Surprisingly Good, A Return to Form for Disney

Rating: Null/10 (17 May 2010)

I had my doubts. In the recent years, Disney feature animation has had hits and misses. "Bolt" sounded like a very interesting concept four year before its 2008 release, when it was to be directed by Chris Sanders ("Lilo & Stitch") and to be titled "American Dog". The idea had potential, but it was eventually scrapped. When I saw the trailer for "Bolt", I felt both satisfied and disappointed. I take it back...
If anything, "Bolt" shows that Disney is going in the right direction in terms of storytelling. It's too bad that Disney threw it out against big blockbusters and it couldn't make a massive amount of money at the box office. It's a shame, because this probably Disney's most Pixar- ish film. You could almost say it was as good as Pixar. "Bolt" sported a great story, fine performances and some great action scenes, along with some emotional content in the story.
TV superstar Bolt believes he is actually a superhero, until he sees the world for the first time outside of his trailer and the studio. His adventures pair him with a sarcastic cat named Mittens and the obnoxious hamster named Rhino, who is a huge fan of Bolt. Bolt goes on a cross-country trip to find his owner Penny, and on the way, he realizes he's not really a superhero, as it was all a television show.
The entire set-up for that was perfectly done. That's what made "Bolt" different from the other Disney films, it was unique and it was unpredictable at times. It had a different storyline. What also worked was the action sequences. The film was very fast-paced, it started up with a short intro and a thrilling action scene and throughout the film, it was an action-packed adventure. Aside from that, there was a good narrative and great characters. The comedic bits were very funny for a modern Disney film.
"Bolt" felt very Pixar-ish. "Meet the Robinsons" also felt like a Pixar effort, as Disney seems to be going their direction in storytelling. If Disney keeps this up and their attempts to revive traditional animation, they can be a top dog in the animation industry. It has some small flaws that keep from being a perfect 10, but it's definitely a Disney film worth watching. To this day, I wish I had seen it in theaters.
A 9.6 out of 10.