Bolt
(2008)
The Truman Show meets Disney animation, as a superhero
dog, who doesn’t realise his powers are only make-believe as part of a TV show,
gets a rude awakening in the real world.
There are some odd bits and pieces of inventiveness along the way, but
this is the usual by-numbers CGI fare. It’s not just Disney, it’s any studio
dabbling in the animated kids film market. Bolt makes friends with a couple of
sidekicks (a cat, a hamster, some recurring pigeons) on his journey back to his
“person”, the girl he co-stars with.
Also, as usual, the best moments come from
a scene-stealing supporting turn. Rhino the hamster is sublime, a porky
“believer” in Bolt perpetually ensconced in his hamster ball. John Travolta
voices Bolt, but I didn’t realise this and there’s no earthly reason why it
need to be him.
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