When young, I was more of a Dreamworks person than Disney, with favourites such as Shrek and Madagascar. Unless you count Pixar, there was very little of Disney’s output that I had seen. But Bolt was different, for some reason. The list of animated films I was collecting from presents and other random buys might have been small, but among the indie hits such as Igor and Fly Me To The Moon was this. A Disney film about a super dog. Or at least who thinks he is. This ain’t no Underdog, after all.
The big action opening got me hooked. The characters and story about coming to terms with who you are kept me watching to the end. And thus, it became one of the films from that period I remember most fondly. Of course, that entire opening is complete bogus, but it brings about the catalyst for the rest of the film to take place. After all, it would be a logistical nightmare to not only have to film all of what was seen in several studio spaces, but also do it in one take.
Bolt thinks this TV series he’s a part of is all real. That he has superpowers and goes on awesome adventures around the world. Never mind the fact he always ends up in the same trailer day after day, even if the plot of that episode has Penny and him zoom zooming to the airport in a rush. Or not noticing the many cameras and other equipment that such a production would use. For the purposes of the story, to get Bolt away from the world he’s become accustomed to, it’s serviceable.
Besides, it shows the bond between owner and dog. Between Penny and Bolt. And the strain the director’s vision has on that bond. After all, for Bolt to believe everything happening within the episodes is real, he can’t be having a normal life. Running in a field, relaxing on the sofa… a dog with a duty to protect his owner from bad guys can’t be having a day off. So when the worst type of cliffhanger ending forces the two away from each other, Bolt does what he’s been trained to do.
Inadvertently ending up on the other side of America, Bolt now faces navigating without his powers. Lost in reality, he’s confused. Unsure of himself. He’s hunting for a guide to direct him to the foe he faces within the TV series, but what he finds is a guide to life. Mittens the cat has taken on the role of a mob boss, demanding protection payment from the pigeons of New York City. In the form of food. Some of the pigeons push Bolt onto her when he mentions wanting to find a cat.
Mittens is street-wise, easily able to handle situations. But Bolt is a different matter. While he has no superpowers, he still has the strength to easily overpower those unprepared for an attack. While Mittens does her best, carefully trying not to provoke Bolt further, she gets dragged along by this crazy canine after she shows him where to go. Unable to get away from him, she instead starts using this as an opportunity to build a new life.
At a caravan park, she teaches Bolt how to beg. The goldmine of food given to him by vacationers who love him. While Mittens tries to convince Bolt to stay, he is still driven by his quest to return home. This caravan park is where the third member of the trio joins them. A superfan of Bolt’s, Rhino is a hamster with an appetite for adventure. So joining Bolt on his quest was an easy decision for him to make.
Now, this is Bolt’s journey, with both Mittens and Rhino as guides. But that doesn’t mean the other two don’t also have some self-reflection. Though Mittens enjoys a life of freedom, she takes from others, uses them, as she felt used by her owner. Abandoned to the streets where she had to fend for herself without claws. She’s skilled, granted, learning quickly, but she stills holds a distance from any relationships. By being around Bolt, even if only to use him, she starts opening up again to strike a real friendship again.
As for Rhino, from when seen at the caravan park, he also lives a life of solitude. Though surrounded by other hamsters, it’s clear that they’ve shunned him. While they are all within their cage, Rhino is out of it inside a ball. The old lady who looks after them all doesn’t seem to care, either. With no-one to be loved by, he’s left with the love he gets from the TV. So to be with Bolt, be instantly accepted by him, is a dream come true. Come the end when Bolt feels he doesn’t need either of them to complete his quest, they both go after him.
That end is a beautiful one. Since the studio couldn’t continue without filming any longer, they rush in a replacement Bolt, who is forced into action sooner than he should be. As such, the studio is set alight when the replacement tries escaping from the scene and knocks over some pillars with flames lit above them. The real Bolt, hearing Penny calling, rushes to the rescue. In a mirror of that action-packed opening, he uses his ‘powers’ to guide Penny to safety and alert everyone to where they are.
Along with the great characters and their interactions, the music is also a show-stealer here. It fits the action happening, and Barking at the Moon will always come to me when thinking of this film. “There ain’t no home like the one you’ve got, ‘cus that home belongs to you” really fits the theme of self-reflection and accepting who you are. Its use during the montage of travelling across America fits with what has happened in the story so far, with Bolt accepting that his life has been a sham but still wanting to go home to Penny.
Bolt really is one of the greats of Disney to me, and one of the greats of 2008. Just like The Magic Roundabout and Ice Age, it is one of those films I will forever hold as classics, worthy of watching every year. Though other films might have parts of its story done better, how Bolt uses those story elements creates a perfect blend of enjoyable heart and action.
Images Taken From:
Bolt | Disney+
