History WesternAnimation / Bolt

** Mittens was shown with an actual BalloonBelly in the original theatrical release of the film, but strangely, it has been censored on the Blu-ray for reasons unknown.

'''Louie:''' She said that to me not ten minutes ago. The irony!

** Mindy from the Network informing the show creators that 18-35 year old viewers (clearly a PeripheryDemographic) complaining that each episode having a mandatory happy ending makes the show too saccharine and predictable clearly mirrors the then-commonly held belief among real-life adults that sincere Disney fairy tales were too saccharine and predictable (unlike the more "realistic" cynical post-''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' films that ''also'' had mandatory happy endings). See TakeThatAudience for more details. [[invoked]]

* TakeThatAudience: Possibly. At the start of the film, Mindy from the Network complains that the show is unpopular among 18-35 year olds (an in-universe PeripheryDemographic) who feel each episode ending happily makes it too saccharine and predictable, and [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom the show's attempts to appease the critics]] leads to [[ForWantOfANail disaster for all the characters]] ([[SeasonalRot and the show]] [[JumpingTheShark in the long run]]). At the time this film was released, the animation industry was engulfed in a cynical post-''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' era, with Disney's supposed saccharine movies and predictable happy endings being criticized among adults, which led to Disney falling into a rather infamous AudienceAlienatingEra by trying to appease cynics at the expense of film quality. (This is something John Lasseter was vocally against and determined to put an end to when he signed on with Disney, starting with this film.)

** Observing Rhino use an air vent to magnify his voice [[spoiler:allows Bolt to call for help when trapped in the burning building.]]

* TakenDuringTheEnding: An Invoked InUniverse example. The producers of the TV show have its final episode end on a dramatic cliffhanger in order to boost ratings and appeal to a more mature audience. Each episode of the show up to that point saw Bolt and Penny successfully repelling capture attempts from Dr. Calico, but in the final episode, Penny is taken prisoner. Unfortunately, [[TrumanShowPlot the titular protagonist doesn't know he's only acting in a show]], Bolt believing his master was truly taken prisoner. As a result, the dog escapes his trailer and runs away to "save" his master, putting the following rescue-based episode on indefinite hold.

* TakenDuringTheEnding: An Invoked InUniverse example. The producers of the TV show has its final episode end on a dramatic cliffhanger of the season in order to boost its ratings and appeal to a more mature crowd. Each episode of the show up to that point saw Bolt and Penny successfully repelling capture attempts from Dr. Calico, but the final episode filmed ends with Penny being taken prisoner. Unfortunately, [[TrumanShowPlot the titular protagonist doesn't know he's only acting in a show]], where Bolt believes that his master was truly taken prisoner. Before the expected rescue sequel episode could be produced, it gets put on indefinite hold once Bolt escapes his trailer and runs away to "save" his master.

--->'''Bolt:''' I will [[MakeMeWannaShout Super-Bark]] you out of that tree!\\

* ImplausibleCorneredEscape: A rare villainous version. Bolt and Penny observe a mook receive his orders from Doctor Calico. The pair shadow this mook as he leaves the building, turns left, and walks down an alleyway. After he makes a right turn, Bolt and Penny come to the corner, and peer around it. Surprise! the mook is gone, and that part of the alleyway is a dead end. Suddenly, a steel panel slides into place, preventing Bolt and Penny from leaving the way they came.

* EarAche: Mittens bites onto Bolt’s ear and drags him protestingly over to a billboard, attempting to convince him that Penny’s love for the dog isn’t real and he should remain with Mittens in Las Vegas. Bolt’s reaction makes it clear that he finds this painful.

* ImpairmentShot: Played with regarding Penny post-surgery in the ShowWithinAShow. Her vision goes from blacked out to immediately clear as her bandages are removed, with no transition for her eyes adjusting to the light.

