Bolt (Disney character)
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Bolt is a fictional character that appears in
Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...
' 48th feature, '' Bolt'' (2008). He is depicted as a
White Swiss Shepherd The White Swiss Shepherd Dog or (german: link=no, Weisser Schweizer Schäferhund, it, Pastore Svizzero Bianco) is a Swiss breed of shepherd dog. It descends from North American White Shepherds imported to Switzerland; the White Shepherd itse ...
with superpowers such as a "super bark" and the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes. When he found himself lost, Bolt discovered that he was an actor in a television show, and must take it upon himself to get back home, learning how to be a normal dog in the process. Bolt's journey and personal evolution as a character are core to the film's main themes. Created by Chris Williams and Byron Howard, Bolt is introduced as a dog who is unknowingly the star of his own TV show. His ignorance is crucial as the cast and crew go to extreme lengths to make Bolt think he is actually a super dog in order to make the performance more
authentic Authenticity or authentic may refer to: * Authentication, the act of confirming the truth of an attribute Arts and entertainment * Authenticity in art, ways in which a work of art or an artistic performance may be considered authentic Music * A ...
. The character is voiced by John Travolta. Much of the inspiration for Bolt was provided by
John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter (; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, voice actor, and the head of animation at Skydance Animation. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios ...
, who also oversaw his visual development with chief character designer Joe Moshier. Aside from the film, the character also appears in the direct-to-video short film '' Super Rhino'', the two video games '' Bolt'' and ''
Disney Infinity ''Disney Infinity'' is an action-adventure sandbox toys-to-life video game series developed by Avalanche Software. The setting of the series is a giant customizable universe of imagination, known as the Toy Box, populated with toy versions of i ...
'', and the ''
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom was an interactive game found in the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The premise of the game is that Hades is trying to take over the Magic Kingdom and Merlin is recruiting park guests as new ...
'' trade card role-playing game. In addition, photos of Bolt appear in ''
Wreck-It Ralph ''Wreck-It Ralph'' is a 2012 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 52nd Disney animated feature film, it was directed by Rich Moore (in his feature director ...
'' (2012) and '' Big Hero 6'' (2014). Bolt, along with John Travolta's vocal performance, has received mostly positive critical acclaim from
film critics Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...
and became a
breakout character A breakout character is a character in serial fiction, especially a member of an ensemble cast, who becomes much more prominent, popular, discussed, or imitated than expected by the creators. A breakout character may equal or overtake the oth ...
, leading to strong sales of merchandise and
toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...
s following the film's release.


Development


Characterization and design

The character known as Bolt was originally conceptualized as a bipedal
Jack Russell Terrier The Jack Russell Terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting in England. It is principally white-bodied and smooth, rough or broken-coated and can be any colour. Small tan and white terriers that technically belong to ot ...
named Henry, designed by
Chris Sanders Christopher Michael Sanders (born March 12, 1962) is an American director, screenwriter, producer, illustrator, and voice actor. His credits include '' Lilo & Stitch'' (2002) and '' How to Train Your Dragon'' (2010), both of which he co-wrote an ...
. In this script, Henry would be aware of the fact that he is an actor. Henry, as well as Sander's idea for the movie, was eventually scrapped when John Lasseter and some colleagues from Pixar reviewed the project. The character was subsequently redesigned after a White Spitz Breed, although changes were done to the muzzle, ears, and overall body structure to give the character a more distinctive and expressive appearance. Some aspects of his design, such as his distinctive ears, were inspired by American White Shepherds in order to emphasize his expressiveness. To make Bolt's movement seem more realistic and in line with that of real canines, the animation department studied the body language and locomotion of real white shepherds and utilized virtual bone-structure in the CGI models.Toon Tuesday: Recycling, Disney Feature Animation-style
Jimhillmedia.com.
Personality-wise, the new Bolt would be more naïve and insecure, conveying more pathos than Henry. At the same time, the art department worked to give Bolt a whimsical nature with a pose that excels confidence, thus allowing the character to have a contrasting personality and body language which reflects that.


Voice work

John Travolta was chosen to do the voice work for Bolt. Despite a history of turning down voice-over offers for animated characters, he agreed to provide the voice for Bolt as he, according to the actor himself, "indicated as the right character". In an interview with
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, Travolta explained that he was intrigued with Bolt's personality after reading the script. "When I read this script and saw this character, so guileless, so kind of naïve and fun and touching I just said to myself; maybe this is the one to do".Travolta Gets Animated
BCS: The Early Show
When recording the dialogue for Bolt, animators would film Travolta's facial expressions and use them when sketching the storyboard and animating Bolt's mimics. Travolta took inspiration for his performance from earlier action films such as '' Broken Arrow'' and ''
Face/Off ''Face/Off'' is a 1997 American science fiction action thriller film directed by John Woo, written by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, and starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The first Hollywood film in which Woo was given major creativ ...
'', mixing it up with a certain naiveté and guilelessness suitable for Bolt's character.Official Disney Production Notes
Disney.go.com.


