Bolt (2008)

Director: Chris Williams

Cast: John Travolta as Bolt (voice), Miley Cyrus as Penny (voice), Susie Essman as Mittens (voice), Mark Walton as Rhino (voice), Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Calico (voice), James Lipton as The Director (voice), Greg Germann as The Agent (voice), Diedrich Bader as Veteran Cat (voice), Nick Swardson as Blake (voice), J.P. Manoux as Tom (voice), Dan Fogelman as Billy (voice), Kari Wahlgren as Mindy (voice), Chloe Moretz as Young Penny (voice), Randy Savage as Thug (voice), Ronn Moss as Dr. Forrester (voice)

The 2000s have not been very kind to Walt Disney Animation. While there
has been the occasional Emperor's New Groove or Lilo and Stitch, the
majority of their films from this decade have been rather mediocre
(most notably 2005's Chicken Little, which - ironically - remains the
studio's highest-grossing film of the 2000s). With that said, I
initially had some doubts about Bolt, despite hearing that it would be
Disney Animation's first film supervised by Pixar founder John
Lasseter. The surprisingly positive reviews posted shortly before the
film's release convinced me to buy a ticket. Thankfully, I was forced
to eat my words; welcome back, Disney.

The film revolves around Bolt, a white German Shephered who has spent
his entire life on the set of a TV show in which he portrays a
"superdog". As a result, he believes that the events on film (and his
super powers) are real. When he is accidentally shipped from his
Hollywood soundstage to New York City, he embarks on a cross-country
journey to reunite with his owner and co-star, Penny. Along the way,
Bolt teams up with a jaded alley cat named Mittens and a TV-obsessed
hamster named Rhino who also happens to be an extreme Bolt fanboy.

First of all, the effects in this movie are unbelievable. Everything in
the movie looks so realistic and yet doesn't contradict with the
animated cartoon-esquire characters. Also, while Bolt is obviously the
star of the movie, the real comedy comes from his unlikely companions.
In fact, my favorite character of the bunch is Mittens the cat, voiced
excellently by Susie Essman. Very seldom do I hear/see a character and
say "I can't imagine anybody doing a better job playing him/her", but
Essman really brings a lot to this already memorable character. And
though I found him to be pretty irritating at first, some of the best
lines in the movie come from Rhino the hamster.

Lastly, in one of the opening scenes we see Bolt as he is in the TV
Show to set the understanding of Bolt's world. Seriously, that was made
of awesome. The scene was action packed and full of excitement. I would
watch the show that Bolt is in. If I had to have a complaint, it would
be that it takes some ideas from several other films (such as Homeward
Bound, Toy Story, and The Truman Show). That said, it still manages to
feel like its own film, and with grace.

With terrific animation, an incredibly heartwarming story, and some of
the most endearing characters I've ever seen on film (animated or
otherwise), Bolt has not only become my favorite Disney film (Pixar
included), but perhaps my absolute favorite movie of all time. It feels
strange saying that, especially considering that I didn't even expect
to like the film, but I simply can't think of a movie that I've loved
more. It's also one of the very few films that manages to bring me to
tears every time that I watch it, and when a movie is able to affect me
on that kind of level, it automatically becomes a winner.