* LackOfEmpathy: Penny's agent is plenty annoying as it is -- but his complete inability to relate to Penny on a basic level of human decency, especially when she's visibly worried for Bolt's well being, is particularly noteworthy. [[FreezeFrameBonus Look closely]] at his face when Penny asks to take Bolt home. He rolls his eyes before turning around and pretending to be her best friend in a painfully transparent attempt at softening the inevitable "[[BluntNo no]]". [[spoiler: Not to mention his enthusiastic suggestion that Bolt and Penny's near death experience in the studio fire be used for publicity and suggesting this to Penny's already distressed mother. Yeah, he had that punch coming.]]

* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Japanese version has a different ending theme called [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9vf3e_甲斐名都-同じ空を見上げてる-ディズニー映画-ボルト-主題歌_music "Onaji Sora wo Miageteru" ("I Look Up at the Same Sky")]].

* LuckyTranslation: "Bolt" has many meanings in Russian, but the most popular and widespread is "screw." Thankfully, "Volt" wonderfully goes with the existing lip sync ''and'' bears a connotation related to electricity, which sort of explains all the lightning signs, ''and'' the Cyrillic letter 'B' is actually pronounced 'V', so even the movie title looks almost right to Russian viewers.

* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Mittens suffers several AmusingInjuries, and is arguably even more of a ButtMonkey than Bolt.

-->'''Mindy Parker:''' Wow. Okay, you want reality, here you go chief. The show's too predictable. The girl's in danger, the dog saves her from the creepy English guy, we get it. There's always a happy ending. And our focus groups tell us that 18 to 35 year olds are unhappy. They're not happy with happy. So maybe you should, I don't know, spend a little less time worrying about the dog's method acting, and more time figuring out how to stop 20 year olds in Topeka from changing the channel. Because if you lose so much as ''half'' a rating point, so help me, I will fire ''everyone'' in this room, starting with you! How's that for real!?

** The New York pigeons bear more than a passing resemblance to the Goodfeathers from ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' (who were in turn a ShoutOut to ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'').
** This connection to ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' reinforces the sense that Mittens and Bolt hearken back to Rita and Runt.

--->'''Penny's mother:''' We ''''quit''''!!!

* TrumanShowPlot: The director of Bolt's show implements a perfect example of this trope: he believes that by making Bolt believe that his show is real, the audience would react to the show in a similar manner. comes back to bite them in the arse, big style.

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* TrumanShowPlot: The director of Bolt's show implements a perfect example of this trope: he believes that by making Bolt believe that his show is real, the audience would react to the show in a similar manner.

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: InUniverse on the show, Penny's dad says she cannot go home after he is kidnapped by Dr. Calico.

* YouLookFamiliar: Lampshaded InUniverse when the New York City pigeons try to figure out where they've seen Bolt before. It turns out they're ''extremely'' bad at picking up clues. ''Two buses with his likeness'' stop to their left without them recognizing him -- and we last see the birds ''sitting on a huge billboard with a picture of Bolt'', still entirely unaware it's him.
* YourOtherLeft: Lampshaded by Mittens when she is teaching Bolt how to do the dog begging face and pose. He drops his right ear when she asks him to lower his left one.

* WeakBossStrongUnderlings: PlayedStraight in the [[AShowWithinAShow TV show]] Penny and her dog Bolt star. There, she's a normal girl who owns a superpowered dog on whom she depends for protection against the villains. However, it's actually {{subverted}} when they are out of the set because, contrary to what he believes, Bolt is just a regular dog.

* TakeThatAudience: Possibly. At the start of the film, Mindy from the Network complains that the show is unpopular among 18-35 year olds (an in-universe PeripheryDemographic) who feel each episode ending happily makes it too saccharine and predictable, and [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom the show's attempts to appease the critics]] leads to [[ForWantOfANail disaster for all the characters]] ([[SeasonalRot and the show]] [[JumpingTheShark in the long run]]). At the time this film was released, the animation industry was engulfed in a cynical post-''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' era, with Disney's supposed saccharine movies and predictable happy endings being criticized among adults, which led to Disney falling into a rather infamous DorkAge by trying to appease cynics at the expense of film quality. (This is something John Lasseter was vocally against and determined to put an end to when he signed on with Disney, starting with this film.)

