Bolt (2008)
The moment anyone talks about animated films, one studio obviously comes to mind: Pixar. They’re hands down the best animated film studio out there. They’ve created gems that will be remembered decades from now, from Monstors Inc. (2001), to Finding Nemo (2003), to Ratatouille (2007). These charming movies have captured the hearts of young and old alike.
However, another big animation studio out there is Walt Disney Animation Studios. Yet, while they’ve developed more than 40 films over a span of seven decades, they’ve never really been able to make CGI animation films as good as those by Pixar. Granted, they’ve only released 2 CGI films in the past, but even Pixar’s first ever CGI feature film (Toy story in 1995) was a major hit. However, they’ve just recently released their third and latest CGI animation film: Bolt.
Growing up in a TV studio, Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is a dog who has been playing the role of a “super-dog” his entire life in TV shows. The thing is, he really does believe he has super powers and that everything around him is reality, when in fact it has always been the TV crew adding all the effects to make it seem like he really does have super powers. However, when he escapes from the TV studio and goes on a journey to save his master whom he believes to have been kidnapped by some evil villian, hilarity ensues.
And when I say “hilarity”, I really do mean it’s hilarious through and through. Pixar films have always been known more for their charm rather than being funny, though they do sprinkle some humour into their films at times. However, Bolt manages to be charming yet hilarious at the same time. Even cliche jokes just seem funnier in this film for some reason. It might be because of the art style and beautiful CGI animations, or it may be the quirky and well designed characters, but jokes that usually only entertain children are bound to send people of all ages into convulsions of laughter.
Jokes aside, the rest of this film is equally entertaining. The CGI animations are flawless and only add to the film’s charm, the characters are really endearing and there’s plenty of emotion present as well. Though I have to say, I did find Miley Cyrus’ voicing of Penny (Bolt’s owner) slightly under par compared to the rest of the characters. This wasn’t really obvious at first, but after you get so used to the other characters and suddenly see Penny again, there is a slight dip performance. However, this slight flaw can be easily overlooked when one considers the rest of the film.
Keeping in mind this is a children’s film, emotion is a really key aspect as well, and this film completely nails it. It has plenty of emotional scenes, even some that might seem “optional” which are still present, and they really serve to add to the emotional value of the film as a whole. They also really make the audience care for the characters and feel for them, and even manages to make the somewhat mediocre storyline (which is to be expected in a children’s film) seem like an epic story. In fact, during the screening of the movie which I was watching, there was a small boy who was wailing out loud multiple times throughout the film during the emotional scenes. The film has really managed to convey every single bit of emotion the characters are feeling. For example, when Bolt first learns how thrilling it is to stick his head out of a window and his tongue out of his mouth at the same time, the look of glee of his face is reflected in every member of the audience.
The storyline is where older viewers might feel to be slightly lacking. If one were to ponder over the plot after watching the movie, it would suddenly seem completely impossible and cliche and one that would only entertain children, because it is. However, during the movie itself, everyone will completely gobble up every part of the storyline because everything has been portrayed in such a charming and emotional way that it just seems believable. You’ll feel for each and every character and even be able to relate to them at times with their likable nature.
Speaking of the characters, the voice actors have also done a phenomenal job with their respective characters. John Travolta perfectly voices Bolt’s energetic personality, Susie Essman plays the sly alley cat and Mark Walton almost steels the show with his over-the-top and whacky character, Rhino the hamster. There are even a few quirky pigeons that are included to sprinkle even more humour into the film, not that it really needs much more of it.
Does this film beat everything Pixar has done so far? No, not by a long shot. Does it seem like it’s a likely contender for Golden Globe and Academy Awards? Definitely. Personally, I found this film to be even more entertaining that Pixar’s latest release, Walle (2008), though some might tend to disagree. While Wall-e definitely had plenty of emotional value, this film is so much more uplifting at times and heart wrenching at others. Regardless, this CGI film should be seeked out by every single person, not just children. While it’s meant to be a children’s film at heart, everyone, young and old alike, will fall in love with the film. Disney Animation Studio has really given Pixar a run for their money with the release of this film, Pixar will really have to step it up next year to assert its position as the best animation studio there is.