Moose Review: Bolt

If you read my last post, you know I don't really go for the stories about the relationships between animals and humans, and I generally hold such a story against an animated film, although animation is the perfect medium for a story like that. But there's an exception to every rule. The exception to this rule is called Bolt.

Bolt is the first feature out of Disney Animation Studios since it received an injection of Pixar genes. Apparently John Lasseter was heavily involved in Bolt's production, and if that is true, it certainly shows. This is in many ways a Pixar-quality film. In fact, I like it better than Cars and even Ratatouille. Of course, even if we give Lasseter credit we shouldn't take anything away from the film's actual directors, Chris Williams and Bryon Howard. Lasseter's prime credit is in establishing a setting in which they could thrive, doing away with the old Disney bureaucracy and giving story, not money or ego, prime place in the creative process.

Bolt doesn't sound like a very original story, and at first I was skeptical. There's the whole "faithful-dog-and-loving-owner" thing, of course, but, even worse, the premise of the dog as a TV star who believes in his own fictional super-powers brought Buzz Lightyear immediately to mind. Despite the premise feeling old and a touch derivative, though, the execution is excellent and the story is surprisingly engaging. The dog-owner relationship didn't bug me as much as I expected, probably because the owner is a child, and hence the problem of an adult treating an animal as if it were a human child doesn't come into the picture. The story is well-told and comes to a satisfying conclusion in more ways than one, especially for anyone who has been horrified by the way child stars — many of them created by Disney — always seem to morally and psychologically self-combust under the glitz and glamour of their artificial lifestyles (it is probably ironic that the girl in this film was voiced by Miley Cyrus, a.k.a. Hannah Montana). Bolt has a positive and relevant theme beyond the overused faithful-dog element.

Stories stand or fall based upon their characters, and the characters are Bolt's strong point. Bolt himself could have easily come across as arrogant or otherwise annoying, but he is handled with enough believability, even in his delusion, to make the audience like him. Interestingly, Bolt gets over his delusion pretty easily, which might seem unrealistic and even unfunny (especially to anyone who is familiar with "Mrs. Nesbitt"), but actually works quite well and fits the character. Bolt always seems to embody the best of the stereotypical noble-dog qualities, particularly selfless protection of his master, and his superpowers are just a means to the end. His relatively easy acceptance of reality fate would be boring if his character weren't as well drawn as it is. Thankfully he does have a nice arc which provides the film with another great thematic element as Bolt discovers he can be a hero without actually having any super-heroic abilities.

The secondary characters are likewise well-done. My favorite character is Mittens the cat, who is hilariously cat-like without being limited to simply serving as an illustration of type: she is a well-developed character in herself. Another cat, a co-star of Bolt's with only a few minutes of screen time, was one of the funniest parts of the movie, and a stereotypical Hollywood agent served to lampoon the egotistic and money-centric nature of television. Even the manic sidekick of boundless energy and questionable sanity — which seems to be requisite in animated films these days — is actually funny in Bolt, perhaps because the filmmakers smartly gave him a reason for his behavior, a motivation that makes sense and gives the character more depth than usual. And some of the expressions on that deranged hamster's face had my ribs hurting.

Visually the film is top-notch. The segment of the TV show of which Bolt is the star, which opens the film, is a whole lot of fun — a totally over-the-top action-spectacular with multiple set-pieces, great pacing, and explosions galore. When the film settles down into its actual story it exhibits a warm and almost painterly look, especially in the backgrounds. Lighting has a soft quality which helps overcome the CG-ness and make the film seem more organic. In many ways it reminded me of Homeward Bound, another animal-going-home film, which I loved as a kid, not the least because of its cinematography.

Of course, having a great look in an animated film is nothing if the animation itself is poor, but fortunately Bolt's is great. Disney does know how to animate, even in CG. Their expert animators lend the characters of Bolt depth and emotion, imbuing them with high-quality performances not often seen outside of a Pixar film.

I hope that Bolt is an indication of what lies in store for us from Disney Animation Studios. I want to feel a shiver of anticipation whenever the new Steamboat Willie logo comes up before a new film. Fortunately Disney Animation is now headed by a man who fully understands and appreciates the company's past — and expects its present to match it. If Pixar can put out a typical Pixar-quality film every summer while Disney puts out a Bolt-quality film every fall, I will be one happy animation lover.

Rated 4 and 1/2 honks.