Physical appearance

Bolt's breed is not specified in the movie but the animators based him on the Swiss White Shepherd Dog, his big, erect ears and long, bushy tail being the most prominent indicators. Most of the time, his ears are standing vigilantly erect over his head which matches his intent personality and sharp profile and allowed the animators to emphasize his expressiveness as they leave his face uncovered. Bolt is portrayed as a medium-sized dog with a height at the wither of 50 centimeters and a creamy white coat. Bolt has a strong neck with thick, double-coated fur, which is raised when excited and lowered while running, much like a real shepherd dog. The difference between Bolt's back head and neck is not very defined. Bolt's appearance is designed to be "softer" than a real German Shepherd with a more curved outline, thick, rounded legs and domed forehead. The "normal" Shepherd has longer, thinner legs and a more meager appearance. Bolt's coat is a creamy white and his fur differs in thickness as it is short haired over his belly, flanks and back, and a bit thicker over his neck. The animators worked much with Bolt's fur so that it would seem soft and fluffy with every hair moving in a realistic way. Special animation software was used by the production team to animate and render Bolt's more than 200,000 hairs. During the making of the movie, having Bolt's white fur getting smudged and dirty was a challenge, according to the animators.


Breed

There has been some disagreement as to whether Bolt is a
White Shepherd The White Shepherd is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in the United States. Although white-coated German Shepherds have been known in Europe as early as 1882, in 1933 the breed standard was amended in their native Germany, banning white-co ...
(as suggested by early promotional material where he was erroneously referred to as a ''
German Shepherd The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899. It was originally bred as a herding dog, for ...
'') or a
Berger Blanc Suisse The White Swiss Shepherd Dog or (german: link=no, Weisser Schweizer Schäferhund, it, Pastore Svizzero Bianco) is a Swiss breed of shepherd dog. It descends from North American White Shepherds imported to Switzerland; the White Shepherd itself ...
. Supporting this theory is the fact that the ''Blanc Suisse'' variate tend to be smaller with a more square-cut muzzle which aligns more with Bolt's in-movie appearance. Bolt's breed is never mentioned in the film. Joe Moshier, Bolt's main character designer, has indicated that Bolt is loosely based on a white German Shepherd puppy the animation team studied during the character's early design phase, but was never intended to be any one specific breed.


Appearances


Films


''Bolt''

