Bolt (2008)
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A pampered television star dog must navigate the real world to find his owner after becoming separated from her.
The story
Bolt is a White Shepherd puppy who stars in a hit television series alongside a young girl named Penny. Because of the show's special effects, Bolt believes he possesses actual superpowers and that his adventures against the villain Dr. Calico are real. However, after a dramatic cliffhanger episode, Bolt escapes his trailer and is accidentally shipped to New York City. There, he discovers his 'powers' are non-existent. While searching for Penny, he teams up with a cynical stray cat named Mittens. The two begin a journey across the country to reunite Bolt with his owner, while the production in Hollywood struggles to find a replacement for the missing star.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Bolt, a White Shepherd who believes he has superpowers due to the special effects of his television show, is separated from his owner, Penny, and shipped to New York City. He teams up with a cynical cat named Mittens and a hamster named Rhino to travel across the country to find her. Along the way, Bolt realizes he is a normal dog but maintains his determination to reach Hollywood. When he finally reaches the studio, he finds Penny with a replacement dog. However, a fire breaks out during a scene, and Bolt and Mittens rescue Penny from the flames. The show is eventually canceled, and Penny adopts Mittens and Rhino, and they move to a rural home together.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chris Williams; Byron Howard
- Writers
- Chris Williams · writer; Dan Fogelman · writer
- Cast and characters
- John Travolta · Bolt; Miley Cyrus · Penny Forrester; Chloë Grace Moretz · young Penny Forrester; Susie Essman · Mittens; Mark Walton · Rhino; Malcolm McDowell · Dr. Calico
- Genres
- animated; adventure; comedy
- Tone and mood
- adventure; heartfelt
- Premise and plot tags
- animal adventure; road movie; meta-fiction
- Franchise connections
- Bolt
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was noted for its high production value and strong performances, though some critics noted it lacked a certain comedic punch.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 29
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Animated Feature · Nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Animated Feature · Nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Original Song · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film's visual style was inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper and the cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond.; The character Rhino's design was based on producer John Lasseter's pet chinchilla.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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