BLU-RAY
REVIEW: BOLT
03/21/09
SYNOPSIS: When BOLT,
the super dog (voiced by John Travolta), is accidentally
shipped to New York City and separated from Penny (voiced by
Miley Cyrus), his “person,” he springs into action to find
his way home. With hilarious new sidekicks Rhino (voiced by
Mark Walton) – Bolt’s #1 Fan – and a street-smart cat named
Mittens (voiced by Susie Essman), Bolt sets off on an
amazing journey where he discovers he doesn’t need super
powers to be a hero. BOLT was produced by Pixar co-founder
and CGI pioneer John Lasseter.
FILM REVIEW: When John
Lasseter was named chief creative officer and principal
creative advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering, many believed
that this was the turning point for the Disney Animation
Studio. After years of disappointments in the animation film
world. Lasseter who has been the Oscar®-winning director for
“Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2” and “Cars" was
now in charge of taking the famous animation studios back to
the top of the animation world."Bolt" is the first film
under the executive production of John Lasseter,
Collaborating with John was Ed Catmull, the computer
animation pioneer who helped create Pixar Animation Studios.
The film also marks the directing debut of Chris Williams
and Byron Howard.
Bolt avoids the mistakes made by previous Disney animation
films. It is not just for little kids like "Chicken Little"
and it doesn't ignore little kids like "Meet the Robinsons".
The story has enough material to please all demographics.
The film has the right combination of action, drama and
comedy, however the film lacks that defined character that
creates a clear connection with the audience.
The quality of the animation sees an improvement in "Bolt"
compared to previous Disney releases, but still the
animation is not as impressive as the animation from its
sibling studio Pixar. In another note “Bolt” is Disney’s
first animated feature to be conceived and designed for 3-D.
The previous Disney animated features—“Chicken Little” and
“Meet the Robinsons”—were released in 3-D versions, however
the post-production conversion process was created outside
of the Studio. This process paid off in the film, it gave
the movie better 3-D scenes.
There is enough entertainment to make Bolt one of the good
family films of the season. The Pixar influence was a major
upgrade for the Disney Animation Studio, putting it on track
to return to its prime days.
BLU-RAY: The film is
presented in 1080P widescreen in a 1.78:1 aspect ration
preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just
flawless, giving the animation an outstation clarity that
only high definition can provide. Not only the picture looks
excellent in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1
DTS-HD Master Audio (48kHz/24bit) that provides a good
complement to the picture , however I was very surprised to
find that the sound was not 7.1 DTS-HD. Not sure why Disney
Home Entertainment decide to only have 5.1 audio in this
release, after all Pinocchio's blu-ray is 7.1.
The 3-disc Blu-ray is a Special Offer Combo Pack that also
includes a DVD copy of the of the film, allowing
fans to own this classic story on standard def DVD while
they are preparing to upgrade to 1080p Hi-def Blu-ray, so
consumers can “future-proof” their collection.
Bolt's three disc blu-ray
set presentation is very similar to the recent combo packs
released by Disney Home Entertainment this year (
Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty). It is loaded with bonuses
and features that will keep the whole family fully
entertain. Many of these featurettes provide amazing details
on how the film was created. Featurettes like "Creating The
World of Bolt" , "Act, Speak! The Voices of Bolt" and "A New
Breed of Directors: A Filmmakers' Journey" take viewers
beyond the making of the film. It also includes the music
video "I thought I lost You" performed by Miley Cyrus and
John Travolta. Like it is usual with Disney DVD and Blu-ray
releases, this release includes the game "Bolt's Be Awesome
Mission Game", in which the players get to help Bolt defeat
the Green-Eyed man. Finally the must watch featurette
of this pack is "The Super Rhino Short". This short animated
film features probably the character that gave Bolt the best
laughs, Rhino. This is a really funny short. Don't miss it.
Also the blu-ray comes with
DB-Live, which allow users to get exclusive online content,
users get opportunity to chat, participate in movie
challenges and access movie mail. Your blu-ray player will
need to be connected to the internet, in order to access
this features.
Overall this release will be a
good addition to your Disney collection.
VIDEO:
1080P Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) Enhanced for 16 x
9 Televisions
AUDIO:
Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround - English Spanish
Subtitles - English, Spanish,
French
BONUS FEATURES:
Super Rhino –
BOLT breakout star Rhino, the hyperactive hamster, gets a
chance to headline his very own adventure! (4:30)
“I Thought I Lost
You” Music Video featuring the movie’s stars, Miley Cyrus
and John Travolta. (1:50)
In Session with John Travolta and Miley Cyrus - A
behind-the-scenes look at recording Bolt’s signature song “I
Thought I Lost You.” (1:30)
A New Breed of Directors: A Filmmakers’ Journey - First-time
directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard take fans along as
they traverse the road from concept to completion. (4:40)
Act, Speak! The Voices of Bolt
- Join the voice cast in
session: John Travolta (Bolt), Miley Cyrus (Penny), Susie
Essman (Mittens), James Lipton (Director) and Mark Walton
(Rhino). (9:50)
Creating The World of Bolt
– Bolt’s painterly backgrounds
have wowed audiences across the globe. The filmmakers
explain how they fashioned the unique look of this CG movie.
(6:50)
Deleted Scenes - With optional introductions by directors
Chris Williams and Byron Howard.
DisneyFile Digital Copy-Watch your DisneyFile Digital Copy
on the go!
Bolt’s Be-Awesome Mission
- In order to defeat the
Green-Eyed Man, Bolt has to find his way through three
challenging levels in an exciting interactive game. Viewers
can join in collecting clues, conquering ninjas and
unleashing the power of the Super Bark!
Bolt Art Gallery – Animation enthusiasts can check out the
film’s early creative concepts in the Bolt Art Gallery,
which contains the building blocks of a big screen
blockbuster, from storyboards to character mock-ups. Gallery
sections include Visual Development, Character Development,
Storyboard Art and Color Script Images.
BD-Live including Movie Chat, Movie Mail, Movie Challenge
and Movie Rewards
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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VIDEO |
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AUDIO |
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