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Pre-Movie Review: "Bolt,"
In Theaters November 21, 2008
Bolt, Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Rated PG for some mild action and peril.
Disney appears to strike family-friendly gold again with another CGI-animated film. But if you think that this movie is just another “aww-look-at-the-cute-animals” or “Miley-Cyrus” movie, you would seriously underestimate the deeper meanings involved in these movies. There is enough here for both children and their parents.
Bolt recycles some old concepts in a story which places Buzz Lightyear in The Truman Show. Our protagonist, the cute, adorable Bolt: a dog who believes that he is the super-dog he plays on TV. Believing that he must save his owner Penny (who actually does not need saving), Bolt embarks on a cross-country journey which leads to him meeting up with his companions. Accompanying Bolt is a mouthy female alley cat and an obese, celebrity-worshipping hamster stuck in a clear exercise-ball.
If I had seen this movie as a young child, I would have had to undergo severe amounts of therapy. Back in the day, kids’ movies were the fairy tales or the parables of self-reliance. Not this movie. The main storyline of this movie deals with the disconnect between the real world and the artificial world of TV and movies. Think about it. The premise of this movie is to shatter the idea that the TV and movie world is real. If your child is too young to understand that high school students do not break into choreographed song and dance numbers in the cafeteria during lunch or during big basketball games, the movie may be too much to handle. There are also some heavy-handed “Hollywood-insider” jokes which may fly over the children’s heads.
However, this movie will receive a high recommendation from me. (Note: I do not like to give number/star grades for movie reviews. They are too imprecise). The story will be done to the usual Disney standards for animation. This movie almost reaches the quality of a Pixar film (it’s very close). The voice talent is tremendous. The visuals are amazing, and anyone who is able to see it in 3D should take the opportunity (glasses come with the tickets). Overall, it will be one of the best family films of the year.
I hope this review is helpful in making your decision to go to the movies. Happy watching! - Daisy C.
Copyright © Daisy C. is a avid movie fan who has been watching movies for 21 years. This reviewer's primary goal will be to educate parents regarding upcoming movie releases which their children may want to see. The information contained on these pages is provided as a courtesy to My ParenTime's visitors. My ParenTime makes no representations or guarantees concerning the effectiveness of such information. Reprinted with permission.
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