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Voice-over: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell
Director: Chris William, Byron Howard
Rating: ****
Bolt is one of the best animation adventure movies' to hit the screens in quite a while. Disney appears to have roused itself from its seemingly never-ending lethargy to land this terrific laugh riot in anime mould. The film is a super-hero story with a difference.
Bolt (John Travolta) is a super-dog in a TV series he performs in with his 'person' Penny (Miley Cyrus). Like most actors, Bolt too has become delusional and has a difficult time distinguishing between reality and fiction.
He believes he is a super dog with super powers. So, when he sees Penny being kidnapped, he becomes a victim of an elaborate Truman Show-like ruse, is frantic with worry, and bursts out of the studio, only to find himself shipped off to another city, lost and bewildered about his missing super powers.
The rest of the story hinges on Bolt's transformation from a fictional super dog to a real super hero after he comes to terms with his own true reality thanks to some timely help from Mittens (Susie Essman), an embittered stray cat and Rhino, a hampster in a plastic ball--a self-confessed Bolt fan.
The film opens in explosive style--an extended sequence from the TV show has Bolt effecting a high-risk rescue mission while being chased by cars, motorcycles, helicopters with missile launchers, and an army of soldiers with electrified gloves and sophisticated combat vehicles. Bolt has his super bark and several other super-abilities to combat everything that green-eyed Dr Calico's diabolic herd can throw at him. Writers Dan Fogelman and Chris Williams create some amazing 'fish out of water' situations for their cross-country road-trip to self-actualisation plot.
The dialogues are revealingly deep yet humorous. The story may be predictable but the narrative is peppy. Bolt's run-in with Goodfeathers (pigeons), Mittens and Rhino are hilarious. Miley Cyrus and John Travolta are remarkable as the voices of Penny and Bolt. This film has all the ingredients to make your trip to the cinemas this week a rollicking fun-tasy!
