DAC 48: Bolt

Bolt - 8.6/10

Another hit, and the first Disney film I actually saw in theaters since Dinosaur and The Emperor's New Groove. In 3D, too! This is the first time I've watched it since, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time.

First off, the animation is as much improved over Meet the Robinsons as that film was over Chicken Little. They're really getting good at this. The focus this time is on a dog who thinks he's a superhero because that's what the production crew of his television show want him to think. Apparently they feel the dog's performance is more authentic if he thinks everything in the show is real, including the danger posed to his young human girl companion. If you can get past the absurdity of this, and the impracticality (in order to rig special effects to mimic the dog's powers, they would have to accurately predict the dog's every move and reaction in every scenario 100% of the time), it actually makes for a neat premise. And it leads to a lot of moments reminiscent of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story which were, let's face it, the best part of that film.

Unfortunately, all this forced realism comes back to bite them in the ass when an episode wraps with the girl still in jeopardy and Bolt is unallowed to save her. Despite the girl telling them the dog is going to freak out, they just put him away for the night, and predictably - he freaks out. And runs away, of course. What follows is basically a road movie wherein he picks up a pair of companions - a world-weary, jaded alley cat and a fanboy hamster in a ball - and inevitably learns the truth about himself and learns how to be a real dog. There is a travel montage set to some really nice music as all of this is happening, and the friendships he develops - particularly with the cat - are Disney magic at work.

In the end he is reunited with his girl and has to save her from a burning building after his replacement actor dog freaked out at a stunt and accidentally set everything on fire. You've seen it before: he is not a hero because of his powers, but because of his character. And it's done really well here and his relationship with his owner is very touching. It's also quite satisfying when the whole family quits the show and throws the annoying agent out the back of an ambulance.

There weren't many major side characters, though there was a running gag of the gang running into groups of pigeons wherever they went, each of which reacted to Bolt differently based on regional stereotypes. These pigeons were usually pretty funny and they weren't onscreen long enough for me to get tired of them. All told a nice source of humor in an otherwise more emotionally-themed adventure.