The Original Toy Story With Pets

 

After doing my post about my kitties, here's another pet like post.

In 2016, Illumination Studios released a movie called, “The Secret Life Of Pets.” It got decent reviews, nothing special but still good. However, whether it was seeing the trailers or seeing the movie, there had been a lot of complaints about how it is a rip-off of Pixar’s debut movie, Toy Story. Instead of toys coming to life when no one is around, it’s about what pets do when their owners aren’t home. The stories involve a toy or pet is the center of their owner’s attention, but one day that all changes when their owner gets another one, much to the jealousy of the protagonist, this leads to a rivalry between the two, which eventually leads to the two getting lost and separated from their owner, the two have to put their differences aside and work together to get home, while also sparking a friendship by the end. Granted, Toy Story is better, but I find Pets to be charming in it’s own way. However, 8 years before Pets came out, there was a Toy Story with pets, which happened to be made by Disney, and that movie is Bolt.

I remember when this movie was new, I initially wasn’t interested, but then I got invited to a birthday party where it would involve going to see Bolt, I accepted, and once I did see it, I loved it. So much so, that on my 10^th birthday, I had a Bolt cake (which also had Alex and Gloria from Madagascar). As time went on, when some people pointed it out, I had come to realize that it’s just like Toy Story, in terms of how the characters act. Well that’s why we’re here today. Here is why Bolt is the original Toy Story with pets, and also how great it is.

Bolt aka Buzz Lightyear Dog

Thrift store pals!

The title character and main protagonist Bolt, is like Buzz Lightyear but as a dog. Bolt is the star of a tv show where he and his owner Penny stop bad guys, go on adventures and the dog has super powers, like laser vision, the ability to fly and super strength. However, Bolt has been raised to believe that it’s all real, which makes things more difficult when he enters the real world. It’s just like how Buzz was when he came out of the box, he thought he was a real space ranger and was confused when things don’t work like the laser or when Star Command doesn’t respond to his messages (why don’t they answer?”)

Their delusional behaviour can lead to funny moments like Buzz thinking he’s suffocating when his helmet is open, and Bolt trying to fly, only to fall into street cones. At one point the two get separated from their owners, Buzz ended up out the window due to a plan gone wrong by Woody and their fight in the gas station also got them lost, while Bolt got lost in New York because the crew was shooting a scene where the villain Dr Calico kidnaps Penny and Bolt thinks she’s really in danger.

During their journey they’re teamed up with someone who doesn’t like them and thinks they’re crazy. Woody was initially annoyed, at first, he thought Buzz was acting accordingly to his hero persona while Mittens was alarmed and concerned about how crazy Bolt seemed about having superpowers. Heck, the annoyed characters tried to take advantage of that too. When Woody realized Buzz thought he was a real space ranger, he makes fun of him for it (“Buzz look an alien!” “Where?” *falls over laughing*) and then takes advantage of his delusions by pretending a helpless toy was trapped, in order to distract Buzz and trap him behind the desk so Woody could be the one Andy takes to Pizza Planet, only for the plan to backfire, causing Buzz to fall out the window and the toys to turn on him and he and Buzz getting into a big fight. In Bolt, when Mittens thought he was crazy, she tried asking him about his powers, while preparing to hit him on the head with a baseball bat, only for the weight of the bat to cause her to fall and knock over a box over Bolt, a box with Styrofoam packing peanuts, (which Bolt believes to be his weakness) causing Bolt to freak out and do a tuck and roll out of the truck, with Mittens tied up.

At one point the annoyed character has had enough of the delusional character’s ways and shouts at them, telling them they’re not what they think they are. Who can forget that iconic moment in Toy Story when Buzz and Woody were lost in the gas station, while Woody is distressed over losing Andy, Buzz is thinking about his supposed mission to defeat Zurg, and after going on about it, he accuses Woody for “delaying his rendezvous with Star Command,” Woody gives a face that says, “Are you crazy?’ before finally snapping and shouting, (everybody now…) “YOU ARE A TOYYYYYY! You aren’t the real Buzz Lightyear, you’re, oh you’re an action figure! You are a child’s plaything!” and Buzz replies with, “You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.” In Bolt, when the dog performs yet another dangerous stunt, Mittens (who figured out that Bolt is a TV star, from Rhino who is kind of like Po from Kung Fu Panda, but as a hamster) has finally had enough and tells him rather brutally that it’s all fake but Bolt dismisses it, when I see this part I just imagine the dialogue going like this,

Mittens: YOU ARE A DOG!!! You’re not a real super dog, oh you’re a pet! You are a human’s animal friend!”

