Bolt

Post by **Dacey** » April 6th, 2009, 5:10 pm

However, any film that fits in a sly swipe at why the recent Indiana Jones disappointment was so inadequate is a good’un in my book

Where was this?

Post by **Whippet Angel** » April 6th, 2009, 6:03 pm

I'm thinking it was the whole bit about the aliens.

Post by **Neal** » April 6th, 2009, 7:46 pm

Chicken Little scored higher than BOLT? No way in my eyes! I may be biased because I raising a puppy right now, but I thought the action scenes were superbly done, the characters were hilarious and quirky, and the dog humor was spot on.

I laughed really hard in the theater and still laugh now that I watch it on DVD.

I think it's light years better than Chicken Little.

Post by **Randall** » April 6th, 2009, 11:19 pm

Neal wrote:I think it's light years better than Chicken Little.

I'll agree with that! Chicken Little is perhaps my least favorite Disney film EVER.

Post by **Ben** » April 7th, 2009, 8:11 am

Yeah, "aliens...how rediculous".

Least favorite Disney film ever...hmmm...that's a good one...

Chicken Little would be up there, but mainly for the noise and chaotic levels. Actually picking one I'd hate to sit through again right now could prove quite difficult, if we're talking the proper "classics".

Hmmm...maybe it is Chicken Little...?

Post by **eddievalient** » April 7th, 2009, 10:42 am

I liked Chicken Little (although I thought the original opening scene was better than the one used in the final film) and I thought Bolt was on the same level. I think it would have been cool if Disney had animated an entire episode of the Bolt tv series as a dvd bonus. I consider it a lost opportunity.

Post by **Ben** » April 7th, 2009, 5:03 pm

With ChickLit, as I think I said in the review - or meant to - I thought it would have been great to start with the really sweet hand-drawn styled opening with the very poignant Don Knotts narration, and then swept into the manic chaos that opens the movie in CG.

This would have not only provided a less obvious opening to their first CG film but also provided a neat segue from traditional animation to computer generated images ("or CGI").

Post by **Neal** » April 7th, 2009, 10:47 pm

Hmm, never knew there was a different opening. Is it on the DVD?

Post by **eddievalient** » April 7th, 2009, 10:57 pm

The dvd has several alternate openings. One is the classic storybook opening and another (the one I like best) is a funny scene with Buck attempting to make breakfast for his son. I can see where the film has room for improvement, but I didn't think it was bad at all.

Post by **Neal** » April 7th, 2009, 11:00 pm

Hmm, well I watched this on TV and thought it was mediocre(at best) but found the DVD for $7 so I got it in my quest for a complete Disney animated 'classic' collection.

So I haven't checked out the DVD. Now I'll have to.

American_dog_2008 · Post by **American_dog_2008** » April 8th, 2009, 2:52 pm

Alternative openings?

I can't wait!

Post by **Ben** » April 8th, 2009, 3:26 pm

And all documented right here:

http://animated-views.com/2006/chicken-little-2/

(...the 2 being in addition to another page we posted)

Post by **EHH123** » April 9th, 2009, 7:20 pm

http://www.comicon.com/ubb/ubbthreads.p ... Post539166
Interview with one of the directors, Chris Williams.

Post by **ShyViolet** » April 11th, 2009, 9:55 pm

I saw Bolt last November when it opened and the truth is, (and this has nothing to do with the animation) I just wasn't that entertained/moved/excited by it. It was quite disappointing especially after those action scenes in the trailer, which of course turned out to be only the first ten minutes of the film. I feel bad saying this because it was obvious that a lot of hard work went into it, but the end felt really muddled to me. Basically, it felt like "Pixar lite."

Not just the Truman Show + Buzz Lightyear, but the Pixar character foil thing again--mismatched pals go on a road trip, etc...etc...Pixar films have managed to make these stories compelling almost every time, often adding something new even though it is a formula. With films like Ratatouille and WALL-E, they're breaking away from it, hence how great those films are. So what to do with the leftover pieces of those stories/themes...give them to WDAS to re-hash yet again.

I don't know...I tried to enjoy the film, and I liked Penny a lot (she was my fave character, both her design and yes, even her voice.

). and the opening when she first picks Bolt is so sweet. The best thing about the film was the Penny/Bolt bond and old-fashioned action in the "Bolt" show; unfortunately, we see these things the least often in the movie. It didn't feel like a Disney "film"...more like a "Fun Disney Comedy" in large quotes, competently made but with none of the narratively breathtaking aspects of WALL-E or Ratatouille. It was just.... competent.

My two other big problems were A.) The Hollywood insider type humor, which was really, really overdone. It just felt incredibly stale and added nothing to the film, not emotionally and definitely not comedy-wise. It actually reminded me of stuff you'd see on House of Mouse years ago, or on almost any show on the Disney channel. I just found it distracting, especially the "Hollywood agent" guy--how many times has that character appeared in the last ten/fifteen years, both in cartoon shows and films? (also, not to nitpick, but if Bolt thought the show was totally real, how would he even know what a boom mike is? I know that sounds small, but it just didn't make any sense to me) The Hollywood world and Bolt's journey as an animal world felt like such completely different films, both with their own rules. The only thing that kept it all together was Penny's relationship with Bolt.

My other problem: Bolt is a comedy. Even if it had turned out better, it's still a comedy, and there is no way in the world that a fun comedy is ever going to make any kind of impression standing next to a remarkable film like WALL-E, or Ratatouille, or Up for that matter. How could it possibly do that? A Disney film should not be a "fun ride for kids." It should be breathtaking and original. I don't mean to drag the Sanders argument back again, and I realize that we'll never know how his version would have turned out, but the stills from that film looked like they might be humorous but also deep, interesting, maybe even somewhat melancholy, if that's the right word. Princess and the Frog has also been confirmed as being a comedy, and while I'm sure it'll be great, I have mixed feelings about that as well. Disney films should have humor in them, but not just that. Beauty, Mermaid and Lion King all had really funny stuff in them, but we don't really think of them as "comedies".

Funny about the whole Animaniacs/Goodfeathers thing: the cat Mittens reminded me a lot of Rita from that show (she was always singing those songs.

)

Also, really good review on Views Ben!

Post by **Ben** » April 12th, 2009, 11:40 am

Funny...I was going to say the same thing about your comments, Vi!

Nice to see you about, and nicely said about Bolt. "Competent" indeed.