“BOLT” was released on March 22nd in the form of an awesome Blu-ray pack and the standard DVD was released yesterday, March 24th. Do you have your copy yet?

I wanted to share with you these 10 Fun Facts About “BOLT” that I think you will enjoy. This movie has become one of my all time favorite Disney movies. I love the story, the characters, the animation and the celebrities who voiced the characters. It’s just over all a fantastic movie.

10 FUN FACTS ABOUT “BOLT”

1. Mittens, the street-wise alley cat, was originally called Mr. Mittens, because her owners never took the time to figure out if she was a boy or a girl.

2. The creative journey began with the desire to evoke the painterly style of classic Disney Animated Features and American painters such as Edward

3. Hopper, George Bellows and other Ashcan School Artists from the early 20th century.

4. To get a feel for the locations where Bolt and his entourage would be traveling, art director Paul Felix, director of lighting and look Adolph Lusinsky and others packed it up and hit the road. Exploring such locations as New York, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.

5. Rhino, the hamster, was originally supposed to be a rat. During the initial story retreat to develop the idea for the film, Rhino was morphed into a hamster riding inside a plastic ball.

6. The design for the main character Bolt was loosely inspired by the American White Shepherd.

7. It takes 4-5 months to get one shot all the way through production – from layout to animation to lighting (a shot averages 4 seconds in length on “Bolt”).

8. There are a total of 28 sequences in the film comprised of 131,738 frames and 1,239 shots. 110 terabytes of data are active at any second in the production.

9. Throughout production, each member of the crew working on “Bolt” would pin pictures of their pet in the “Production Pets Gallery.”

10. The production actually has a pet hamster named Doink! who has become a beloved crew member and is observed as reference for the animators.

Image Credit: Click Communications

Last week, I had the chance to participate in a Q&A session with the director (Nathan Greno) of the Disney short “Super Rhino”, we well as Mark Walton who voices Rhino.

If you purchased the “BOLT” combo pack on March 22nd, then most likely you have had the chance to watch “Super Rhino”. The standard BOLT DVD also goes on sale today, March 24th.

I thought the short was done really well and it was so funny! If you have seen it, I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

In celebration of the standard DVD release today, I’ll have a few posts highlighting some of the characters. You can already see an interview with Penny and Bolt, as well as Miley Cyrus talking about the movie.

Later, we’ll hear from the pigeons, Mittens and 10 fun facts about BOLT. Right now, it’s Super Rhino’s turn! See below for an interview with Rhino, clips from the movies, as well as some stills from the Disney short “Super Rhino”. As always, Rhino is keeping it real.

Read more

In celebration of March 22nd Blu-ray & March 24th DVD releases of BOLT, here’s an interview with Miley Cyrus who does the voice of Penny, Bolt’s person.

Miley talks about relying on her own voice, her dogs and how her and Penny are alike/different.

Q:  You’re an actress and a performer.  In animation, we only get to hear your voice.  What was it like just relying on your voice?

MILEY CYRUS:  Ever since I was little, people would always make jokes about my low voice.  But they also complimented me on it—‘it’s so different, it’s so low.’  But still, in school, people would make fun of it.  But now, I think it’s so cool that you don’t have to have the picture-perfect, girly voice to do an animated film.  I think it’s great for kids with different voices to know that they could do something like this. 

Q:  How many dogs do you have?  It comes across in your voice when your character is playing with Bolt.

MILEY CYRUS:  I have six.  You could tell?  You could hear the baby voice?  ‘Come on, boy, c’mon Bolt!’  Everyone was laughing when I was doing that part—they thought it was the greatest thing that I was speaking to Bolt like he was real.  Yeah, I have six dogs, and I love ‘em!

Read more

I had the opportunity to participate in a Virtual Roundtable about the new Disney short “Super Rhino”. “BOLT” is coming out on Blu-ray (a combo pack!) on March 22nd and on standard DVD March 24th. On the Blu-ray and DVD is a short film entitled “Super Rhino” and it’s so funny!

The virtual roundtable was a Q&A session with Nathan Greno (the director of Super Rhino) and Mark Walton (the voice of Rhino). Rhino has become such a popular character from BOLT and definitely seem to steal the show. It was great to be able to ask these guys questions about the new short and Rhino himself.

Q: When did you get the idea to do the "Super Rhino" short for the DVD? How long did it take to make it?

