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Bolt

Movie Info

RATING:

PG for some mild action and peril

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:

www.Disney.go.com/BOLT

 

Commentary

Bolt’s Retreat to Simple Truths

By Jesse Carey
Interactive Media Producer

CBN.com - Editor’s Note: Part of this article looks at plot points in the film The Dark Knight, and for readers that have not seen the movie, spoilers are revealed.

In the final scene of this year’s biggest movie, the latest in the Batman franchise The Dark Knight, the iconic Cape Crusader is seen escaping into the darkness being chased by the police, who are closing in on him. It’s not that Batman has traded sides and is now using his super-status for evil—no, in order to preserve what the citizens of Gotham believe is good and just (the recently corrupt District Attorney who once championed justice), Batman is willing to look guilty of the crimes committed. The moral of film is essentially this: truth is secondary; what really matters is that everyone is safe in the end. Good guys become bad guys, and bad guys can look a lot like good guys. Values like loyalty, truth and upholding the law are in a constant state of limbo. The world has become very grey.

In a way, the final scene of The Dark Knight is a sort of metaphor for Hollywood in general these days. For the most part, the days of steadfast heroes, black and white choices and absolute truth are often replaced for complicated moral dilemmas, flawed protagonists and compromised values. John Wayne has been replaced with Jack Bauer—a guy who will do whatever it takes to get his man, even if that means compromising his own values. Now, the means—no matter how unpleasant—justify the ends—no matter how open-ended.

But in an increasingly grey moral world, it’s nice to see that there is still some black and white. And never has that black and white been so colorful.

Disney’s Bolt, which released this weekend, is the latest in a series of animated movies that still represent that old-school Hollywood sense of heroism and that timeless sense of morality.

The movie is about a dog (Bolt, voiced by John Travolta) who doesn’t realize that all his superpowers and super-adventures were just part of an action TV show. When he is accidentally lost, Bolt slowly realizes that the world he knew (which was actually just a TV studio) was all a lie. But, despite his disillusionment, Bolt never doubts the love he has for his owner Penny, and will stop at nothing to reconnect with her. Along the way, Bolt is befriended by a cynical alley cat and an easily-excited hamster who never give up on helping their new friend.

Like many recent animated films, Bolt recalls traditional values, that are unwavering throughout the movie.

Susie Essman, who voices Mittens, the cynical cat that joins Blot on his journey, said that loyalty, honesty and truth were major parts of the film’s message. “I think what Mittens learns from Bolt is all about friendship and trust and loyalty,” she said at a recent press conference about the movie. “I mean he’s the most loyal and trusting friend. And even in spite of everything, he wants to get back to Penny. Even when he knows he’s not a superdog, and he know she’s lied to him in a certain way, he is loyal to his person. I learned from him to become a loving, trusting kitten again.”

Even former action star and Hollywood icon John Travolta—who is in his first animated film—agreed that those values make a little story about a dog and his friends, universally relatable. “That’s the easiest part to identify with in this character, is the friendship part,” he said. “I’m a big guy in that area of loyalty and commitment to my friends.”

The only thing missing from the story is the moral complexity of post-modern superhero movies, where the heroes are more conflicted the villains. It’s easy to blame Hollywood for the moral ambiguity, but in reality, it may be simply be art imitating life.

We live an increasingly complex world where wars are fought against enemies with no uniforms or national allegiances. Where billions of dollars are spent to fix things that no one is exactly sure how they were broken in the first place. Where elections, policies and causes divide more than they unify. Of course our big screen heroes are conflicted—they’re just a reflection of ourselves.

Maybe that’s why movies like Bolt are so refreshing. In the movie, Bolt’s loyalty is never questioned, his honesty is always sincere and he’s driven by a deep sense of purpose—the unconditional love he has for “his person.”

“The thing that Bolt had, was that unconditional love, that loyalty that a dog has for its person,” producer John Lasseter said. “That to me is something that is so special,”

Even though they are made for children, movies like WALL*E, Cars, Toy Story and Bolt have a quality that transcend any age group. They can help remind us that even in complicated times, there are still simple truths like friendship, loyalty and self-sacrifice that are relevant no matter what we may be facing in real life.

Check out Jesse's Blog, The Morning Five

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Jesse CareyJesse Carey is the Interactive Media Producer for CBN.com. With a background in entertainment and pop-culture writing, he offers his insight on music, movies, TV, trends and current events from a unique perspective that examines what implications the latest news has on Christians.


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