Jul 10, 2009 12:33 PM
1840 Views
At the end of the movie I wanted to pat the directors Byron Howard and Chris Williams and say “Good Boy”, “Good Job”. (And I’m sure they will wag their tails in joy!) It’s a movie made by pet lovers (yeah not just dogs – cats and hamsters included). The movie opens and you stare into the doleful eyes of a little German Shepherd and your heart goes awwwwwwwww and you know you’ll love this movie – no matter what!
Sure, the story is pretty predictable and you know that in the end all will be well with Bolt’s life. Ah…but let’s get to the end later. So like I was saying, in the very first scene your heart is sold out to this cute little pup – and he wins over the heart of Penny who goes on to become ‘his person’.
We get back to Bolt’s life five years later and dive straight into action as he and Penny together ward off yet another evil attempt by the ‘green eyed man’. The stunts are pretty awesome here and you will find yourself adjusting your 3D glasses so as not to miss even a heart stopping moment of it. They jump and dive from great heights, evade an entire motorcade, out run helicopters and speed along a busy Californian motorway. All in a day’s work for super dog Bolt and his person Penny. You get to see Bolt using his really woooooow super dog tricks – his ‘heat vision’ which can simply turn solid metal to ashes, his ‘super bark’ that’s more devastating than the nuclear explosion scene you see in Broken Arrow! But my favourite trick of all is Bolt stopping a 10 ton truck with his head. Hooo boy! I wanted to stand up and applaud there. For those ten nail biting minutes you believe that Bolt is a super dog! And then you’re brought to reality with a jolt. He’s a star in a TV show with Penny. But the sad fact is that the hosts of the show want him to believe that he really is a super dog so that his acting looks realistic. So he’s always kept in the studio environment and the poor dog believes that he is the ultimate!
One day things change. He believes that Penny has been kidnapped. And he finds himself on the mean streets of New York. He has a hilarious exchange with some pigeons and they lead him to this street smart alley cat who’s been bullying them forever now. (This scene where the cat collects haftafrom the pigeons is so cute!). Bolt believes that this cat belongs to the evil green eyed man and he ties her on the leash with himself. Then begins his journey to trace out Penny which eventually becomes his journey of self discovery. Along the way they meet a hamster who is a TV addict and lives in his own happy bubble! The cat helps transform Bolt into a ‘normal’ dog. He learns all the tricks that a regular dog should know. He is taught normal dog behaviour – including putting his head out the window of a racing caravan and sticking his tongue out! He even learns to interact with other dogs.
Eventually the three of them reach Hollywood (and the studio). And let’s just say all’s well that ends well.
As a story there really is not much. Ten minutes into the film you know what the climax will be. But the characters are so endearing, they keep you hooked. My favourite scene of the movie is when the cat (voice of Miley Cyrus – amazing!) teaches Bolt to keep a typical, adorable puppy dog face and beg for food. Trust me everyone in the audience goes “awwwwwwwww”when he does that! It’s incredibly cute and funny. John Travlota, by the way, lends his voice to Bolt and is fantastic – as always. The plump hamster in his little plastic ball and his eternally excited state is simply adorable. His melodramatic dialogues lend levity to the most poignant moments.
Don’t go watch it as an adult. Take along the child in you and feel amazed. The music is peppy and nice. Script is awesome and needless to say the special effects are breathtaking. Walt Disney proves once again that they are the best in animation films. So all you overgrown kids out there – don’t miss this one!