* HypocriticalHumor: Rhino spends most of the film believing that Bolt's powers are real, despite it not being realistic (in-universe anyway) -- then, at the end of the movie when he watches a new episode of ''Bolt'' incorporating aliens into the storyline, Rhino turns off the TV in disgust while commenting on the idea being "totally unrealistic".

* HypocriticalHumor: Rhino spends most of the film believing that Bolt's powers are real, despite it not being realistic (in-universe anyway) -- then, at the end of the movie when he watches a new episode of ''Bolt'' incorporating aliens into the storyline, Rhino turns off the TV in disgust while commenting on the idea "being totally unrealistic."

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Mindy Parker, despite coming across as a {{Jerk|Ass}}, [[AntiVillain is only doing her job]]: letting people in the business know what they need to do to ''keep'' theirs. She may had been cold towards the director's vision, but as she said, many people don't ''[[ClicheStorm enjoy]]'' his [[DoingItForTheArt vision]] and [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids it was killing the ratings]]. Later, it's pretty clear that she doesn't actively enjoy having to tell Penny to let go of her best friend, but she also didn't want people to lose their jobs, especially when another solution (get a replacement dog) was readily available. [[invoked]]

* AntiVillain: Mindy from the Network. Yes, she was threatening the director with canceling the show if the ratings dropped, and she also wanted to convince Penny to replace Bolt to continue the series. However, she was [[JustFollowingOrders just doing her job]]; a poorly-rated show is bad for a business like a TV network, and if they didn't continue the show, many people would lose their jobs. However, ratings and maintaining a network are ''not'' viable reasons to jeopardize a dog's mental well-being, endanger a young girl's life, or stifle a director's creative control (along with possibly corrupting [[DoingItForTheArt any integrity he may have had]] before her first appearance). Not to mention this spectacular "award-winning" line: [[invoked]]

* EnforcedMethodActing: The whole premise of the movie is this trope taken to its extreme to the point of a TrumanShowPlot, with the director of the ShowWithinAShow using this InUniverse to make Bolt truly believe that he's protecting Penny with superpowers.

** The film provides a meta-example of [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools how this trope isn't always a good thing]]. One of the criticisms Mindy levels at the ShowWithinAShow, and which she demands the director address, is that every episode ends like this, making it too boring and predictable. The director's attempt to create a more dramatic ending, however, clashes with his use of EnforcedMethodActing and results in Bolt breaking out of the studio.

'''The Director:''' You're missing ''everything'', Mindy. You see a dog. ''I'' see an animal that believes, with every fiber of his being--EVERY FIBER--that the girl he loves is in mortal danger! I see a depth of emotion on the face of that canine, the likes of which has ''never'' been captured on screen before. NEVER, Mindy from the network. We jump through hoops to make sure Bolt believes everything is real. It's why we don't miss marks. It's why we don't re-shoot. It's CERTAINLY why we do NOT allow the dog to see BOOM MICS... because, Mindy from the network... [[EnforcedMethodActing if ]]''[[EnforcedMethodActing the dog ]]''[[EnforcedMethodActing believes it... then ]]''[[EnforcedMethodActing the audience ]]''[[EnforcedMethodActing believes it.]]

* LicensedGame: One that [[FramingDevice functions as Rhino watching the "Bolt" TV show]] instead of following the film.

Released in 2008, ''Bolt'' is the 48th film in the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon and the first film of the canon to be entirely supervised by John Lasseter.

** Hmm, an AllCGICartoon movie in which a guy thinks he's a superhero, gets separated from his owner, gradually warms up to an annoyed naysayer companion, depressedly learns that said companion was right all along, and then gets reassured by the same companion that he's not so worthless. [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory Where have we seen that before?]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: While Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino are riding in a modular home, Rhino starts singing to himself into an air conditioning vent. While this is PlayedForLaughs, Bolt later does the same thing [[spoiler: to alert the firefighters to where he and Penny are inside the burning movie studio.]]

