Lets face it, the early 00s were not kind on Disney. The Renaissance was over, their loyal target audience was in college and thus not interested, Pixar was doing the whole CGI thing way better than them and all in all they seemed to have lost their touch. Until this film. Oh sure, it's still very much like something Pixar would have done and a bit missing on that Disney magic, but it's still a very good film that allowed them to get back on their feet.
And when I say it's something Pixar would have done, I mean that in a good way. Kind of. The plot features a dog, raised to believe he has genuine superpowers, suddenly being separated from his loyal owner Penny and now having to make his way back across USA to reunite with her. All the while having to learn that the world does not in fact play by his rules. Sounds like a Pixar movie, doesn't it. But then again, Pixar is a great film studio so that's not exactly an insult.
And the story and the characters are very good in their own right. Bolt, the eponymous main character, is very gruff and no-nonsense, but also delightfully naïve about the realities of the world, while Mittens, his new cat sidekick/helper/kidnap victim is pretty much the exact opposite. And then there is Rhino, a hamster trapped in a plastic ball and also one of Bolt's biggest fans. Rhino is awesome.
And yeah, it's kind of silly that I keep complaining about the fact that it's so much a Pixar film. It does make it seem a bit artificial in a way, because you know that they're copying much of their good material. But it's a good film, when all is said and done. Do see it, if you have the chance, is what I'm saying.
And when I say it's something Pixar would have done, I mean that in a good way. Kind of. The plot features a dog, raised to believe he has genuine superpowers, suddenly being separated from his loyal owner Penny and now having to make his way back across USA to reunite with her. All the while having to learn that the world does not in fact play by his rules. Sounds like a Pixar movie, doesn't it. But then again, Pixar is a great film studio so that's not exactly an insult.
And the story and the characters are very good in their own right. Bolt, the eponymous main character, is very gruff and no-nonsense, but also delightfully naïve about the realities of the world, while Mittens, his new cat sidekick/helper/kidnap victim is pretty much the exact opposite. And then there is Rhino, a hamster trapped in a plastic ball and also one of Bolt's biggest fans. Rhino is awesome.
And yeah, it's kind of silly that I keep complaining about the fact that it's so much a Pixar film. It does make it seem a bit artificial in a way, because you know that they're copying much of their good material. But it's a good film, when all is said and done. Do see it, if you have the chance, is what I'm saying.