Talk about a story that has some history...
Originally this was Chris Sander's story (creator of Lilo and Stitch)
called American Dog and it looked more like this in 2005.
called American Dog and it looked more like this in 2005.
The original story in 2005 went like this...Henry is a popular dog. He stars in his own television series, in which he is a James Bond style secret agent who manages to survive the most wonderful adventures. Henry is the toast of the town, but then one day one of the stunts in his show goes terribly wrong, Henry loses concsiousness, and when he wakes up he finds himself on a train, thousands of miles away from his home. Henry has been a celebrity all his life and does not know how to handle himself in this new situation, but luckily he is able to make some new friends that he convinces to get him back home.
So, here is what Disney/Pixar has come up with after they fire Chris Sanders and reworked both the story and the artwork.
Bolt tells the story a dog who plays a heroic pup in a hit TV show and has some trouble recognising that he is in fact not possessed of extraordinary powers beyond the ability to lick his own nether regions. This becomes something of a hindrance when he is accidentally shipped from Hollywood to New York City. From there he has to make his way home with only the help of a manky old cat and an overweight hamster in a plastic ball. John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman and Mark Walton provide voices.
The Art Change: I honestly am not crazy about the new designs, but then I am really partial to Chris Sander's style and design sense because it is so different than most Disney styles. I feel the new Disney dog looks just like any other dog now - very homogenized, as well as the cat. The hamster character is cute and almost more fun to watch that the lead characters, from what I can tell from the trailer above.
The Story Change: I think the idea Chris had for Henry the Dog - as a celebrity on a train headed for who knows where? is stronger, and offers more of a change in Henry's personality. Chris's story offers an opportunity for Henry to learn about himself by being placed in a world he knows nothing about and with new people who know nothing about him. The whole Jame's Bond angle gives the dog more of a sophistication than the idea of "ohhh I am so hard headed that I think I have super powers like I do on TV?" The premise being he discovers he doesn't need superpowers to be a hero...I just think it's playing down to the audience and makes the lead character seem dense and not someone I would root for.
Watch this little clip from the original movie being made to see how much potential that one moment has where he wales up to discover he is on a train to somewhere far away.The new Disney story creates almost an idiot savant personality for Bolt because he thinks he has the powers he has on the show. The dog isn't really learning anything about himself or growing, he is just going to realize like there is no Santa Claus and that he has no super powers and then goes back home.
I was REALLY looking forward to American Dog, but I am not sold on the Bolt turnaround just yet.
I welcome any comments.