* KryptoniteFactor: Bolt assumes Styrofoam packing peanuts took his powers away when he first discovers he doesn't have them. However, he refuses to believe he doesn't have the powers he thought he had, so he assumes on one occasion that the object he's trapped in (a dog catcher's truck) is made out of Styrofoam.

* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: Bolt is an extremely smart dog and can do several things most pooches can't, such as think strategically (he tricks the Hollywood pigeons into leading him to Sovereign Studio) and move his limbs well enough to deliver ''karate chops''. The replacement Bolt isn't nearly as smart, nor are the dogs in the pound. Mittens the cat is shown in the film as being able to read, and she's smart enough to set up a Godfather-style protection ring with the New York pigeons to feed herself. The end credits also show the three pets reading books, enjoying a puppet show put on by Penny, and engaging in home music-making.

** Rhino does the same thing earlier in the movie, saying how he dreams of doing something really [[RunningGag awesome]] (and Bolt was the one who inspired this dream) in order to motivate the dog to rescue Mittens. Although he does let it slip that he's referring to himself.

* AntiVillain: Mindy from the Network. Yes, she was threatening the director with canceling the show if the ratings dropped, and she also wanted to convince Penny to replace Bolt to continue the series. However, she was just doing her job; a poorly-rated show is bad for a business like a TV network, and if they didn't continue the show, many people would lose their jobs. However, ratings and maintaining a network are ''not'' viable reasons to jeopardize a dog's mental well-being, endanger a young girl's life, or stifle a director's creative control (along with possibly corrupting [[DoingItForTheArt any integrity he may have had]] before her first appearance). Not to mention this spectacular "award-winning" line: [[invoked]]

* CatsAreMean: A ZigzaggedTrope. Bolt sees all cats as servants of Dr. Calico early on, because the ShowWithinAShow plays the trope straight, and the cats on the set are legitimately being mean to Bolt by exploiting his ignorance for their own amusement. Mittens herself fulfills the trope at first, behaving like a Mafia don toward the local pigeons, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold but drifts away from it as the film progresses]]. When Bolt realizes that this trope simply ''isn't true'' (at least, not to [[AlwaysChaoticEvil the extent]] he thinks it is), it's the first major step in his CharacterDevelopment.

--->'''Mittens:''' Hey. Can we talk for a second? I don't know what's going on here, but I'm just a ''little'' bit concerned about the number of lunatics on this trip. My limit is one.

** [[spoiler:The movie itself ends in this way, with Penny quitting the show, reuniting with Bolt, and adopting Mittens and Rhino.]]
* HateSink: Seeing as this film has no real antagonist, Penny's agent, who is the only character that the film really shows in a negative fashion, qualifies as this.

* LuckyTranslation: "Bolt" has many meanings in Russian as well, but the most popular and widespread is "screw." Thankfully, "Volt" wonderfully goes with the existing lip sync ''and'' bears a connotation related to electricity, which sort of explains all the lightning signs, ''and'' the Cyrillic letter 'B' is actually pronounced 'V', so even the movie title looks almost right to Russian viewers.

* PerspectiveReversal: This movie involves, earlier on, Bolt believing that [[spoiler:Penny's love for him was sincere]] and Mittens believing that it wasn't. Later in the movie, [[spoiler:Bolt sees Penny hugging another dog, assuming himself to have been replaced, and walking away before Penny can even see him... then Mittens sees Penny sobbing at the real Bolt not being there, and figures she was wrong about Penny. After this point, it's Mittens who thinks Penny's love for Bolt is sincere, and Bolt believing that it wasn't.]]

%%* SceneryPorn: Which of course, leads to this.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Mindy's threat to the director to give the viewers an unhappy ending backfires ''horribly'' when Bolt (who believes the show to be real) thinks that Penny is in real danger and gets shipped off by accident when trying to find her. This leads to the show getting a replacement for Bolt who is too scared to play the character, and puts Penny and the real Bolt in danger when he unintentionally sets fire to the studio.