In my house, we love this movie. Every time we travel we like to watch it. After Joey, our dog died, I think my kids have really liked this movie. They like to think that Joey was just like Bolt but no one knew it. They also like to play BOLT with his superpowers around the house.
Bolt
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Super-dog adventure is fun, age-appropriate for kids.
Themes in this movie include: friendship, honesty
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 5 and Up
The good stuff
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Educational value:
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Role models:
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Bolt was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Parents need to know that kids are definitely going to want to see this animated adventure starring Miley Cyrus (well, her voice, anyway), even though it has nothing to do with Hannah Montana. There are some scenes of peril (explosions, hostage situations, evil cats) in the TV-show-within-a-movie, but after the first few action-packed minutes of the movie, it's made clear to the audience that it's all manufactured. There's also a tense, potentially scary fire during the movie's climax. But most of the movie's content is age-appropriate for its intended audience.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about what made kids want to see this movie -- was it the story or all of the advertising/marketing?
- Do you prefer animated movies where the voices are done by celebrities? Why or why not? How is Miley Cyrus uniquely qualified to star in a movie about a celebrity who should be allowed to act normal?
- What's the difference between reality and fiction? How was Bolt stuck in a fictional life? What does Penny think Bolt is missing by thinking he's actually a super dog? Why is Mittens skeptical about humans?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Bolt
What’s the Story?
BOLT (voiced by John Travolta, doing some of his best work in years) is a special dog who's trained to believe he's actually a crime-fighting dog with superpowers, rather than a canine actor. Since puppyhood, Bolt has lived only on the TV show's set and truly thinks his young owner Penny (Miley Cyrus) lives under constant threat from a mad scientist and his evil cats. When Bolt accidentally lands in a shipping box, he winds up in New York City, still under the delusion that he's all-powerful. With the help of a reluctant stray cat named Mittens (Susie Essman) and a feisty hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton), Bolt travels cross-country to find his beloved Penny.
Is It Any Good?
Travolta is surprisingly evocative as a dog with a brave exterior but sensitive spirit, and it's refreshing to hear Cyrus as something other than her self-promoting persona or her alter ego, Hannah Montana. The pair have a touching on-screen chemistry, as do Travolta and Essman, who's best known as Jeff Garlin's shrewish wife Susie on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. Toning down the edge in her New York accent, Essman's Mittens may remind viewers of a more assertive Jessie from Toy Story 2.
With John Lasseter installed as chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation, Pixar's influence is noticeable in Bolt, and that's a good thing. It's not a Pixar film, but the revolutionary studio's meticulous attention to detail and dialogue are evident. There aren't too many wink-wink double entendres or inside pop-culture jokes -- just a simple story about a super dog who comes to terms with being super to the only person who counts.
Movie Details
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Directors: Byron Howard, Chris Williams
Run time: 96 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/21/2008, DVD release: 3/24/2009
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild action and peril
Run time: 96 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/21/2008, DVD release: 3/24/2009
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild action and peril
Our Members Say
See 84 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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Kids ages: 5, 7
I rate this title on for age 6 and give it- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
A great spark for kid's imagination-they'll want to be just like Bolt!
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Kids ages: 5
I rate this title off for age 5 and give it- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Negative role models
No good for 5 year old
My five year old was terrified, and while it was clear to an adult that Bolt was an "actor" my son didn't fully get it (at least until we had to turn it off!). The beginning was way too violent and scary, it was too sad when the girl left him, and we turned it off when the cats started to scare him. Maybe it gets better from there, but my kids were terrified at this point!
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Kids ages: 5
I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Watch it before you let your little ones
Based on my 5 year old daughters short life and life experiences, I felt that despite most reviews here and Pluggedinonline.com this movie was WAY too intense and we had to turn it off half way through. She could not discern the difference between the "actor" and the "real life" character and she has NO, none, nada frame of reference to process some of the "real life" peril (the train scene where Bolt still does not know he is not a super hero and their lives are truly at risk, this is where we stopped watching). Prior to viewing the movie with my daughter I discussed the most popular concerns (real life vs. acting, the fire at the end, the scary guys with green eyes) that parents had with the movie and felt that it would be appropriate for her to watch. Sadly, the reviews did not match up to the actual response of my daughter. If you choose to watch this movie with your young child watch their body language and facial expressions and take the time to pause and ask them what they are feeling, they may want to turn it off (or not). In a nutshell, we did not get to discuss the overall positive messages, whatever they might be, of this movie because we never got past the overall (scary) intensity which had a much greater impact.
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Kids ages: 3
I rate this title on for age 3 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
even preschoolers enjoy it
a few scary scenes, even a fire but very cute and attention-grabbing animation. Our 3 yr old's new favorite!
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I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Such a cute movie, but depressing scenes
If your an animal lover, this show isn't for you. There are too many depressing scenes on animals that don't have homes and where they end up is the pound (if they get caught). There was alot of cute, funny scenes too. I just can't get reality out of my head when I watch this movie. We have animals out in this world that do need homes and get put to sleep everyday in shelters do to over population. This show was confusing for a kid to understand what the show was doing. They would be making a show on it and then switch to reality. Just confusing.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 33% | of parents say it's too violent |
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