Bolt is a 2008 American animated action adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Chris Williams and Byron Howard (in their feature directorial debuts) and produced by Clark Spencer, from a screenplay written by Williams and Dan Fogelman. The film stars the voices of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton and Greg Germann. This was also one of the final film roles for Lipton before his death in 2020, the other being Igor, which was released the same year as Bolt.
The film's plot centers on a dog named Bolt, who has spent his entire life on the set of a television series and firmly believes that he has superpowers. When his beloved owner Penny is "kidnapped" on the show, Bolt runs away from the set to rescue her, eventually teaming up with sarcastic alley cat Mittens and a hamster named Rhino who is a fan of Bolt's television series, to embark on a cross-country journey back home.
Bolt premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on November 17, 2008, and was released in the United States on November 21. Despite a relatively marginal box-office performance, the film received a strong positive critical reception. It is also regarded for helping to instigate a rebirth of Walt Disney Animation Studios, setting the studio on a new creative direction that led to other critically acclaimed features such as Tangled (2010) and Frozen (2013).
The film was nominated for a series of awards, such as the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
Plot[]
A White Swiss Shepherd puppy named Bolt is adopted by a 7-year-old girl named Penny. Five years later, Bolt and Penny star in a hit television series named after Bolt, in which Bolt and Penny fight crime and foil the plans of the villain, Dr. Calico, who has kidnapped Penny's father, with Bolt using various superpowers in their adventures. To gain a more realistic performance from Bolt, the show's director has arranged the filming in such a way that Bolt believes everything in the show is real, including his invulnerability, super-strength, and percussive sonic "Superbark". This means Bolt can never leave the set and live as a normal dog, much to Penny's dismay. After a cliffhanger episode causes Bolt to believe Penny has been kidnapped, he escapes from his on-set trailer in Hollywood, but knocks himself unconscious and falls into a box of packing peanuts, which is then shipped to New York City.
Upon arrival in New York, Bolt is shocked to discover that his "superpowers" are useless. He encounters Mittens, a cynical feral cat who runs a protection racket for pigeons. Believing that Mittens is an "agent" of Calico, Bolt ties her to his collar with a leash, and forces her to guide him back to Penny. Meanwhile, in Hollywood, a less-experienced White Swiss Shepherd dog is brought in so filming can resume. Penny is distraught over Bolt’s disappearance, but reluctantly agrees to halt the search so production can continue.
Feeling hungry for the first time in his life, Bolt accepts Mittens' advice and behaves like a cute and needy stray, securing food for them both at an RV park where they are joined by Rhino, a fearless hamster and huge fan of Bolt. Rhino's description of Bolt's adventures causes Mittens to realize Bolt is from a TV show, but she is unable to convince Bolt of the truth. In frustration, Bolt repeatedly attempts to "superbark" Mittens, but the noise draws the attention of the local animal control service, and Bolt and Mittens are both captured and taken to a shelter.
Bolt, freed from the patrol van by Rhino, finally realizes and accepts that he is just a normal dog. However, he regains his confidence after Rhino (oblivious to this revelation) gives him a motivating speech, and they rescue Mittens from the shelter. As they travel west, Bolt and Mittens form a close friendship; she teaches him how to be an ordinary dog and enjoy typical dog activities. Mittens makes plans for the three of them to stay in Las Vegas, but Bolt is still determined to find Penny. Mittens reveals to Bolt that she was abandoned by her owners, and believes that no human truly "loves" their pet. Bolt vehemently disagrees with her, and continues on alone to Hollywood. After finding out about Bolt's departure, Rhino convinces Mittens to go to Hollywood and find him.
When Bolt reaches the studio, he finds Penny embracing the replacement dog during a rehearsal, and leaves feeling heartbroken. However, Mittens catches up to him and reassures him that Penny does love him. At the same time, the Bolt look-alike panics during the show's filming and accidentally knocks over some lit torches, setting the stage on fire with Penny trapped inside. Bolt arrives, and the two reunite inside the burning studio, but are unable to escape and Penny begins to suffocate from the smoke. Bolt stays with Penny and repeatedly barks into the building's air vent, alerting the firefighters to their location.
Bolt and Penny are rescued. Penny and her mother quit the show after Penny's agent proposes that they exploit the incident for publicity. The show continues with a replacement "Bolt" and "Penny" and a bizarre new storyline involving alien abduction. Penny adopts Mittens and Rhino, and they move to a rural home to enjoy a simpler lifestyle together.
Cast[]
- John Travolta as Bolt
- Susie Essman as Mittens
- Mark Walton as Rhino
- Miley Cyrus as Penny
- Chloë Grace Moretz as 7-year-old Penny
- Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Calico
- Nick Swardson as Blake
- Diedrich Bader as Veteran Cat
- Greg Germann as The Agent
- James Lipton as The Director
- Randy Savage as Thug
- Kari Wahlgren as Mindy
- Grey DeLisle as Penny's Mother
- Sean Donnellan as Penny's TV dad
- J. P. Manoux as Tom
- Brian Stepanek as Martin
- Jeff Bennett as Lloyd
- John DiMaggio as Saul
- Jenny Lewis as Assistant Director