Bolt

***Bolt*** is a 2008 computer-animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and stars John Travolta as the main protagonist. It is the 48th film in the Disney Animated Canon and the first film under the creative guidance of John Lasseter.

## Plot

The days of canine superstar Bolt (John Travolta) are filled with danger and intrigue … until the cameras stop rolling. But Bolt doesn't know that he's on a TV show; he thinks his amazing powers are real. When Bolt is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to the mean streets of New York, he begins his most-amazing adventure: Armed only with his delusions and accompanied by a cat and a hamster, he sets out to to find his owner, Penny (Miley Cyrus).

## Why It's Fully Awesome

1. It has stunning animation for its time; the texture on the animals' fur looks quite realistic.
2. Pretty cool vocal performances from John Travolta as Bolt, A young Miley Cyrus as Penny, and Susie Essman as Mittens.
3. Pretty likable characters such as Bolt, Penny, Mittens, and Rhino.
4. Bolt & Mittens grow a pretty cute, interesting & enjoyable if somewhat familiar connection with a vibe of the cat-and-dog duo.
5. The storytelling & writing are consistent and engaging.
6. Both sides of the story relating to Bolt's adventure & his owner Penny, with how she has to coincide with the movie while showing how much she misses Bolt are both pretty engaging to watch.
7. This movie has good use of the tone of adventure, thriller homages (e.g the movie Bolt was an actor in as a evident example), comedy, drama & charm.
8. Lots of memorable moments, like how Rhino comically helps Bolt & Mittens escape the vet and what shenanigans took place with the people at the video production studio providing comedic value.
9. "I Thought I Lost You" by Miley Cyrus and John Travolta is a really heart-warming and catchy song.
10. This film managed to bring the Walt Disney Animation studio back to its glory days, and has led to a new era in the 2010s for the animation studio.
11. It's also the first computer-animated film to utilize non-photorealistic rendering.
12. Bolt and Mittens had very upsetting story as how Bolt never truly got to experience the real world and how Mittens had a very tragic backstory.
13. Epic and intense action scenes.
14. John Powell provides a pretty well done score.

## Bad Qualities

1. Bolt is constantly told he isn't a superhero and he learns the hard way after a long while. Does this sound familiar? (*Toy Story*)
2. Agent is a weak villain in this film as well as an unpopular Disney villain overall.

## Reception

The film got mostly good reviews and praise from critics and moviegoers alike. It also got an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a critical consensus reads: "Bolt is a pleasant animated comedy that overcomes the story's familiarity with strong visuals and likable characters.", and a 67/100 rating from Metacritic.

## Trivia

* The film is renowned for playing an important role in instigating what is widely referred to as the "Disney Revival", as well as setting the studio in a new creative direction that would lead to other critically acclaimed features such as Tangled (2010) and Frozen (2013).
* This was also one of the final film roles of James Lipton before his death on March 2, 2020, along with Igor, which was released the same year.