Nathan Greno: When I was finishing up as story supervisor on bolt — John Lasseter asked for short pitches for the DVD.  I pitched the idea of Rhino getting Bolt’s power’s. John was onboard and asked me to start developing the idea. The schedule was very tight, I believe we finished the entire short in 3-4 months (the crew was still finishing Bolt at the time!).

Read more

You can purchase the “BOLT” Blu-ray + DVD + Digital File Combo Pack on March 22nd and the standard DVD on March 24th. Bolt is the super dog with the super bark who’s purpose in life is to protect his owner Penny.

“I’m always on duty. I do not sleep. I do not rest until my Penny is safe from his evil clutches.”

Here’s a cute interview with Bolt:

Hi Bolt! Life as a super dog must be pretty amazing…

It sure is! My life is one big adventure because I spend all of my time looking out for Penny. She’s my person and she loves me to bits, but she often finds herself in some scary situations.

Tell us about some of these spectacular adventures…

Read more

“BOLT” is making its Blu-ray debut on March 22nd! You can purchase the Blu-ray + DVD + Digital File Combo Pack on the 22nd and the standard DVD on the 24th.

In celebration of the release, I have a fun Q&A with Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus), who is Bolt’s person. She talks about fame, acting and her precious pup Bolt.

What’s life like as a famous actress, Penny?

Acting is a lot of fun, but I’m not the star of the show. That’s Bolt, of course! He’s the one who people tune into watch every week. He’s the prefect canine co-star and I love him to bits.

Tell us about your television show…

It’s an action adventure about a super dog called Bolt. He is a pooch with incredible strength, laser vision and a powerful superbark. You don’t want to mess with Bolt! He’s always helping my character escape from danger and away from the clutches of the evil green-eyed villain, Dr. Calico.

Read more

“BOLT” is definitely one of my all-time favorite Disney movies! I loved it in the theater and I have watched the DVD a couple of times and laugh every time.

I fall in love with Rhino a little more each time I watch it. He is just one of those classic, not to be forgotten, Disney characters. I think Rhino has a great career ahead of him.

On March 22nd, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is releasing the Blu-ray + DVD + Digital File Combo Pack. Two days after that (March 24) they will release the standard DVD version.

“BOLT” jam packed with fully awesome (Rhino quote!) bonus features, which includes “Super Rhino,” a new exclusive short film starring Bolt’s biggest fan!

This fantastic Disney movie was nominated for two Golden Globes for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song (“I Thought I Lost You’). It features the voices of Academy Award® nominee John Travolta (Bolt), Miley Cyrus (Penny), Susie Essman (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell  (“Heroes”) and James Lipton (“Inside the Actor’s Studio”).

See below for synopsis and a list of Bonus Features.

Read more

Miley Cyrus walked the 81st Academy Awards red carpet just a few minutes ago. She looks like a princess! She wore a Zuhair Murhad gown and accessorized it with a Mary Norton clutch, BCBG shoes and Neil Jane jewels.

Miley’s movie “BOLT” is up for Best Animated feature. I thought it was a great movie, but I think “Wall-E” will win.

I had a feeling she would walk the red carpet with her mom, instead of her boyfriend Justin Gaston, but I know some of you had hope we would see them together.

So, two questions for you:

• Do you like Miley Cyrus’s dress?
• Do you think BOLT will win an Oscar?

Tons more pictures below.

Read more

(Zac Efron leaving pre-oscar party on February 20th. Image: Splashnews.com)

Tonight, February 22nd, are the 81st Academy Awards. I am very exited about tonight’s show and I’ll be blogging the stars’ arrivals and awards that are won, on Disney Society and over at Hunky Blog (all about Hollywood leading men).

We know that Zac Efron will be there to present an award. Most likely he will walk the red carpet with his girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens. It is also being said that they will perform with Hugh Jackman, Beyonce and others. I can’t wait to see if that really happens!

The animated Disney films “BOLT” and “Wall-E” have been nominated for Best Animated Feature, so most likely we will see Miley Cyrus walk the red carpet in support of her film “BOLT”.

So far, that’s all of the Disney stars that I know of. If there are any surprises, I’ll be posting arrival pictures here, so keep a look out for them!

Which film do you hope wins Best Animated Feature

The Disney/Pixar movie “Wall-E” has hit the jackpot with Oscar nominations! The 81st Oscars air February 22nd at 5 PT/ 8 ET. Here is the list of Disney films that received a nomination. You can see the entire list of nominations here.

Best Animated Feature

• BOLT
• Wall-E

Music (Score)

• Wall-E

Music (Song)

• Wall-E “Down to Earth”

Read more