Here's a movie I decided to watch because, well I'm not sure exactly, the 2008 animated feature from Disney called Bolt. Directed by Byron Howard and Chris Williams, Bolt features the voices of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton, Susie Essman, and the late, great Macho Man Randy Savage. In Bolt, a dog named Bolt (Travolta) that stars in a fictional sci-fi show starts to believe that his powers are real, and he also believes that his co-star Penny (Cyrus) was kidnapped by the evil Dr. Calico (McDowell). Somehow, Bolt falls in a box and is shipped to New York City, where he meets a stray cat named Mittens (Essman) and a hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton), who just happens to be Bolt's biggest fan. The three of them journey back to Hollywood in hopes of 'rescuing' Penny.
Bolt starts out with a bang, as Bolt and Penny race through a giant city escaping from Dr. Calico's army (the army seems as big as the Canadian army, btw). Bolt displays a wide array of super powers, including heat vision, super strength (he can flip a moving car over his head), super leaping abilities and his go to move, a super bark that can wipe out every building in a mile radius. Yes, Bolt is perhaps the most powerful dog in the history of fiction, but the problem is, he thinks it's all real, as he's trapped in a "Truman Show" type reality because the director believes that is the best manner for Bolt to deliver his best performance. This seems like it would take a lot of money and effort to pull off, but considering the Michael Bay-type action scene in the TV show, apparently this is a production company with an unlimited overhead. Plus, this seems to be an unethical and possibly illegal way of handling a dog, but that's beside the point.
Anyway, Bolt gets lost and takes Mittens as his prisoner because he believes that all cats are servants of Dr. Calico. Even though Bolt is completely oblivious to the world outside of him, he is rather resourceful and adapts somewhat quickly to his new surroundings, despite not having superpowers. Bolt and Mittens travel across the country, and eventually meet Rhino, a hamster in a ball who believes everything he sees on television is real, in an RV Park. The three make for an interesting trio, with Mittens serving as the voice of reason for the delusional Bolt and Rhino. Each of them are actually quite likeable in their own ways, with Bolt always showing loyalty to both Penny and Mittens and doing whatever he can to save them, Mittens being a streetwise, snarky feline who has seen too much to get her hopes up, and Rhino just happy to be hanging out with one of his heroes. Remarkably, each of them weren't annoying at all, even Rhino, who at first I thought I wouldn't like, but his constant optimism and gung-ho attitude won me over.
The movie explores a few themes, such as the evils that exist in Hollywood, what with the slimy agents, overbearing network executives and all. This coming from one of the biggest movie companies in the world. I guess somebody as Disney really hates talent agents, because the agent character here (voiced by Greg Germann) is a slimy character who would sell his own kids out (and admits this) and seems to be callous to the personal feelings of his clients. Overall, I'd say that the movie's satire of Hollywood was a bit heavy handed, but since it is a kid's movie, perhaps they felt that was the only way to get the point across. Something else I found interesting was that Penny seemed to feel trapped by starring in her own TV show and the lifestyle that goes with it, a situation that was not too different from her voice actor's situation with her show (Hannah Montana). Kind of ironic, no? Another theme that Bolt explores is the issue of pet abandonment, particularly in a heart-tugging tale told by Mittens that explains her cynical view towards humans.
Overall, even though you could guess the ending about 15 minutes in, Bolt is an entertaining film that features solid animation and some good voice acting, particularly by Travolta and Essman. While the story isn't revolutionary or anything, and the soundtrack included John Travolta singing, it is a solid tale and there a few laughs mixed in. Overall, I'd give it a 7.25 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this movie, or ideas for future reviews, then share those thoughts either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.
