Bolt (2008)

Let's turn to our last remaining 3-D animated film in the Disney Canon, Bolt.

The Movie:

Bolt is the 48th movie in the Disney Animated Canon.  Though it was not a huge box-office success, Bolt received mostly positive reviews and marked the beginning of an upswing in quality of Disney movies, leading into the current revival period.  It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Film, but lost to WALL-E.

Bolt tells the story of the title dog, who is owned by a 12-year-old girl named Penny.  Penny and Bolt are actually stars of the TV show "Bolt," an action show in which the dog is shown to have superpowers.  In reality, these are all done through special effects, but Bolt believes them, and the events of the show, to be real.  Following an episode that ends on a cliffhanger where Penny is "captured," Bolt breaks loose from his trailer to find her.  However, he is accidentally shipped across the country to New York City.  There, Bolt is confused as why his powers don't work.  He sets out to trek back across the county to find Penny, with the help of an alley cat named Mittens and a hamster named Rhino.

Bolt is a solid movie.  It's definitely better than most other Disney films from the early 2000s, telling a story that is actually entertaining, has heart, and is somewhat creative.  The animation looks nice, and the voice acting is well done.  I remember being skeptical when I first heard that the leads were voiced by John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, but they both do turn in great performances, even though technically they never actually talk to one another, as Bolt's "talking" is only heard by other animals.

John Powell wrote the score for Bolt.  This is his only Disney animated, though he is known for doing a lot of the Dreamworks animated films, especially his Oscar-nominated and IFMCA-winning score to How to Train Your Dragon.  His score for Bolt is really good and has a strong feel of Americana.  The film also has two songs, and both are nice.  "I Thought I Lost You" is written by Miley Cyrus and her producer Jeffery Steele, and performed by Cyrus with John Travolta, while "Barking at the Moon" is written and performed by Jenny Lewis.

Presence in the Parks:

Bolt currently doesn't have much presence in the parks.  Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino used to make appearances, and Bolt still appears on rare occasions at the American Experience in Epcot.  Bolt also gets a card in the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.