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All parent reviews for Bolt
Average rating based on 61 parent reviews:
- 36% say violence is an issue
AGE
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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AGE
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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AGE
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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AGE
This a terrifically fun movie but the opening sequences were way too scary for my 5 year old. He asked us to turn it off. Having seen it before, I tried to explain the;show within show; concept but he did not really get that. He watched a bit longer - even into the part were the high action sequences were over - and still asked to be excused. So he was excused and happily went to hang out with Grandma instead. My 10 year old and I continued watching and we enjoyed it enormously. The role of Mittens the cat, voiced by Susie Essman, was hilarious and touching. Great family film but sensitive five and six year olds won't be ready for it. Start at 7 if you want to make sure everyone enjoys and understands it.
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AGE
A scary violent start for young ones
We didn't get past the first 20 minutes--my 5.5 year and 3 year old girls found the beginning scenes too intense and scary. Too violent for our tastes.
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AGE
Bolt is loaded with violence and not swell role models.
This movie is pretty violent despite what the review says. And kids this young don't understand "manufactured violence" or a "TV show within the movie". I'd say 6+, pretty iffy for 5, and definitely not for 4 or younger.
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AGE
Our whole family loves this one!
This is the one and only time you will hear me sing praise for anything with Miley Cyrus, but Bolt is a total gem! I seriously have heard other parents quoting Rhino's lines. The story never gets slow, the characters are never mean or horrible, and even the superficial agent is so funny he is a great example of what "not" to be like.
The story has some great lessons for little ones about bravery, friendship, perseverance, and honesty. Bolt is charming and adorable. Through his coming to terms with his "real identity" children learn valuable lessons about movie fantasy. I would recommend this for any child over 2 who is ready for a full-length film!
The opening scene does have some loud explosions and high suspense, but it is over quickly and it is essential to plot.
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AGE
An Absolute Favorite at Our House
Bolt is great entertainment for the whole family. Ultimately, the theme is about trust and friendship. The humor tickles me as much as my 8 year-old. It's a wonderful film.
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AGE
Ok for older kids
My daughter loves animals, so any movie where animals are the stars is a hit, my only concern with Bolt is that some scenes were a bit scary for the younger guy (3) and also the use of mean language that we don't allow at home (stupid)Other than that, the movie was fun to watch.
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AGE
My 6 year old didnt completely understand the movie--he wanted to see more of the television show Bolt--but he thought it was hysterically funny nonetheless. My husband and I laughed a lot as well.
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AGE
Unless they are desensitized this is NOT for young ones!
I agree with other reviewers, this movie has too much intensity. The fires, as well as the intense sadness were too much. Too fast paced. Unless, you're kids have been desensitized by watching a lot of other movies, and lack the innocence of the many lucky young ones, this is definately not for 5 and up.
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AGE
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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AGE
Just too much violence for my taste.
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.
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AGE
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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AGE
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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AGE
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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AGE
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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AGE
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* 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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AGE
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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