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.
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 all 82 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Watch it before you let your little ones
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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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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Better than it's comparable fare
This movie was a refreshing change from some of the 'Crapagascar' type films that I have been seeing served up to children of late. There was a real story with real emotions done very well by all of the talent involved. Note too that the animation was superb and it is no surprise that John Lasseter was involved on this project. There was enough of the cutesy stuff to keep the young ones involved without getting too kitschy and enough 'meat' to keep the adults entertained. There were inside jokes abound for the faithful genre watchers though not so tough as to scare away the uninitiated. The characters were great, the facial expressions on Bolt were fantastic, the voices were believable and the pigeons and Rhino the hamster had me laughing quite a bit. This was a much tastier morsel than I had anticipated. This film is noted as being good for ages five and above, but I think conceptually it reaches for an audience a tad older. At the same time a five year old gets the main messages in the movie...at least the one sitting next to me did. Enjoyable from beginning to end. A very fun watch.
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I rate this title iffy for age 3 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
My 3 yo has watched it, but I'm not crazy about the violence
My kid loves it, but apparently I have less of a tolerance for violence than most here. Both times I saw this film, I was struck by the level of violence throughout the film.
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I rate this title on for age 3 and give it
Good for just about any age.
I dug this movie. Some scenes are intense but my almost 3 year old didn't seem to mind them much. A little sassy talk. Overall a good, entertaining movie that I don't mind my little one watching.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
Funny, Funny movie
I loved this movie. I love Rino the hamster.Also, I allways loved the part when the cat was teaching the dog to be a normal dog.I jus wanted to live in the movie. My mom loved it too.
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
cute movie
It was a cute movie
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
great movie
very good movie and the vilonce is kid friendly.until the very end wear the main charecters almost die in a fire. (my six year old cousin (who is a boy) didnt like the movie)
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
great - until the very end, then too scary
Loved the movie and was ok with it for my 5 yo right up until the very end, but the scene with the fire was very scary. When the movie ended, she smiled and then burst into tears. By the end, she had gotten so attached to the girl and Bolt and it was a "real" danger, as opposed to the other (earlier) dangers that we explained were really pretend for filming.
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I rate this title iffy for age 4 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Too Scary for Sensitive 5 year olds
Ditto to some of what has already been said. TOO SCARY for sensitive kids. My son (5.5) didn't quite get it and had nightmares. Granted, he seems to be on the sensitive side. But, there are better options out there -- from Cars to even Madagascar II -- much less violence.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Best Disney film since Ratatouille
This movie is one of the funniest and best animated film since Ratatouille. This is also kind of a sweet movie too. It's very entertaining for kids ages 6-7+. This movie has a scary scene that children 5 and under won't like. I recommend this movie to people who love Disney Animated films.
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
OVERPROCTIVE MOM SAYS...
{I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 2.0 My concerns are: * Excessive violence Ignore what this site says about this movie! My kids (7.5 and 4.5) are very sensitive and scare easily. So when I read this site's review and saw that there was nothing scary in this movie, I figured it would be a good choice for our family. Ignore, for example, the line that says it's clear that the violence is fake. It is NOT clear until AFTER it is revealed that the violence in the beginning is not real life, but a TV show. We don't know this until several minutes into the movie, until after we've seen a lot of scary stuff. The review also does not mention the very real fire that occurs at the end of the movie, when Penny's life is in danger. Um, you didn't think to mention this, Common Sense Media? This is incredibly disturbing to kids! My son also had trouble with the fact that Penny and Bolt were separated for much of the movie. He kept asking when Bolt was going to be with Penny again. He even cried about it. And near the end, when Bolt finds Penny, he witnesses her reuniting with a fake Bolt for the TV show. This made my son cry too. So while this isn't scary or violent, it's tough on a whole 'nother level.} -chocokids Give me a break, your 7 year old (almost 8) got scared!?! Obviously you either shelter your kids WAY too much or they are EXTREMELY SENSITIVE because you baby them...These are the kind of kids that live with their parents their whole life because they don't deal with anything on their own. Oh by the way I bet you fight all their battles at school too. LET YOUR KIDS HAVE SOME INDEPENDENCE IF YOU WANT THEM TO BE RESPONSIBLE, SUCCESSFUL ADULTS.
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I rate this title off for age 2 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Ignore what this site says about this movie! My kids (7.5 and 4.5) are very sensitive and scare easily. So when I read this site's review and saw that there was nothing scary in this movie, I figured it would be a good choice for our family. Ignore, for example, the line that says it's clear that the violence is fake. It is NOT clear until AFTER it is revealed that the violence in the beginning is not real life, but a TV show. We don't know this until several minutes into the movie, until after we've seen a lot of scary stuff. The review also does not mention the very real fire that occurs at the end of the movie, when Penny's life is in danger. Um, you didn't think to mention this, Common Sense Media? This is incredibly disturbing to kids! My son also had trouble with the fact that Penny and Bolt were separated for much of the movie. He kept asking when Bolt was going to be with Penny again. He even cried about it. And near the end, when Bolt finds Penny, he witnesses her reuniting with a fake Bolt for the TV show. This made my son cry too. So while this isn't scary or violent, it's tough on a whole 'nother level.
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I rate this title iffy for age 4 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Ignore site review - VERY scary parts!!!
Ignore what this site says about this movie! My kids (7.5 and 4.5) are very sensitive and scare easily. So when I read this site's review and saw that there was nothing scary in this movie, I figured it would be a good choice for our family. Ignore, for example, the line that says it's clear that the violence is fake. It is NOT clear until AFTER it is revealed that the violence in the beginning is not real life, but a TV show. We don't know this until several minutes into the movie, until after we've seen a lot of scary stuff. The review also does not mention the very real fire that occurs at the end of the movie, when Penny's life is in danger. Um, you didn't think to mention this, Common Sense Media? This is incredibly disturbing to kids! My son also had trouble with the fact that Penny and Bolt were separated for much of the movie. He kept asking when Bolt was going to be with Penny again. He even cried about it. And near the end, when Bolt finds Penny, he witnesses her reuniting with a fake Bolt for the TV show. This made my son cry too. So while this isn't scary or violent, it's tough on a whole 'nother level.
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I rate this title on for age 3 and give it
- My highlights are:
A great movie for the family
This movie is about a dog that thinks he is a superhero and accidently gets shipped from hollywood to new york and must find his way home. There is minimum scariness little langage and a great storyline!
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
funny
was a great movie! the only scary stuff was the tv show
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I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Good, with prior knowledge and discussion... be prepared!
My husband and I are big Disney movie fans and LOVED the movie, especially the hamster. We took our 7 year old to see it as a reward for schoolwork. We did a lot of discussion prior to seeing the movie about the "non fiction" parts, the filming of the tv show and the scary bad guy with the needle at the end. She was fine with it and loved it. It saddesn me that moviemakers can't be creative enough to deveolp a G-Rated children's movie. It would be nice to go to a movie without having to have discussions prior to the movie, and sit there on the edge of my seat waiting for some inappropriate moment to crop up! I know that most of the movies I saw as a kid were "G-Rated", and I remember a great many times being scared and upset. Who is rating this stuff, anyway? Thank goodnes for this site, so we don't go into situations unprepared!
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
Great for all ages...
Very predictable, although still enjoyable. The kids loved it! I have to admit, the hamster was pretty cute.
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| 52% | of parents say it's too violent |
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