Bolt

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But Disney Animation Studios has clearly picked up a few to help crawl away from more than a decade of being overshadowed by Pixar. Or maybe they just cheated: after all, this is the first Disney release under the aegis of new animation boss John Lasseter.

Their new impetus comes in the form of a super-indestructible yet deliriously misled pooch named Bolt (voiced by John Tavolta), who is made to believe his beloved co-star, Penny (Miley Cyrus), has been kidnapped by the formidable Dr Calico (Malcolm McDowell).

Frantic confusion leads him to a dead-end storage room where he is accidentally signed, sealed and delivered to New York City. Feeling ambivalent about where he is and how he will find Penny, he gets pointed in the direction of the notorious city-sharecropper Mittens (Susie Essman), a scrawny legs-open alley cat who Bolt assumes is an advocate for Dr Calico’s purely evil, yet completely fictional thirst for power. The two travel across the country, heading for Hollywood, and on the way meet Rhino (Mark Walton), an overweight hamster who adores Bolt from his spherical plastic domain.

What’s that Bolt? What’re you trying to tell us, boy? That Disney’s ability to construct solid formulas and not over-complicate a narrative has been proven again in your film? Well, we might have to disagree with you on that one.

Bolt is a damn enjoyable and undeniably funny film, but it struggles to define itself. Its major plot turn is lazily given up half-way through; a rushed reveal that undermines the humour and wittiness that the film had developed thus far. Although it wouldn’t be fair to claim that Bolt has misidentified its audience – children will still fall head-over-heels for the lucid hilarity of the characters and warm to the comfortable predictability of the story – don’t be surprised if you hear voices saying, ‘Where’s WALL-E?’

Matt Bochenski

Anticipation:

Can Disney regain their former pedigree?

Enjoyment:

It’s certainly no dog.

In Retrospect:

They’re not there yet, but Disney are headed in the right direction. Good boy!