Bolt (3-Disc Set Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) (2008)

Los Angeles Times
"BOLT is a sweet Disney family film....It's laced with idiosyncratic characters with pleasantly wacky attitudes....BOLT also has an intriguing plot that is kind of the family animation version of the Jim Carrey-starring THE TRUMAN SHOW..." 11/21/2008

New York Times
"[F]risky, funny and inventive enough to engage the attention of grown-ups as well as children....What keeps BOLT fresh is an unaffected exuberance, a genuine sense of fun, that is expressed above all through obsessive attention to craft." 11/21/2008

Entertainment Weekly
"[A] blithe, digitally animated doggy comedy as zippy as its name....It's a sturdy beaut." -- Grade: A- 11/28/2008 p.56-57

Total Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A]n end credits duet between Smiley and the Trav offers an effective summation of the flick's winning combo of old and new." 02/01/2009

Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "It opens with a thrilling installment of cute puppy dog Bolt's action-packed TV sereies...It's THE TRUMAN SHOW with a four-legged Jim Carrey." 03/01/2009

Hollywood Reporter
"[The directors] keep things moving along at a pleasant visual clip....There's a terrific tenderness in Travolta's performance, while Cyrus and company are similarly effective..." 11/13/2008

Los Angeles Times 8 of 10
Animated features intended for families come in two varieties: films with personality and a genuine sense of humor, and films in which characters stand around cracking jokes like they were doing stand-up in the Catskills. The former used to be the exclusive property of Pixar, but that is starting to change. Case in point: "Bolt"...Starring John Travolta and Miley Cyrus as voice talent in the story of a dog who doesn't know he's canine, "Bolt" is the first animated feature to come out of the Disney Studios since Pixar guru John Lasseter took over the shop. And that has made a difference...At the end of the day, "Bolt" is a sweet Disney family film, but Lasseter's oversight has made it smarter than it otherwise would have been. It's not in Pixar's league, but it's laced with idiosyncratic characters with pleasantly wacky attitudes. That may sound like the obvious thing to do but that doesn't mean anyone else has done it...As written by Chris Williams and Dan Fogelman, and co-directed by Williams and Byron Howard, "Bolt" also has an intriguing plot that is kind of the family animation version of the Jim Carrey-starring "The Truman Show." Similar to Truman, Bolt (Travolta) is living in a TV series that he thinks is real life. He truly believes he's a dog with superpowers, dedicated to saving his owner, Penny (Cyrus), when he's just a hound with an acting job..."Bolt" opens with a glimpse of that TV series. It's an amusing spoof of "Bourne Identity"-type films that has this pint-sized crime fighter head-butting cars, dangling them over bridges in his teeth and in general destroying everything in his path...Because "Bolt" understands how to be funny -- keep an eye out for some screenwriting pigeons -- these pint-sized life lessons go down really easily, the way they did during the golden age of Disney. It's nice to have a whiff of Walt with us again. - Kenneth Turan
 
Reel.com 8 of 10
If action "auteur" Michael Bay trained dogs instead of constructing Transformers, his canines would probably behave like Bolt. Disney's CGI mutt (voiced by John Travolta) defends his beloved owner, Penny (Miley Cyrus), from the evil forces of Dr. Calico (Malcolm McDowell) by head-butting semi-trucks, dangling from speeding locomotives, catapulting over military helicopters, and shooting laser beams from his eyes...Or, at least, he thinks he does. Bolt isn't aware that his powers are a sham, an elaborate Hollywood trick meant to coax a more realistic "performance" from the faithful dog for the good of his primetime television show. Yes, Bolt is The Truman Show with four paws, a tail, and a flea collar...Bolt's disastrous attempts at using his powers off the set get laughs at first, but they give way to important lessons about accepting your limitations while still believing you are special. And the film's action is top notch. The opening sequence--part of Bolt's fictional television program--has more imaginative stunts than you'll find in the whole of Marc Forster's choppy James Bond effort, Quantum of Solace...As brave as Bolt is, the film's real hero might be John Lasseter. The former head honcho at Pixar Animation Studios recently assumed creative duties at Disney's animation house, with Bolt being the first picture manufactured on his watch. As a result, it boasts much of the humor, character development, plotting, and unmistakable heart Pixar has brought to the animation genre. Reports actually have Lasseter scrapping unnecessary characters, changing key subplots, and dismissing Bolt's original director, Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch). But the changes work. In much the same way that Bolt rescues Penny, Lasseter may have saved Disney's animation division from a potential disaster. - Sean O'Connell