My almost 6 year old daughter and I watched it, and though the violence is clearly (to an adult) fake, it didn't seem as though she understood it was manufactured- or why.
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 102 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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Kids ages: 3, 5
I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give itJust too much violence for my taste.
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
Great for Tweens, Teens, and Adults
I <3ed the movie it was great! umm... i think it teaches kids that adventure is always right in front of u and u gotta keep on trying to do something that u believe u
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
the dog is trying to find the evil guy the green eyed man but it turns out it was only a hollywood tv show on the way he meets a cat and a hamster he has to go through a building that blows up and there's a building on fire but no one is killed
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
the dog is trying to find the evil guy the green eyed man but it turns out it was only a hollywood tv show on the way he meets a cat and a hamster he has to go through a building that blows up and there's a building on fire but no one is killed
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
some violence, good characters and story, positive message
My son watched this at age 5 and had a little trouble keeping the actor/real-life stuff straight. We did have to stop the movie a few times and explain what was going on. The fire scene at the end made him a little nervous but promises that the movie had a happy ending helped. A lot of what Common Sense says is appropriate for his age is too scary but this one was fine. He used all his tv time for the day on this movie several times over the course of a couple of weeks.
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
4+
The second time i watched it it was horrible
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I rate this title iffy for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
A great movie!
I think this is a great movie! It is a movie you would want to see everyday! But don't your 5 year old watch it, because the violence and action might be to intense for them.
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
A good disney classic, an huge improvement over chicken little, and the first good 3D animation disney movie
This is a very good movie. It does improve over Chicken Little like visual, story, script, and humor. It's good because the dog is a little stupid, but the fire scene kind of scares me. I like it. I highly recommeded it
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Bolting to Victory
This was a very funny movie because the dog was sort of retarded. It's fine except for the end when there is a flurry of fire going around. It's very fun to see and you should definitely check it out.
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
I mean
WELLLL........... UMMMMMM....... it was ALRIGHT i mean that it was not a to die for movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but it did say "STUPID" i mean that was a cartoon disney movie that shouldn't be in there i mean that they should of put dumb but that is not the best word to use but it is better then STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Good for kids if you sit down and talk with them about the movie.
The positve message wasn't overt, but there was a message of loyalty to family ie Bolt with Penny and vice versa. There was also loyalty between friends with Rhino not letting bolt "go it alone". There was some violence in the movie with explosions, missles, car crashes and physical hitting like when bolt karate chops the bad guys. The fire scene at the end could be intense for children; however, it could be a good teaching moment to use to talk about a fire plan in your own home and what to do in the case of a fire. Overall, I thought the movie was well done. Some kids though could get a scare or two out of the movie and there could be a sense of sadness when Penny and Bolt are parted from each other. Our 2 and a half year old loves the movie.
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
No Title
The Bad Guy Says He's Erked
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
HUGE improvement over Chicken Little!
This is the best strictly Disney CG animated movie made. Now unfortunately I haven't seen it in a while so I can't go into detail, but the animation is spectacular, the action is high flying, is good for kids and adults, and above all it proved that Miley Cyrus can act; a huge accomplishment.
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
older kids
love it
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
In my opinion, Bolt was kind of useless to make. First of all, Disney has a multi-million dollar franchise in Pixar, and that should be enough for there computer animation. Disney still tries there best here though, and that's why it's worth watching. The story is about a canine who thinks the show that he stars in is all real. He also thinks he has superpowers (thanks to the producer's insisting that he has to think there is actual danger). One day, he gets lost and tries to find his way back to Penny, his owner and another star of the show. Though the story doesn't stand out at all, the animation makes up for it. It's not a huge breakthrough in character animation, but is sure is pretty. The dialouge gets a thumbs-up too. It's funny and precise. Some problems due crop up however. There are plenty of plot holes, lots of product placement, and some paper-thin characters. Miley Cyrus, who plays Penny, says that it excites her to finally be in a major motion picture that everyone can enjoy. In the film itself however, she tries way to hard to be someone else. So much for "being yourself", Disney's main marketing line. Overall, Bolt is a fun and pretty animated comedy that suffers from numerous flaws but will still appeal to many. Families looking for an all-out great movie experince, however, should check out Disney Pixar films.
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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
Good
Good movie, but not the best.
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
Cute and Sweet
Cute not the best but good movie
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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
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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!
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.
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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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| 30% | of parents say it's too violent |
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