My kiddos liked this a lot, better than some other middling Disney movies from this era, like Home on the Range. They enjoyed the like-able main characters, including the cat; the exciting cross-country adventure; and the bond between the girl and her dog that held the movie together. So the basics were well done, as was the animation. Still, I thought it's most interesting as an allegory - Bolt is deliberately fooled by humans, and overestimates its own self importance (and, by extension, the importance of her owner Penny); similarly, the agents and producers overestimate their own performance. But once the illusion has been shattered, Bolt is able to still find meaning in his companionship with Penny. As new rabbit owners, we realize that this is more a dog thing. Rabbits, for example, are realistic like cats, but less cynical: they expect food from us, and love to play with us as long as we keep bringing it!
Review of Bolt
