Disney Bolt

In 2008, I remember going to my local movie theater to watch the Bolt movie. Initially, I had no idea what it was about, but once I started watching, I realized I loved it. I love animals and a movie about a super-dog is good in my book. However, Bolt is not a real super-dog; he’s a TV actor. He believes everything he sees is real, including Penny and her father being in danger of being captured by the evil Dr. Calico. Bolt uses his “superpowers” to prevent Dr. Calico’s henchmen from kidnapping Penny. Bolt and Penny’s love for each other is real despite the TV show. When Bolt goes missing, Penny is devastated. Bolt does everything he can to get back to Penny, including teaming up with a possible hench-cat of Dr. Calico called Mittens and Bolt’s biggest fan, a hamster named Rhino. Along the way, Mittens teaches Bolt what a normal dog’s life is like, while Rhino enjoys every minute he spends with his hero. Bolt has a huge decision to make at the crossroads of destiny once he discovers what he’s seen at home has been fake. The book describes the movie with character thoughts and shortened dialogue. I highly recommend reading the book and watching the movie Bolt. It is a classic to me.

Joe Moshier's fantastic illustrations evoke Mary Blair in style, layout and color design. It's too bad the movie didn't look more like the book. A must buy!