Bolt to see it

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2009)

Much like what 'Madagascar' did to penguins, so did 'Bolt' do to pigeons. I already knew I loved the pigeons from the previews, and they didn't disappoint. But unlike the 'Madagascar' penguins, the pigeons weren't the only highlight in 'Bolt.' They were just one of many wonderful things about this great movie (loved the Mittens' mobster scene.) Excellent action sequences (from minute one,) hilarious humor for both kids and adults, a touching story, stunning graphics (finally, a animated and accurate Las Vegas scene) and a die-hard hamster-fan named "Rhino" all make 'Bolt' one of the year's best films. Sure, it mirrors Buzz's 'Toy Story' subplot and Jim Carrey's 'Truman Show'  but thankfully they move past that fast. And when they do, when they have the cat, Mittens, teach naïve TV-action hero, Bolt, how to be a regular dog, the movie turns into a tender and hilarious story. In a year that produced some excellent efforts in animated cinema ('Wall-E,' 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Horton Hears a Who') I'm actually shocked Disney furthered the efforts with a wonderful story so full of action, comedy and heart. The only drawback was the predictability for anyone that's seen this same kind of storyline before, and the over-the-top dangerous finale they put the little girl (Penny  Miley Cyrus) in. Actually, that last complaint actually disturbed me a bit. Yes, we needed Bolt to come back to "save the day" in a real and action packed way, but the irresponsibility the TV crew put her in, actually might be a little too much for (some of) the target audience this was meant to be seen. Other than that and as long as it's explained to little ones as fiction/pretend, it absolutely is a must see for adults and little ones.