dog" who repeatedly goes on missions to save the world. The conceit is that the dog does not know that he is just the star of a television show, in a sort of animated canine version of The Truman Show. However, through a mishap Bolt gets sent out into the real world, where he meets a canny cat (named Mittens, voiced by Susie Essman) who teaches him some amusing truths about cats and dogs.

As a pet owner, Bolt is particularly meaningful, and the 3-D aspect is fun for anyone who is into technology. The story is not particularly significant but overall the movie-going experience is an enjoyable, kid-friendly one that is thoroughly entertaining.

OVERALL GRADE: B+.

ACTING: N/A?
IMAGERY: B+.
PLOT: B+
IMPACT: B+.