mom2aredhead
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2006
- Messages
- 2,660
We were able to go to a preview of Bolt last night. After being pretty disappointed with the last few Disney movies I saw (Wall-E, Ratatouille), I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this one. We saw the regular 2-D version at our theater.
I was able to easily get past the fact that Miley Cyrus was cast as one of the voices, which to me was nothing but a desperate attempt to get her legion of fans to see it. The story was cute, the characters very likeable, and unlike the message-laden Wall-E (which was as subliminal as a sledge hammer to the skull), I felt like I was being entertained, not sitting through a life lesson and being scolded for the evils of the world.
Without giving away too much, I'll say that the story was kind of "The Truman Show" meets "Milo and Otis". Bolt is a dog on a TV show, but he also lives on the set and truly believes he has superpowers. He is fiercely protected from outside influence by the producers. Penny, his co-star and owner truly loves him and is devastated when he accidentally gets lost, then Bolt and his new found friends make their way across the country to try to get back to Hollywood. The hamster kind of steals the show, btw.
My 5 year old loved it, although the whole "TV show vs reality" thing was a teeny bit confusing for him. There is also a scene at the end which could be a tad disturbing for sensitive kids, which I'll reveal here with the proper
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
Highlight to read...
At the end of the movie, Penny is filming a scene with a replacement dog and the set catches on fire. Penny is trapped in the studio surrounded by flames. Bolt comes to rescue her, but the 2 of them become trapped and Penny is unconscious from the smoke and Bolt is covered with soot and very listless. Of course they end up being rescued by the fire department (it is Disney after all) but I could tell that my little guy was a little nervous watching the hero dog and his loyal owner trapped in a burning building.
Other than that, I can't recall anything "inappropriate" or edgy for young kids. I could kind of tell where the 3D effects would have been had I been in that theater wearing the glasses, but it wasn't distracting at all. I recommend it - it's been a while since I laughed out loud at a kid movie, and this one got me to do it.
I was able to easily get past the fact that Miley Cyrus was cast as one of the voices, which to me was nothing but a desperate attempt to get her legion of fans to see it. The story was cute, the characters very likeable, and unlike the message-laden Wall-E (which was as subliminal as a sledge hammer to the skull), I felt like I was being entertained, not sitting through a life lesson and being scolded for the evils of the world.
Without giving away too much, I'll say that the story was kind of "The Truman Show" meets "Milo and Otis". Bolt is a dog on a TV show, but he also lives on the set and truly believes he has superpowers. He is fiercely protected from outside influence by the producers. Penny, his co-star and owner truly loves him and is devastated when he accidentally gets lost, then Bolt and his new found friends make their way across the country to try to get back to Hollywood. The hamster kind of steals the show, btw.
My 5 year old loved it, although the whole "TV show vs reality" thing was a teeny bit confusing for him. There is also a scene at the end which could be a tad disturbing for sensitive kids, which I'll reveal here with the proper
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
Highlight to read...
At the end of the movie, Penny is filming a scene with a replacement dog and the set catches on fire. Penny is trapped in the studio surrounded by flames. Bolt comes to rescue her, but the 2 of them become trapped and Penny is unconscious from the smoke and Bolt is covered with soot and very listless. Of course they end up being rescued by the fire department (it is Disney after all) but I could tell that my little guy was a little nervous watching the hero dog and his loyal owner trapped in a burning building.
Other than that, I can't recall anything "inappropriate" or edgy for young kids. I could kind of tell where the 3D effects would have been had I been in that theater wearing the glasses, but it wasn't distracting at all. I recommend it - it's been a while since I laughed out loud at a kid movie, and this one got me to do it.
Besides, it was my sons first movie in the theatre...so I HAVE to buy it on those grounds alone 
