Bolt 3D
Man's best friend learns to stand on his own four paws in Byron Howard and Chris Williams' computer animated comedy, which pokes fun at our obsession with celebrity.
Man's best friend learns to stand on his own four paws in Byron Howard and Chris Williams' computer animated comedy, which pokes fun at our obsession with celebrity.
For more than 60 years, Walt Disney has been synonymous with exquisite, hand drawn animation, which redefines the way we looked at the world.
From the groundbreaking Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs in 1937 to the heartbreaking Beauty And The Beast and The Lion King in the early '90s, this painstaking, cinematic art form has become firmly engrained in western childhoods.
How many of us bear the emotional scars of the death of Bambi's mother or still swoon at Lady and the Tramp eating spaghetti beneath a starry sky? Yet in recent years, the Disney brand has lost some of its lustre, supplanted by the rise of Pixar and its eye-popping brand of computer animation, as demonstrated in Toy Story, Finding Nemo and WALL-E.
Now the two brands join forces for the very first time under the aegis of executive producer John Lasseter in Bolt.
Breathlessly orchestrated action sequences and the requisite lashings of Disney sentiment guarantee top pedigree entertainment for the entire family, underscored with a message about the responsibilities that come with owning a four-legged friend.
Since he was a pup, Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) has been the star of a hugely popular TV series of the same name, in which he plays a genetically engineered canine with superpowers who saves plucky owner Penny (Miley Cyrus) from the clutches of the dastardly Dr Calico (Malcolm McDowell).
Since Bolt has been raised on set and sleeps every night in a trailer, he truly believes that he is a superhero with the strength to charge down speeding vehicles.
The pooch is blissfully unaware that Penny is actually an actress and that his every move is captured on hidden cameras.
When fate throws Bolt out of his cocoon into the big, bad world, he joins forces with a sarcastic alley cat called Mittens (Susie Essman) and a deranged hamster in a ball called Rhino (Mark Walton) to be reunited with distraught Penny.
Bolt is a delightful romp for young and old alike, balancing thrills and spills with broad comedy, most resting in the excitable paws of Rhino, who might just be Bolt's number one fan.
'Every minute spent in your company becomes the greatest minute of my life!' he squeaks, misting up his ball with heavy breathing.
The 103-minute running time passes in a swish of a cat's tail, building to a scorching finale.
If your local cinema doesn't support projection in Disney Digital 3D, which takes the gorgeous animation to eye-popping new levels, then don't fret.
A traditional 2D version of Bolt is released in cinemas on February 13 to ensure families across the UK and Ireland can go barking mad for this animated (dog) treat.
Release Date: Friday 6 February 2009
Certificate: U
Runtime: 87mins
