Amy and I recently spent some time with the family and went out to see Bolt in 3-D. I was one of the folks who didn’t think too highly about this film when I first saw the trailer. Long ago, when I saw the pre-production art by Chris Sanders for the film in its original incarnation (American Dog), I was pretty excited to see what would become of it. The early concepts seemed so dark and surreal, where the main character’s delusions of grandeur made the film look like a cross between Harvey and Sunset Blvd, except that we actually see the delusions. I remember thinking how interesting the project was, but I was also wondering how they were going to make it work as a family film. Since that time, Chris Sanders was taken off the project, and the film seemed to take a much different approach. This is when I lost interest, as the film looked to be a run-of-the-mill animated pet feature.
Now, after having seen Bolt, I’ll say it’s easily one of the year’s best films. I was surprised by how emotionally wrapped up I felt during the second half, and I was on the verge of tears throughout. Maybe it’s just because I’m a real softy, but I realize I get very emotional when I see anything that puts a lot of faith in empathy. It’s just nice to see characters honestly working to try and understand each other, and it’s so amazing how effective such a simple act can be. Anyway, I found Bolt to be an excellent film. If you’re looking to take the family to see a sweet and simple story with high production values over the break, this is a great pick.
On an added note, while I was pretty skeptical about 3-D glasses, the technology has now won me over. It didn’t really distract me, and I had a lot of fun looking at the beautiful moving scenery, and especially at how the artists beautifully rendered the American landscape. I recommend checking it out in 3-D, but seeing as how the real star of this film is the solid storytelling, you can’t really go wrong either way.
