Post by Alice on Dec 12, 2008 1:49:32 GMT -8
When I first read about "American Dog" about two years ago, I thought to myself, "No, thanks!" As if the premise wasn't uninteresting enough, the fact that it was directed by Chris Sanders didn't please me, either.
When John Lasseter became an integral part of Disney (thank you, lucky stars![/i][/b]), he made key suggestions to Sanders regarding to "American Dog" on how to improve the film. Chris Sanders refused to change the film at all, and as a result he was removed from the project and replaced by Chris Williams and Byron Howard (look it up).
Was it a bit harsh that Chris Sanders was removed from the film's development because he refused to acknowledge constructive criticism? Some would argue yes, but the fact is I believe the changes were for the better.
I saw "Bolt" (the film's new title) after hearing surprisingly good things about it. For those who only wish to read my opinion in concise form, I'll sum it up: Bolt is good. It's not perfect, and there are certainly better Disney films out there, but it's good.
The story of "Bolt" is familiar territory. A girl meets and befriends a white shepherd, and together they give it their all to escape a hellish estate, populated by a large, deformed man with the mentality of a small child, a beautiful yet 'incomplete' maid who longs for proper womanhood, an incestuous man who wishes to enter said girl's womb (all while shooting wildly), and a cruel magician who's revealed to be the puppet master behind the whole plot.
Wait... that was "Haunting Ground." My bad!
"HEWIE!"
The true story of "Bolt" is familiar territory. A girl meets and befriends a white shepherd, and together they become extremely close. The girl is Penny (Miley Cyrus), and the dog is Bolt (John Travolta). Penny becomes a television actress, and Bolt is both her pet and co-star in said television series. However, the show's creative team (led by a director who looks and sounds very much like James Woods's Hades, but isn't) shelter Bolt and refuse to show him the real world. Therefore, "Bolt" can be described as Disney's answer to "The Truman Show."
Eventually, Bolt escapes in consternation, and sets out to rescue Penny. He is still convinced that he is a superdog when he meets Mittens the cat (Susie Essman) and Rhino the hamster (Mark Walton), two unlikely animals who tag along for the adventure... at least, Rhino volunteers his services, but Mittens is more or less kidnapped by Bolt.
The biggest problem with "Bolt" is the story. Granted, the story alone isn't bad by any means, but you've seen this story several times before. Unfortunately, "Bolt" is a formulaic story, and you can see what will happen next from a mile away as you watch.
Spoiler below. Highlight to read at your own risk.
Fortunately, what "Bolt" lacks in original storytelling, it makes up for it with exceptional animation, likable characters (excluding Rhino), and with brisk pacing overall. The CGI in Disney films not produced by Pixar, as seen in "Chicken Little" and "Meet the Robinsons," is still not the best around, but "Bolt" is currently the film with the best use of the engine. The character models don't have that Pixar magic, but they are very well done, and Mittens, I swear, has the most beautiful pair of green eyes I've ever seen in a computer animated film. The backgrounds are simply gorgeous; they've been created to be reminiscent of 2D animated backgrounds, or painted backgrounds in general. Not only does it give the film a more unique, admirable look, but it's also a clever nod to Bolt's belief that what we see in television is reality.
Rhino has one or two funny lines, but alas he is a fairly irritating character. It's true that the majority of Fantasmic Kingdom role-players dislike Hannah Montana, or even Miley Cyrus in general. Although I personally don't care much for Hannah Montana, and that I think that hiring Cyrus to voice a character in a Disney film is both lazy and cheap, I found very little to criticize regarding her performance as Penny. It's not the best acting I've heard, but I've also heard far, far worse. She gets the job done, to put it politely.
The true stars of the movie are John Travolta as Bolt and Susie Essman as Mittens. Travolta does a very good job as the titular character, and it's fairly obvious that he had great fun voicing the role. While Travolta is certainly the top-billed star, it is Essman's Mittens that holds the title of Joseph's Favorite Character in This Movie. Mittens has acid wit and dry sarcasm (much like Susie Essman herself, who some of us may know best as Larry David's nemesis in the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), but she also possesses a melancholic, pessimistic attitude in life. I am currently considering making Mittens here in FK, but that may not happen. We'll see.
The music gets the job done, but I didn't really take notice. Unfortunately, I had to leave as soon as the credits started, so I haven't seen the credits in their entirety, but from what it looked like, the sequence consisted of cute 2D animation.
"Bolt" falls short of Pixar's best, but it does surpass Pixar's weakest. I generally disliked "Chicken Little" (but Kirby is adorable!), and I believe "Meet the Robinsons" to be a flawed yet amusing story. It is "Bolt," however, that is giving a clear signal that Disney is slowly but surely returning to its enjoyable, family-friendly roots.