A
White Swiss Shepherd The White Swiss Shepherd Dog or (german: link=no, Weisser Schweizer Schäferhund, it, Pastore Svizzero Bianco) is a Swiss breed of shepherd dog. It descends from North American White Shepherds imported to Switzerland; the White Shepherd itse ...
puppy named Bolt is adopted by a 7-year-old girl named Penny. Five years later, Bolt and a 12-year-old Penny star in a hit television series called ''Bolt'', in which they fight crime with Bolt using various
superpowers A superpower is a state with a dominant position characterized by its extensive ability to exert influence or project power on a global scale. This is done through the combined means of economic, military, technological, political and cultural s ...
to protect Penny from the villain, Dr. Calico, who kidnapped Penny's father. To gain a more realistic performance, the show's producers have deceived Bolt his entire life, arranging the filming in such a way that Bolt believes everything in the show is real and that he really has superpowers including a devastatingly powerful sonic scream-like "super bark". After a
cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...
episode causes Bolt to believe Penny has been kidnapped, he escapes from his on-set trailer in Hollywood, but knocks himself unconscious in the process and is trapped inside a box of
foam peanuts Foam peanuts, also known as foam popcorn, packing peanuts, or packing noodles, are a common loose-fill packaging and cushioning material used to prevent damage to fragile objects during shipping. They are shaped to interlock when compressed an ...
being shipped to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. In New York, Bolt resumes his search for Penny. Much to his dismay and confusion, he finds out the hard way that his "superpowers" are useless. He encounters Mittens, a cynical
feral cat A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...
who
bullies A bully is someone responsible for bullying, using aggression to intimidate or dominate others. Bully may also refer to: Animals * American Bully, a breed of dog * Bull Terrier or bully, a breed of dog * '' Gobiomorphus'' or bully, an Australia ...
pigeons Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
out of their food. Believing that Mittens is an “agent” of Calico, Bolt ties her to him with a leash and forces her to guide him back to Penny. Mittens is convinced her captor is a lunatic, but the two start their journey westward by truck. Meanwhile, in Hollywood, a less-experienced Bolt look-alike is brought in so filming can resume. Penny is genuinely distraught over Bolt’s disappearance but reluctantly agrees to halt the search so production can continue. Surprised at his first feelings of hunger, Bolt is shown by Mittens how to act like a cute but needy dog, obtaining food for them both at an
RV park A recreational vehicle park (RV park) or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in allotted spaces known as "sites" or "campsites". They are also referred to as campgrounds, though a tru ...
. They are joined by Rhino, a fearless
hamster Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera.Fox, Sue. 2006. ''Hamsters''. T.F.H. Publications Inc. They have become established as popular small pets. The ...
and huge ''Bolt'' fanatic. Rhino's unwavering faith in Bolt substantiates the dog's illusions about himself, but allows Mittens to figure out Bolt is from a television show. She tries to tell Bolt this, but Bolt simply becomes frustrated as everything he believed to be real starts to crumble around him. Attempting to "super bark" her repeatedly, the noise draws the attention of Animal Control and Bolt and Mittens are both captured and taken to an animal shelter. Bolt, freed from the patrol van by Rhino, finally realizes and accepts that he is just a normal dog. However, he regains his confidence after Rhino (oblivious to this revelation) exhorts him to
heroism A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
. They rescue Mittens from the shelter and as they continue west, Bolt and Mittens form a close friendship in which she teaches Bolt how to be an ordinary dog and enjoy typical dog activities. Mittens makes plans for the three of them to stay in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, but Bolt is still drawn to find Penny. Mittens tells him that Penny is only an
actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
and that humans never truly love their pets because eventually they will betray and abandon them as it happened to her. Bolt refuses to believe her and continues on alone to Hollywood, but Rhino encourages Mittens to stand by him as friends and they follow shortly after. Bolt reaches the studio and finds Penny embracing his look-alike, unaware that Penny still misses him and her affection for the lookalike is only a part of a rehearsal. A broken-hearted Bolt leaves, but Mittens sees Penny telling her mother how much she misses Bolt. Mittens follows Bolt and explains. At the same time, the Bolt look-alike panics during the show's filming and accidentally knocks over some flaming torches, setting the sound stage on fire with Penny trapped inside. Bolt arrives and the two reunite inside the burning studio, but are unable to escape before Penny begins to suffocate from the smoke. Penny begs Bolt to go, but Bolt refuses to leave her. Bolt uses his "super bark" through the building's air vent, alerting the firefighters to their location and allowing both of them to be rescued in time. Penny and her mother quit when their agent proposes they exploit the incident for publicity purposes. The show continues with a replacement "Bolt" and "Penny" and a bizarre new storyline involving
alien abduction Alien abduction (also called abduction phenomenon, alien abduction syndrome, or UFO abduction) refers to the phenomenon of people reporting their experience of being kidnapped by extraterrestrial beings and subjected to physical and psychologica ...
. Penny adopts Mittens and Rhino as she and her family move to a rural home to enjoy a simpler, happy lifestyle with Bolt and her new pets.


''Super Rhino''

Penny and Bolt are captured by the evil Dr. Calico, suspended above a pool of lava, inside a heavily guarded warehouse on an island in the middle of nowhere – a base which is impenetrable to both people ''and'' dogs. Penny's father watches the events from his lab through a secret camera embedded in Bolt's collar and worries that he cannot save her. Discovering that no man or dog can break into Dr. Calico's base, he turns to Rhino, who is watching TV in the background. In order to save Penny and Bolt, Rhino is put through the same procedure as Bolt to give him super-powers. Rhino uses his newly found powers to fly across the sea and crash land outside the armed base encased in his ball. Rhino's battle with the guard is witnessed by Penny, Bolt and Dr. Calico from the inside, with helicopters and cars crashing into the side of the building. As all the noise subsides a single knock on the door is heard and not receiving an answer Rhino uses his heat-vision to create an opening in the wall. Rhino then uses his eye-beams to defeat the armed guards and commandeers a flying missile, riding it like a surfboard to aim at Dr. Calico. Rhino uses his ''super squeak'' ability to finish the villain off. With Penny and Bolt saved, Rhino walks away. Rhino is next seen on stage performing " The Best of Both Worlds"; the theme song from '' Hannah Montana'' (by co-star
Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
), where it is revealed that Rhino has been dreaming his adventures all along. Mittens wakes him up, telling him that she's not a fan of his singing. The short ends with another dream sequence, this time about Rhino being selected by the President to defeat Calico once again.


