Bolt (2008)
A Disney original story.
One day, a White Swiss Shepherd puppy named Bolt is adopted by a 7-year-old girl named Penny. Five years later, Bolt and a 12-year-old Penny star in a hit television series named after Bolt, in which Bolt and Penny fight crime and foil the plans of the villain, Dr. Calico (also known as the Green-Eyed Man) who has kidnapped Penny's father, with Bolt using various superpowers in their adventures. To gain a more realistic performance, the show's producers have arranged the filming in such a way that Bolt believes everything in the show is real, including his invulnerability, super-strength, and percussive sonic "Superbark". This means Bolt can never leave the set and live as a normal dog, much to Penny's dismay. After a cliffhanger episode causes Bolt to believe Penny has been kidnapped, he escapes from his on-set trailer in Hollywood, but knocks himself unconscious in a box of packing peanuts, which is then shipped to New York City.
Upon arrival in New York, Bolt is shocked to discover that his "superpowers" are useless. He encounters Mittens, a cynical feral cat who bullies pigeons out of their food. Believing that Mittens is an "agent" of Calico, Bolt ties her to his collar with a leash, and forces her to guide him back to Penny. Meanwhile, in Hollywood, a less-experienced Bolt look-alike is brought in so filming can resume. Penny is distraught over Bolt’s disappearance, but reluctantly agrees to halt the search so production can continue.
Feeling hungry for the first time in his life, Bolt accepts Mittens' advice and behaves like a cute and needy stray, securing food for them both at an RV park where they are joined by Rhino, a fearless hamster and huge fan of Bolt. This causes Mittens to realize Bolt is from a TV show, but she is unable to convince him of the truth. In frustration, Bolt repeatedly attempts to "superbark" Mittens, but the noise draws the attention of the local animal control service, and Bolt and Mittens are both captured and taken to a shelter.
Bolt, freed from the patrol van by Rhino, finally realizes and accepts that he is just a normal dog. However, he regains his confidence after Rhino (oblivious to this revelation) exhorts him to heroism, and they rescue Mittens from the shelter. As they continue west, Bolt and Mittens form a close friendship, in which she teaches Bolt how to be an ordinary dog and enjoy typical dog activities (“Barking at the Moon”). Mittens makes plans for the three of them to stay in Las Vegas, but Bolt is still determined to find Penny. Mittens reveals to Bolt that she was abandoned by her owners, and asserts that no human truly "loves" their pet, but Bolt refuses to believe her, and continues on alone to Hollywood. After finding out about Bolt's departure, Rhino convinces Mittens to go to Hollywood and find him.
When Bolt reaches the studio, he finds Penny embracing his look-alike during a rehearsal, and leaves feeling heartbroken. However, Mittens catches up to him and reassures him that Penny does love him. At the same time, the Bolt look-alike panics during the show's filming and accidentally knocks over some lit torches, setting the stage on fire with Penny trapped inside. Bolt arrives, and the two reunite inside the burning studio, but are unable to escape and Penny begins to suffocate from the smoke. Bolt stays with Penny and repeatedly barks into the building's air vent, alerting the firefighters to their location.
Bolt and Penny are rescued, and she and her mother quit when their agent proposes that they exploit the incident for publicity. The show continues with a replacement "Bolt" and "Penny" and a bizarre new storyline involving alien abduction. Penny adopts Mittens and Rhino, and they move to a rural home to enjoy a simpler lifestyle together (“I Thought I Lost You”).
TRIVIA
Visual Style
The animation and look of the film was inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper and the cinematography of Villas Zsigmond.
Bolt's characteristics are based on an amalgam of breeds, although the designers started with the American White Shepherd which have really long ears, a trait that allowed the animators to emphasize Bolt's expressiveness.
Technology
Non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) was used to give the film a special visual appearance.