Showing posts with label Disney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney. Show all posts
Friday, July 22, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Canon Movie Review: The Lion King
The highest selling home video of all-time (and I still have a copy of that video somewhere), The Lion King is a 1994 film made by Disney and is in my opinion the last great hand drawn animated film Disney ever produced, even if the storyline is largely lifted from a 1960s Japanese cartoon called Kimba the Lion. The Lion King featured voice acting from Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Mr. Bean, Moira Kelly, Robert Guillamane, Nathan Lane, one half of Cheech and Chong, and the naked guy on the subway from Seinfeld. Also, it featured a soundtrack written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a talking warthog. In The Lion King, Simba (Broderick) watches his father and king of Pride Rock Mufasa (Jones) die thanks to an evil plot conceived by his uncle Scar (Irons). Convinced he is to blame, Simba leaves for a long exile, but eventually he must come back to face his past and regain his throne. Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but that's basically the jist of the movie. A few notes about this film, and there are SPOILERS, so read carefully.
- For a kid's movie, this is some heavy stuff. Not only is there the on-screen death of a major character in Mufasa, there's numerous attempts on Simba's life when he's a mere cub, male on female violence, themes of imprisonment and starvation and even flatulence, although that last one is more humorous than anything. Sure, it is more tame than most other movies, but there are some mature themes in this film that may have some effect on younger viewers.
- Scar is an interesting villian in this film. For one, he's a cold and evil lion, willing to kill his own family to get his way, but at the same time he's not willing to get his hands dirty. Instead of, say, killing Simba himself, Scar tries to set Simba up for the hyenas to kill instead. Also, Scar comes up with a convoluted plan to kill Mufasa and really only does that by letting gravity take its course, then pins it on Simba before getting the hyenas to try and kill him again. One might say that Scar is a coward that only picks on those weaker than him and backs down from confrontation when faced with an equal challenger. To his credit, Scar is charismatic in his own way, as he is able to spin enough lies to get the hyenas on his side to carry out his evil plan.
- Speaking of the hyenas, I kind of feel for them. I mean, think about it. The hyenas are banished by Mufasa or whoever was before him to live in an elephant graveyard where all they get to eat is scraps and whatever poor soul happens to come across their path. Then Scar comes around and promises food and equality for all the hyenas, so they do what they must in order to secure more food and a better future for their kind. Then the guy they've pinned all their hopes on, Scar, isn't so good as a king, and all the food eventually disappears (perhaps due to the ecosystem not being able to handle the infusion of all the hyenas, although the movie seems to just put all the blame on Scar because he sucks or something), so eventually the hyenas are just left with the same situation as before, with little food and little hope, plus they're being scapegoated for all the problems of Pride Rock. It's not east being a hyena in this tale, that's for sure.
- After Simba leaves his home, he meets up with a pair of aimless drifters named Timon (Lane) and Poomba (Ernie Sabella/naked guy from Seinfeld), a meerkat and warthog respectively. The duo ends up carrying the bulk of the humor in the film, and despite being a little over the top, they aren't too annoying at all. I don't know how a meerkat and warthog get along so well, but by golly they do here. Timon and Poomba are portrayed as aimless drifters who live off the earth and have a motto of no worries. So I guess that makes them hippies? I wonder if Timon and Poomba ever did some wacky tobaccy? Or maybe I'm just overthinking things again.
- My least favorite character in this story is Mufasa's assistant, a bird named Zazu (Rowan Atkinson). He's either an overbearing twit (as in the scene where he confronts Scar about missing Simba's introduction ceremony) or a bossy know it all. Let's just say I wasn't too upset that he ended up in a prison during Scar's regime. Apparently, I'm not the only person that feels this way, as this video below will attest:
- The animation of this movie is incredible, particularly the opening montage and the stampede scene. It was so well-drawn that there were times where it looked as if it was done by computer instead of by hand. Also, the soundtrack had a few memorable songs, including The Circle of Life and Can You Feel the Love Tonight? My favorite was Be Prepared, in spite of its general message of genocide and murdering of family members via stampede.
