I took the boys to see “BOLT” last night and thoroughly enjoyed it as much as they did, perhaps even more. First, it was a visually stunning experience because we went to see the 3D version. Now, I’ve seen a lot of 3D movies in my time but nothing like this one. RealD 3D technology is the real deal folks. Yes, you still have to wear the glasses but it’s well worth it this time.
As for the movie itself, the story was very good. As you know from the trailer, it’s about a dog (John Travolta’s voice) that actually thinks he’s a super dog until he gets lost trying to find his “person”, the little girl that owns him, Penny (voice of Myley Cyrus). Along his adventures Bolt encounters all kinds of enchanting creatures such as a hilarious gerbil that steals the show with non-stop theatrics. Other funny characters are the alley cat and the pigeons from NYC (Italian-American sounding birds) and LA (Hollywood types always ready to pitch a movie).
Besides all the expected humorous scenes, there were also a few heart-touching moments that surprised me. Sure, there was the expected little girl and dog reunion scene that was very sweet but there were others that caught me off-guard. For example, during his trek across the country with his sidekick Gerbil and cat, Bolt has to learn to deal with heartbreak and accept the fact that he’s not a superdog. He also must re-learn how to become a real dog again. In a sweet sequence of scenes, we see Bolt discovering the joys of playing fetch, wrestling with other dogs and the sheer pleasure of sticking his face out the window of a moving vehicle (with tongue hanging out).
I might have read more into that sequence of events than was originally intended but I was moved by the whole thing. I kept thinking it was similar to the way we all try to be superdogs and sometimes feel disillusioned when we realize that we’re just regular folk. As for the sequence where Bolt re-discovers his true inner dog, I thought it was a good lesson for how we should try to re-discover our true selves again and remember all of the things that used to give us such pleasure and joy. Along the way to becoming super heroes we tend to forget who we really are and what makes us happy.
The beautiful song at the end of Bolt, “I Thought I Lost You”, also moved me tremendously. Sure, it was partly because it summarized a happy ending for the story as the dog and girl find each other again, but again I think it meant more than that to me. Because of the other things I felt during the movie, I think it lead to my feeling that much more when I heard the song. The lyrics to me could aptly apply to an adult speaking to their lost inner child that they’ve abandoned long ago. For example,
I turned around and you were gone and on and on the days went
but I kept the moments that we were in
‘Cause I hoped in my heart, that you would come back to me my friend
And now I got you, but I thought I lost you!
I think it’s vital that we keep that childlike innocence and sense of wonder no matter how old we get. Being a parent gives us the opportunity to rekindle that relationship with our true self. Watching the world through our children’s eyes forces us to fall in love with life all over again. Remember the joys of our own childhood and all those dreams we had. It’s never too late to make dreams come true. As Disney teaches us, “A dream is a wish your heart makes”.
Here’s the trailer
Here’s the song “I Thought I Lost You” with Miley Cyrus and John Travolta.
I THOUGHT I LOST YOU
MILEY
Nobody listens to me, don’t hear a single thing I’ve said
Say anything to soothe me, anything to get you from my head
Don’t know how really I feel,
Cause it’s the faith that makes it like I don’t care
Don’t know how much it hurts to turn around like you were never there
Like somehow you could be the break and I could walk away from the promises we made
And swore we’d never break!!
MILEY AND TRAVOLTA CHORUS
I thought I lost you when you ran away to try to find me
I thought I’d never your sweet face again.
I turned around and you were gone and on and on the days went
but I kept the moments that we were in
‘Cause I hoped in my heart, that you would come back to me my friend
And now I got you, but I thought I lost you!
TRAVOLTA
I felt so empty out there, and there were days I had my doubts
but I knew I’d find you somewhere
because I knew I couldn’t live without you in my life for one more day
and I swore I’d never break a promise we made
MILEY AND TRAVOLTA CHORUS
I thought I lost you when you ran away to try to find me
I thought I’d never your sweet face again.
I turned around and you were gone and on and on the days went
but I kept the moments that we were in
‘Cause I hoped in my heart, that you would come back to me, my friend
And now I got you, but I thought I lost you!
TRAVOLTA
I told myself I wouldn’t sleep ’til I searched the world from sea to sea
MILEY
I made a wish upon a star, I turned around and there you were
MILEY AND TRAVOLTA
And now here we are, are
MILEY
here we are
I thought I lost you
TRAVOLTA
I thought I lost you too
MILEY
I thought I lost you
TRAVOLTA
I thought I lost you
MILEY
yeah
MILEY AND TRAVOLTA CHORUS
I thought I lost you when you ran away to try to find me
I thought I’d never your sweet face again.
I turned around and you were gone and on and on the days went
but I kept the moments that we were in
and I knew in my heart, that you would come back to me, my friend
And now I got you, I thought I lost you!
MILEY
but I thought I lost you
TRAVOLTA
I thought I lost you too
BOTH
so glad I got you, got you
MILEY
so glad I got you, yeah yeah
I thought I lost you
TRAVOLTA
I thought I lost you too 