MPAA Rating: PG, for some mild action and peril
Genre: Animated/Comedy/Family
Age range: Ages 5 and up
Runtime: Approx. 96 minutes
Starring: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Diedrich Bader, Malcolm McDowell, Nick Swardson, Greg Germann
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date: November 21, 2008
Bolt - Summary
Bolt may be a perfectly happy and fulfilled -- although terribly paranoid -- puppy, but he's been living a lie. Poor Bolt is a movie star, but the problem is, he thinks the movies he stars in are real. Bolts owner and co-star, Penny, loves him to pieces, but she keeps up the facade in order to placate her producers. The harmless deception works out fine, until one day when Bolt accidentally ends up all alone in New York City, far from his Hollywood home.
Bolt determines to make it back to Hollywood and save Penny, who of course is just fine. He finds an unlikely traveling companion in Mittens, a cynical alley cat, and along the way back to Hollywood the two meet Rhino, a star-struck hamster. The three travel together, facing many challenges and obstacles on the way, until they finally make it to the movie capital, where Bolt can be reunited with Penny.
Bolt had been convinced of the true reality (that he has no super powers) through his experiences on the road; but the real sting happens when he comes to believe that he has been fully replaced. An unforeseen circumstance allows Bolt the opportunity to prove himself a real hero, but will he ever learn how irreplaceable he truly is?
Bolt - Guide Review for Parents
While fairly predictable, the movie Bolt is exciting for kids and has a few truly funny moments. Kids will likely be on the edge of their seats during this high-action adventure, but some of the action may be a bit scary for young children.
Several scenes in the movie depict perilous situations in which Bolt and Penny are actually acting, but just like Bolt, viewing children may not get that the peril is fake. It is hard for very young kids to distinguish reality from TV in the first place, so they will have a tough time understanding that the violence in the TV show within the movie isn't real for the characters.
The movie is very reminiscent of The Incredibles, which had similar super-hero type situations and animated violence. Bad guys chase down Penny and Bolt, and the two narrowly escape dangerous circumstances. Several types of weapons are used by the bad guys during the TV show shoots.
Bolt - Content Overview
The following lists a few of the most prominent examples of possibly offensive content in the movie (may contain spoilers):Violence (Medium)
- Penny learns that her father has been kidnapped. Men in a car chase her and Bolt, and Bolt runs into the car sending it flying. Men in helicopters and then on motorcycles with weapons pursue them in a high speed chase. Some crash or are otherwise stopped, but Penny and Bolt are soon surrounded. Bolt lets out a sonic bark and the sound waves blast all of the bad guys, leaving behind destruction. This is all fake, and part of a TV show that Bolt thinks is real life. Several instances of peril occur in the fake TV show, all of which Bolt thinks is real, and small children will likely not get the difference between the TV show and their real life either.
- Bolt, thinking he's a super hero, crashes into things, jumps off things and more. He also threatens a cat by hanging her off the side of a bridge.
- Bolt rescues Penny from a burning building, and the two make a very narrow escape.
Sex/Nudity (None)
Profanity (None)
Alcohol/Drugs (None)
Bad/Disrespectful Behavior (High)
- Two cats tease Bolt, acting like the TV show is real and worrying him about the bad guys.
- Mittens threatens the pigeons so they will bring her food. She threatens to get out her claws. The pigeons are terrified of her.
- A person throws a pan at a cat.
Scary Scenes (Medium)
- The scenes listed under violence may be particularly frightening for young children.
- Bolt and Mittens are captured by animal control.
- When Bolt and Penny are in the building that is on fire, they are both overcome by smoke inhalation, and it looks as though they won't make it.
Sad/Unsettling Scenes (Medium)
- We learn that Mitten's bitter attitude comes from the fact that her family left her.
- Bolt is devastated when he sees that Penny seems to have replaced him.
Bolt - Discuss the Movie
- After watching Bolt, children may have questions about the following topics: TV show violence, TV shows being fake, deserted animals, animal control, the extent to which animals have feelings like humans do.