*** out of ****.
When John Lasseter became an integral part of Disney (thank you, lucky stars![/i][/b]), he made key suggestions to Sanders regarding to "American Dog" on how to improve the film. Chris Sanders refused to change the film at all, and as a result he was removed from the project and replaced by Chris Williams and Byron Howard (look it up).
Was it a bit harsh that Chris Sanders was removed from the film's development because he refused to acknowledge constructive criticism? Some would argue yes, but the fact is I believe the changes were for the better.
I saw "Bolt" (the film's new title) after hearing surprisingly good things about it. For those who only wish to read my opinion in concise form, I'll sum it up: Bolt is good. It's not perfect, and there are certainly better Disney films out there, but it's good.
The story of "Bolt" is familiar territory. A girl meets and befriends a white shepherd, and together they give it their all to escape a hellish estate, populated by a large, deformed man with the mentality of a small child, a beautiful yet 'incomplete' maid who longs for proper womanhood, an incestuous man who wishes to enter said girl's womb (all while shooting wildly), and a cruel magician who's revealed to be the puppet master behind the whole plot.
Wait... that was "Haunting Ground." My bad!
"HEWIE!"
The true story of "Bolt" is familiar territory. A girl meets and befriends a white shepherd, and together they become extremely close. The girl is Penny (Miley Cyrus), and the dog is Bolt (John Travolta). Penny becomes a television actress, and Bolt is both her pet and co-star in said television series. However, the show's creative team (led by a director who looks and sounds very much like James Woods's Hades, but isn't) shelter Bolt and refuse to show him the real world. Therefore, "Bolt" can be described as Disney's answer to "The Truman Show."
Eventually, Bolt escapes in consternation, and sets out to rescue Penny. He is still convinced that he is a superdog when he meets Mittens the cat (Susie Essman) and Rhino the hamster (Mark Walton), two unlikely animals who tag along for the adventure... at least, Rhino volunteers his services, but Mittens is more or less kidnapped by Bolt.
The biggest problem with "Bolt" is the story. Granted, the story alone isn't bad by any means, but you've seen this story several times before. Unfortunately, "Bolt" is a formulaic story, and you can see what will happen next from a mile away as you watch.
Spoiler below. Highlight to read at your own risk.
Throughout the film, it's blatant that Mittens holds some grudge against humans, or at least living a domestic life. Eventually, Mittens admits that she holds this grudge because she was once a house cat, but was abandoned, and forced to live a rough life on her own. This scene, although powerful, was already done in films like "Toy Story 2," where Jessie confines in Woody about her experience with an owner from long ago. This is the best example on how "Bolt" is formulaic.[/color]
Fortunately, what "Bolt" lacks in original storytelling, it makes up for it with exceptional animation, likable characters (excluding Rhino), and with brisk pacing overall. The CGI in Disney films not produced by Pixar, as seen in "Chicken Little" and "Meet the Robinsons," is still not the best around, but "Bolt" is currently the film with the best use of the engine. The character models don't have that Pixar magic, but they are very well done, and Mittens, I swear, has the most beautiful pair of green eyes I've ever seen in a computer animated film. The backgrounds are simply gorgeous; they've been created to be reminiscent of 2D animated backgrounds, or painted backgrounds in general. Not only does it give the film a more unique, admirable look, but it's also a clever nod to Bolt's belief that what we see in television is reality.
Rhino has one or two funny lines, but alas he is a fairly irritating character. It's true that the majority of Fantasmic Kingdom role-players dislike Hannah Montana, or even Miley Cyrus in general. Although I personally don't care much for Hannah Montana, and that I think that hiring Cyrus to voice a character in a Disney film is both lazy and cheap, I found very little to criticize regarding her performance as Penny. It's not the best acting I've heard, but I've also heard far, far worse. She gets the job done, to put it politely.
The true stars of the movie are John Travolta as Bolt and Susie Essman as Mittens. Travolta does a very good job as the titular character, and it's fairly obvious that he had great fun voicing the role. While Travolta is certainly the top-billed star, it is Essman's Mittens that holds the title of Joseph's Favorite Character in This Movie. Mittens has acid wit and dry sarcasm (much like Susie Essman herself, who some of us may know best as Larry David's nemesis in the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), but she also possesses a melancholic, pessimistic attitude in life. I am currently considering making Mittens here in FK, but that may not happen. We'll see.
The music gets the job done, but I didn't really take notice. Unfortunately, I had to leave as soon as the credits started, so I haven't seen the credits in their entirety, but from what it looked like, the sequence consisted of cute 2D animation.
"Bolt" falls short of Pixar's best, but it does surpass Pixar's weakest. I generally disliked "Chicken Little" (but Kirby is adorable!), and I believe "Meet the Robinsons" to be a flawed yet amusing story. It is "Bolt," however, that is giving a clear signal that Disney is slowly but surely returning to its enjoyable, family-friendly roots.
*** out of ****.
