BOLT, Disney's Bastardization of Chris Sanders' American Dog

[Chairman Kaga]

Too bad the pre-production art wasn't really ground breaking either.

[Lord Voldemoo]

who said "art"?

I'm actually talking about story. We may never know what the Chris Sanders take would have been in its entirety, but based on what I've read it sounds more interesting than this typical vanilla Disney take.

Could be wrong! I'm just basing that on what i've seen so far (which, admittedly, does not yet even include the most recent trailer).

[Chairman Kaga]

Well since the concept art is the only solid evidence of what Sander's version would be like available I figured you were basing it on that rather than summary of the story at some indistinct level of completion when the plug was pulled.

[Lord Voldemoo]

Well since the concept art is the only solid evidence of what Sander's version would be like available I figured you were basing it on that rather than summary of the story at some indistinct level of completion when the plug was pulled.

Do you like what you've seen of the new film?

[Evil Hobbit]

Well since the concept art is the only solid evidence of what Sander's version would be like available I figured you were basing it on that rather than summary of the story at some indistinct level of completion when the plug was pulled.

Do you like what you've seen of the new film?

The 2 scenes up on apple are quite awesome.

[Chairman Kaga]

Do you like what you've seen of the new film?

It looks so-so. I've seen some funny stuff here and there but I can't say it's riveting or anything. I do think it's better than Meet the Robinsons or Chicken Little but it's not breaking the mold. I do think Lasseter is moving Disney in the right direction again though. Princess and the Frog is really the next true Disney film I am looking forward to.

[Lord Voldemoo]

Do you like what you've seen of the new film?

It looks so-so. I've seen some funny stuff here and there but I can't say it's riveting or anything. I do think it's better than Meet the Robinsons or Chicken Little but it's not breaking the mold. I do think Lasseter is moving Disney in the right direction again though. Princess and the Frog is really the next true Disney film I am looking forward to.

See, I essentially agree with all of those points!

[Chairman Kaga]

The 2 scenes up on apple are quite awesome.

I do think they are hilarious.

[Evil Hobbit]

The 2 scenes up on apple are quite awesome.

I do think they are hilarious.

Specially the hamster: [about guard] "I'll snap his neck!"

[joshSobel]

I just got back from an early screening of Disney's "Bolt" in 3D. I've had high hopes for Bolt ever since I found that John Lasseter (Pixar guru and director of Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, and Cars) was now the creative overseer of not only Pixar, but Disney as well. I had been constantly hearing that he was whipping Disney back into shape and turning them into a once again successful animation studio. Ever since Disney stopped creating traditionally animated movies, they've been in a steep decline. Under Lasseter's supervision, Bolt was hopefully going to be the turning point for Disney animation.

The question is: Did it succeed?
The answer: For the most part.

Bolt succeeds on a number of levels, but it also has a few flaws that really hinder it. It's certainly not at a "Pixarian" level, but it's certainly a massive jump from "Chicken Little" and "Meet the Robinsons." It's biggest flaw is the fact that it's really just not an interesting story. But even so, Lasseter made sure that the simple, perhaps even cliché story they were working with was executed in the best way.

Partially what makes Pixar movies so great, is the unbelievably realistic sense of heart and emotion that the characters go through. Now that Lasseter is overseeing everything, he's been trying to implement Pixar's expertise into Disney's films as well. With Bolt, there's definitely character development, struggles, and heart, but it all seems a bit too familiar. It's all very stereotypical.

Another flaw Bolt has that doesn't affect the movie tremendously is the fact that a pretty decent chunk of the first half of the movie is paced out extremely slowly. Even the dialogue could have been sped up quite a bit. But it gains a lot of speed once it's half way through.

Negative criticism aside, it's still a lot better than the majority of animated movies popping out today. It's got great character design, decent animation (though not very nuanced), good heart for what it was working with, and there's two or three parts that had me barreling uncontrollably with laughter.

It's worth seeing, but it's just not that exceptional in the end. It's good, but it's also forgettable. It’s still a far cry from any of Pixar's films. Although it's not exactly the jump I was hoping for from Disney, it certainly proves that Lasseter is proving to be a giant positive influence on them. Lasseter probably came in halfway through this project, meaning that future animated Disney films will continue to get better with Lasseter on board from the beginning. Especially with Disney now returning to traditional animation with "The Princess and the Frog," which will be directed by the directing veterans of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin (Bolt was directed by two first time directors).

-Recap-

Positive:
-Great character designs
-Good animation, though not as nuanced as Pixar's
-Beautiful colors and scenery
-Can be downright hilarious at a few parts
-Heartfelt emotional struggles, though cliché
-Executed well for the simple story they were working with
-A big jump from Disney's recent animated failures
-Digital 3D effect is very impressive (Definitely see it in 3D if you can afford an extra $2)


Negative:
-Slowly paced for the first half
-Simple and uninteresting story
-Emotional struggles are far too familiar
-It's not exceptional in any way; it doesn't stand out and is pretty forgettable

Overall: 7/10

[Ribbons]

I saw a commercial for this on TV today and noticed that they did a similar "train shot" as the one from American Dog that was linked up earlier in the page. That was kind of a nice nod to what the project used to be, at least.

[bastard_robo]

I watched it earlier, and my verdict..

Not bad, not bad at all.

Bolt is rather enjoyable, but a bit predictable at points.

The Hamster rocks though...

in the quick, great animation, decent story, a good 8/10