BoltMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Bolt."

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Avg. Critic Score: 67 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
5 OK for kids 5+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Bolt breaks no great new stylistic ground -- and yet it's a sturdy beaut. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    What keeps Bolt fresh is an unaffected exuberance, a genuine sense of fun, that is expressed above all through obsessive attention to craft. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    It's doubtful that audiences go to animated features to hear movie stars talk. They go because a film sounds like fun and something their kids and maybe they themselves might enjoy. Bolt is all that and more. Read full review

  • 75
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    This stuff is clever, in the reflexively satirical, self-aware way that many animated films are. It's not until the dog is accidentally shipped off to New York City that the movie lets you in on an altogether more interesting idea: It doesn't want to be that cool. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Bears some telltale signs of Pixar's trademark smarts, but still looks like a mutt compared to the younger company's customary purebreds. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    At the end of the day, Bolt is a sweet Disney family film. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen

    There's a terrific tenderness in Travolta's performance, while Cyrus and company are similarly effective. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Bolt borrows amiably from a host of sources, including "The Incredible Journey," "Lilo and Stitch" and "Toy Story 2." Read full review

  • 60
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Taken on its own terms, Bolt the movie certainly makes the cut. Read full review

  • 60
    Washington Post |

    As sprightly and determined as its fuzzy, yappy lead, the new Disney animated film Bolt works hard to be all things to all people, with mixed results. Read full review

View more reviews for Bolt on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 5+ Super-dog adventure is fun, age-appropriate for kids.
What Parents Need to Know 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 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?
The good stuff
  • educationalvalue true1 Educational value: The movie is intended to entertain, not educate. But kids may learn a bit about how Hollywood works.
  • message true4 Positive messages: The movie has a sweetly positive messages about loyalty, determination, and teamwork. Characters who resist others' affection eventually learn to embrace it, and Bolt discovers that being loved is much more important than having super powers.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: Penny and Mittens are strong female characters, and Rhino is a courageous sidekick. Bolt is at first melancholy about not being a real super dog, but he overcomes his initial blues to find his true courage.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: The peril is mostly in the TV show within the movie. After an early sequence (which could be intense for younger or more sensitive kids) it's made clear that the violence is manufactured, since the audience (unlike Bolt) sees the crew setting off explosions, catching stuntmen, etc. In the "real" world, there are cartoonish pratfalls and slapsticky violence, but nothing too disturbing -- until a tense, scary fire during the movie's climax that puts a central character in danger.
  • sex false0 Sexy stuff: Not an issue
  • language false1 Language: A couple of mild insults (like "stupid") among the animals.
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Featured brands include The New Yorker, Tiger Beat, U-Haul, The Tonight Show (but not with a recognizable host), and several Las Vegas hotels, like the Bellagio; New York, New York; Bally's; and Caesar's Palace.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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