Reviewed by Stuart O'Connor
Stars the voices of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus,
Susie Essman, Malcolm McDowell, Mark Walton,
Chloe Moretz, Kari Wahlgren, Sean Donnellan
Written by Dan Fogelman & Chris Williams
Certification UK PG | US PG
Runtime 103 minutes
Directed by Byron Howard & Chris Williams
3D has become all the rage. All the major studios are gearing up to tackle it in a big way, thanks to the fact that digital filmmaking has really brought down the cost, made it much easier to watch (goodbye crappy coloured cardboard specs) and made it easier to equip the cinemas to show 3D films. There was just a handful of 3D films released last year; this year will see roughly 20 hitting the screens, with many more going into production. And in the next 5-10 years, we'll see 3D television making its way into our living rooms.
All of which leads us to Bolt, the first film from the Disney Animation Studios since Pixar supremo John Lasseter took the reins. Pixar will now be making all its films in 3D, starting with Up — out this summer in the US; October in the UK — and 3D rereleases of the first two Toy Storys, before Toy Story 3 in 2010. But until then, we have Disney leading the way into the extra dimension. And if this is the standard that we can expect, then all I can say is bring it on. Bolt (Travolta) is a dog who thinks he's a superhero. But he's not deluded; oh no, he's been led to believe that by the human makers of the TV show that he stars in. They don't want Bolt to realise that he's just an actor, they want him thinking he really does have super powers — they get a better, more natural performance that way. Bolt's co-star is Penny (Cyrus), and together they tackle all manner of evil-doers, saving the world week after week. One day, though, in a slightly contrived setup, Bolt gets accidentally mailed in a package from Los Angeles to New York. With the help of his new-found friends — Mittens (Essman), a mangey alleycat, and Rhino (Walton), a hamster in a ball who also hapens to be a starstruck fan of our hero — Bolt needs to make his way back to Hollywood.
It's a simple setup, and not entirely original. But the execution is divine. Visually, it's a beautiful piece of work that has Lasseter's stamp all over it. The animation is as sharp as you'd expect, but the backgrounds are something else indeed — according to Lasseter, a new technique was developed so that the animators could give the backgrounds a hand-painted look. There's a softness to them, a certain quality that you don't normally see in computer animation, and they're simply gorgeous. And the 3D has been done in a way that's completely different to the way 3D films have been done in the past. This time, there's none of that silly sticking-things-out-of-the-screen-at-you. The 3D effect is simply there to enhance the storytelling; to draw the audience into the film and make it more real, and more believable. For me, it's the best 3D film I have ever seen.
As for the film itself, it's well paced with a decent enough script that will keep the kids entertained throughout, but it just lacks that special something that you get in Pixar films that make them perfect for all ages — it's a little lightweight when compared to films such as WALL-E and Ratatouille. The characters are fairly well drawn, too — Bolt and Mittens are charming and likeable — but the standout star is the hyperkinetic hamster Rhino, who manages to steal the entire movie without even leaving his plastic ball. Rhino's the comic relief, and gets some of the best lines. Also impressive are some pigeons that Bolt meets in New York, who are probably the best6 animated pigeons in movie history — they move exactly as pigeons do in real life. Bolt is not as brilliant as the best films we've had from those fabulous Pixar people, but it's fun, funny, warm and lovable. And well worth seeing in 3D, if you can.
