Blu-Ray Review: Disney Delivers Another Great Release For Super-Cute ‘Bolt’ With Miley Cyrus

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HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – The first word I think of when I read or hear about Disney’s “Bolt” is cute. The movie is just cute, cute, cute. If your threshold for adorable cartoon characters and heartwarming messages is low, stay away, but if you’re looking for a bright smile to break the darkness of daily life, you could do a lot worse than this clever canine, now the subject of yet another nearly-perfect Disney Blu-Ray release.

The Blu-Ray release of the year is still Disney’s “Pinocchio,” but the mouse house makes a strong bid for runner-up position with the gorgeous video transfer for “Bolt” and an entertaining and informative collection of special features.

Bolt will be released on Blu-Ray on March 22nd, 2009.
Bolt will be released on Blu-Ray on March 22nd, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

“Bolt” is a bizarre hybrid of “The Incredibles,” “The Adventures of Milo and Otis,” and “The Truman Show” but it really, truly works. This is not game-changing cinema like “WALL-E” or “Waltz With Bashir,” but it’s not trying to be either. It’s just trying to be cute, clever, and fun. “Bolt” is all three.

The title character (John Travolta) is the star of a hit network series about a super dog. On the show, Bolt always saves his faithful owner Penny (Miley Cyrus) from the clutches of the evil Dr. Calico (Malcolm McDowell) with his super speed and powerful bark.

Bolt will be released on Blu-Ray on March 22nd, 2009.
Bolt will be released on Blu-Ray on March 22nd, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Bolt doesn’t know it’s just a show or that his super bark is just an effect. He thinks he’s a real superhero and that Penny will fall into the clutches of evil without him. When the producers make the mistake of having an episode end with a cliffhanger, Bolt escapes his confines to come to the rescue.

Our canine crusader ends up all the way across the country in New York City where he crosses paths with Mittens (Susie Essman) and the two begin a cross-country road trip back to L.A. Bolt slowly comes to terms with the fact that he’s an ordinary dog. The montage where Mittens teaches Bolt about the wonders of just being a pooch is spectacular.

“Bolt” is yet-another “be who you are” and “everyone’s a hero” tale but it’s much smarter than most of its animated brethren. Pixar’s John Lasseter executive produced and you can feel his subtle, clever fingerprints all over “Bolt”.

“Bolt” could have been a bit more unpredictable and could have relied less on modern slang, but it’s a simple, enjoyable ride that works more often than it falters and is likely to put a smile on the face of viewers of any age. It’s just damn cute.

And it’s downright breathtaking in 1080P. I marveled at Bolt’s hair design in theaters and the detail is even more noticable in HD Blu-Ray. The depth, color levels, and line detail is amazing. This is one of the best-looking animated movies yet to hit Blu-Ray. It’s a beauty. There’s an HD TV store using it to sell a four-figure product right now.

Bolt will be released on Blu-Ray on March 22nd, 2009.
Bolt will be released on Blu-Ray on March 22nd, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

The audio is just as remarkable. Audio is bigger part of “Bolt” than your average animated fare because of the action-movie plotline. The opening scenes of the show-within-in-a-movie sound as good as any action Blu-Ray I’ve watched lately with perfectly mixed score, effects, and dialogue.

Before we get to the details on the special features, “Bolt” continues Disney’s brilliant plan to allow fans to watch their films whenever and wherever by putting a Blu-Ray, standard DVD, and digital copy in one set. Kids don’t just watch movies in one room and Disney continues to play to this fact with some of the smartest releases on the market.

Special features in the order they’re presented on the disc:

Bonus Short: “Super Rhino” (4:27)

A new short film with everyone’s favorite supporting hamster that can only be found on the Blu-Ray release of “Bolt”. Featuring the voice talent from the film, “Super Rhino” involves the comic relief from “Bolt” being turned into a superhero himself (or at least dreaming about it). It looks (but doesn’t quite sound) as amazing as the movie itself and features the same clever wit and smile-inducing action. Fun stuff. Kids who loved Rhino in the movie will adore it.

Deleted Scenes With Introductions by the Directors (6:37)

Just two moments in “story reel” form (hand-drawn animation like storyboards). In the first, Bolt gets into a fight in an alley in Las Vegas and learns that he’s not a superhero earlier than he does in the final film. As they say, it didn’t work structurally. They’re right. The second is another version of the moment when Bolt realizes that he doesn’t have superpowers.

“In Session: With John Travolta and Miley Cyrus” (0:59)

Less than a minute of footage with Miley and John singing “I Thought I Lost You” in the recording studio. For hardcore Miley fans only. Seriously.

Bolt will be released on Blu-Ray on March 22nd, 2009.
Bolt will be released on Blu-Ray on March 22nd, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

“I Thought I Lost You” Music Video (1:47)

The former should have just been an introduction to this video which includes a lot of the same footage with clips from the movie. It would still be for hardcore Miley Cyrus fans only. I’m not kidding. The sugar shock could be deadly if you’re not prepared for it.

“Bolt’s Be-Awesome Mission”

Help Bolt defeat the green-eyed man in a Blu-Ray game.

“A New Breed of Directors: The Filmmakers’ Journey” (4:34)

The rookie filmmakers - Chris Williams and Byron Howard - discuss their process and history.

“Act, Speak! The Voices of Bolt” (9:48)

John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, and more offer insight into the voice work process with a lot of behind-the-scenes footage. It’s actually a good featurette that could introduce young fans into the challenge of vocal work on animation because of the star power of Miley Cyrus.

“Creating the World of Bolt” (6:45)

The directors and their team discuss the backgrounds and art direction for the film, which is actually quite good. They gave the film a warm, comfortable look that’s harder to pull off and more effective in the final product than you might think.

“Bolt Art Galleries”

Design material and storyboards from the film.

The lack of a commentary and generally too-brief running time of the featurettes hold “Bolt” back from the pantheon of Disney Blu-Ray releases like “Pinocchio” or “Sleeping Beauty,” but the film itself and the gorgeous transfer make this a good title to include in your collection not just rent.

‘Bolt’ is released by Walt Disney Home Entertainment and features vocal work by John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, and Susie Essman. It was written by Dan Fogelman and Chris Williams and directed by Byron Howard and Williams. It will be released on March 22nd, 2009. It is rated PG.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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