Video games

Bolt is featured in
Disney Interactive Studios Disney Interactive Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher owned by The Walt Disney Company through Disney Interactive. Prior to its closure in 2016, it developed and distributed multi-platform video games and interac ...
' 2008 video game of the same name, and the character is playable in the Disney games ''
Disney Infinity ''Disney Infinity'' is an action-adventure sandbox toys-to-life video game series developed by Avalanche Software. The setting of the series is a giant customizable universe of imagination, known as the Toy Box, populated with toy versions of i ...
,'' ''
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom was an interactive game found in the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The premise of the game is that Hades is trying to take over the Magic Kingdom and Merlin is recruiting park guests as new ...
,'' and Disney Heroes: Battle Mode.


Cameo appearances

Bolt has made minor cameo appearances in various animated feature films including ''
Wreck-It Ralph ''Wreck-It Ralph'' is a 2012 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 52nd Disney animated feature film, it was directed by Rich Moore (in his feature director ...
,'' '' Big Hero 6,'' and ''
Frozen II ''Frozen 2'' (stylized as ''Frozen II'') is a 2019 American computer-animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The 58th animated film produced by the studi ...
.'' A slightly altered version of Bolt's animation rig appears briefly in the opening of Disney's 2009 television special ''
Prep & Landing ''Prep & Landing'' is a computer animated television special, based on an idea by Chris Williams at Walt Disney Animation Studios and developed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton into a half-hour Christmas special. It first aired Decembe ...
''.


Reception and cultural impact


Critical reviews

The character was met with generally positive critical reception with critics praising the animators' work with his body language, as well as Bolt's personality and expressiveness. A. O. Scott, writer for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' said that "Bolt is a cute enough little fellow and a winning personality and a nice voice" and that "his physical gestures and expressions turn him into a memorable, irresistible character". A critic for the Daily Express wrote that "the wonderfully expressive features on Bolt make him feel almost real". Many reviews praised the detailed and realistic animation of Bolt. British newspaper ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
'' wrote that "Bolt's fur is startlingly real, and animal gestures are faithfully reproduced: Bolt savaging his favorite plastic toy, raising a front paw slightly when he hears a distant unidentified sound". Movie critic Brian Tallerico wrote "Bolt is DAMN cute and shockingly well-rendered when it comes to his always moving hair". Many critics also praised John Travolta's voice work with Bolt, such as Jeffrey M. Anderson who complimented Travolta's "earnest and gentle voice performance". Colin Covert, writer for StarTribune.com, wrote that "The dog's expressions are heart-rending as well as hilarious, and Travolta's vocal performance is utterly winning". Other critics noted on the important values embodied by the character's process towards self-realization. "Bolt's disastrous attempts at using his powers off the set get laughs at first, but they give way to important lessons about accepting your limitations while still believing you are special." wrote
Sean O'Connell Sean O'Connell was a Gaelic football manager and player who featured for the Derry county team in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and was on the Derry side that finished runners-up to Dublin in the 1958 All-Ireland Championship – winning a ...
from FilmCritic.com. Josh Taylor from CinemaBlend, wrote "This is a beautiful, big, epic story constructed for the sole purpose of saying something incredibly simple and emotional. Your dog loves you. Go home and give him a hug". Bolt was included as the "recommended pet dog" in FilmCritic.com list of "''The best Fantasy Creatures''”.


Cultural impact

Shortly after the movie's release, a "Superbark Contest" took place in
Finsbury Park Finsbury Park is a public park in the London neighbourhood of Harringay. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey. It was one of the first of the great London parks ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Inspired by the titular character's iconic super bark, dozens of owners rounded up their dogs to try to break the record for loudest bark in history. More than 50 dogs participated and a representative from
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
was on hand to oversee the contest. A white American Shepherd dog, who was handpicked due to his striking resemblance to Bolt, broke the record with 108 decibels and became a Guinness World Record holder. Disney's Gavin Quirk was quoted saying: "The Big Bolt Bark has brought pride to the nation." Since 2009, the Bolt character has been spotted semi-regularly at the
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...
Resort in
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.Bolt Gets Britain's Dog To Bark The Loudest
, Disney Character Central.net.


References


External links



* {{CCBYSASource, sourcepath=http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Bolt_%28character%29, sourcearticle=Bolt (character), revision=419012419 Fictional actors Fictional characters from Los Angeles Fictional dogs Disney animated characters Film characters introduced in 2008 Bolt (franchise)