Well, it's late, so I'm going to wrap it up here. I watched The Lion King in theaters when it was first released as a young lad, and came out really liking the film. After watching it again, I must say that I feel the same way that I did some 16-17 years ago. Yes, The Lion King may be a little above the heads of some younger viewers, but it is also a film that features great animation, an interesting (if simple) plot, and some memorable songs. Overall, I'd give The Lion King an 8 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you any ideas for future posts, or thoughts about this post, than either leave a comment on the blog or send them to me at e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.
- For a kid's movie, this is some heavy stuff. Not only is there the on-screen death of a major character in Mufasa, there's numerous attempts on Simba's life when he's a mere cub, male on female violence, themes of imprisonment and starvation and even flatulence, although that last one is more humorous than anything. Sure, it is more tame than most other movies, but there are some mature themes in this film that may have some effect on younger viewers.
- Scar is an interesting villian in this film. For one, he's a cold and evil lion, willing to kill his own family to get his way, but at the same time he's not willing to get his hands dirty. Instead of, say, killing Simba himself, Scar tries to set Simba up for the hyenas to kill instead. Also, Scar comes up with a convoluted plan to kill Mufasa and really only does that by letting gravity take its course, then pins it on Simba before getting the hyenas to try and kill him again. One might say that Scar is a coward that only picks on those weaker than him and backs down from confrontation when faced with an equal challenger. To his credit, Scar is charismatic in his own way, as he is able to spin enough lies to get the hyenas on his side to carry out his evil plan.
- Speaking of the hyenas, I kind of feel for them. I mean, think about it. The hyenas are banished by Mufasa or whoever was before him to live in an elephant graveyard where all they get to eat is scraps and whatever poor soul happens to come across their path. Then Scar comes around and promises food and equality for all the hyenas, so they do what they must in order to secure more food and a better future for their kind. Then the guy they've pinned all their hopes on, Scar, isn't so good as a king, and all the food eventually disappears (perhaps due to the ecosystem not being able to handle the infusion of all the hyenas, although the movie seems to just put all the blame on Scar because he sucks or something), so eventually the hyenas are just left with the same situation as before, with little food and little hope, plus they're being scapegoated for all the problems of Pride Rock. It's not east being a hyena in this tale, that's for sure.
- After Simba leaves his home, he meets up with a pair of aimless drifters named Timon (Lane) and Poomba (Ernie Sabella/naked guy from Seinfeld), a meerkat and warthog respectively. The duo ends up carrying the bulk of the humor in the film, and despite being a little over the top, they aren't too annoying at all. I don't know how a meerkat and warthog get along so well, but by golly they do here. Timon and Poomba are portrayed as aimless drifters who live off the earth and have a motto of no worries. So I guess that makes them hippies? I wonder if Timon and Poomba ever did some wacky tobaccy? Or maybe I'm just overthinking things again.
- My least favorite character in this story is Mufasa's assistant, a bird named Zazu (Rowan Atkinson). He's either an overbearing twit (as in the scene where he confronts Scar about missing Simba's introduction ceremony) or a bossy know it all. Let's just say I wasn't too upset that he ended up in a prison during Scar's regime. Apparently, I'm not the only person that feels this way, as this video below will attest:
- The animation of this movie is incredible, particularly the opening montage and the stampede scene. It was so well-drawn that there were times where it looked as if it was done by computer instead of by hand. Also, the soundtrack had a few memorable songs, including The Circle of Life and Can You Feel the Love Tonight? My favorite was Be Prepared, in spite of its general message of genocide and murdering of family members via stampede.
Well, it's late, so I'm going to wrap it up here. I watched The Lion King in theaters when it was first released as a young lad, and came out really liking the film. After watching it again, I must say that I feel the same way that I did some 16-17 years ago. Yes, The Lion King may be a little above the heads of some younger viewers, but it is also a film that features great animation, an interesting (if simple) plot, and some memorable songs. Overall, I'd give The Lion King an 8 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you any ideas for future posts, or thoughts about this post, than either leave a comment on the blog or send them to me at e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.
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