Bolt: You are a sad strange little cat and you have my pity

Of course, there is a part where the deluded character inevitably realizes the truth, and it saddens them until they get picked up by their rival, and that starts their friendship.

While hiding from Scud, Buzz sees a Buzz Lightyear commercial, which told viewers he’s not a flying toy. Once the commercial ended, Buzz felt sad and Woody’s words about him being a toy and he can’t fly played in his head, but he was determined to prove everyone wrong, he climbed on top of a banister, and was ready to fly out the window, so he jumped only to fall and hit the ground, and break his arm off, breaking the space ranger’s heart, and it sends him into a deep depression. It had funny moments like the Mrs. Nesbit gag, but it is very sad to see Buzz feeling down, especially in the scene where Woody was trapped in the milk crate, and Buzz feels like he can’t help anyone and at this point doesn’t care about going back to Andy’s, I’m sure we’ve all been there, feeling worthless and that there’s no point in living. It’s Woody that tells Buzz that even though he’s not a real Space Ranger, he still is great as a toy, because he has a kid that loves him because of how cool he is, while admitting how jealous he is of Buzz. This speech makes Buzz realize that when you’re a toy (as he said to Woody in the second movie) life’s only worth living if you’re loved by a kid (please no comments about TS4 “messed that up” that’s a story for another time.) and that gets him back on his feet, and free Woody from the crate so they can get back to Andy, it helped Buzz become the level headed leader that he is, and become friends with Woody.

When Bolt’s barking causes him and Mittens to be found and taken away by Animal Control, Rhino comes to the truck, and unlocks the door Bolt was in to get him out. It’s only then when Bolt realizes this, that’s what makes him realize Mittens was right, he’s not a real super dog and the lightning bolt mark on him, is just makeup, and this saddens Bolt because being a super dog was all he knew, thanks to the greedy people in Hollywood making him believe it’s all real. When he’s feeling down it’s Rhino that convinces him to rescue Mittens, because he’s done lots of heroic things, not because of his powers, but because of his heart and determination to stop evil, or save the ones he cares about from danger, like Penny. It was this speech from his biggest fan that motivates Bolt to go save Mittens, which results in a funny animal shelter rescue scene, trust me, it has to be seen to be believed. Once the trio get into a train, Bolt feels sad again, since he spent most of his life being a hero dog and doesn’t know hiw to act like a regular dog, it’s Mittens who helps him see how great it is to be a dog and teaches him how to be one (earlier she taught him how to beg) like playing with sticks, digging and sticking his head out the window. This makes Bolt feel much happier, coming to terms with his life being a lie and probably going back to being the playful self he was as a puppy at the beginning (try to see it without melting of cuteness).

Mittens also was the one who convinced Bolt that Penny does love him when he thought she had replaced him, not knowing it was a rehearsal, like how Woody told Buzz that Andy wants and loves him.

There’s also another thing I don’t know if others had pointed this one out. Both Buzz and Bolt are well known for a skill, for Buzz, it’s his ability to fly, for Bolt it’s his Super bark. When we first meet them, that’s the last part of their introduction scenes, Buzz trying to fly in Andy’s room and does so through luck, and Bolt doing a super bark to stop the villain’s henchman. Their inability to use the skill is what makes them realize the truth, as I mentioned before.  However, their final time using their skill before leaving their deluded life behind, is what helps save the day. It was Buzz “flying” that saved him and Woody from blowing up, and from hitting the ground, which results in the iconic scene where Buzz and Woody were flying or falling with style, which helped them get back to Andy and settle into a new home. As for Bolt, it was when the studio caught fire and he and Penny were stuck inside, once he hears the firefighters through the vent, he does his super bark to alert the fire fighters about their whereabouts and they come to get them out in time, which also helps Bolt see that you don’t need powers to be a hero.  The two’s supposedly useless powers managed to save the day.

So we’ve covered how similar Bolt and Buzz are to each other, there’s also more to it as well. Mittens the cat, is actually similar to both Woody and Jessie, I already covered how similar she is to Woody, seeing how she had to be with a deluded being, but she’s also similar to Jessie. Oh, they do seem different but there is one thing

 

Mittens aka Jessie Cat

Jessie is introduced as a cheerful cowgirl; she has a lot of energy and knows how to have a great time. However once Woody tells the Roundup Gang he has to go home to Andy, Jessie immediately freaked out and was mad at him for that. It’s later on when Woody tries to apologize and explain to Jessie why he has to go home, Jessie already knows why and explains that she was once loved by a little girl named Emily, they played together and they had each other no matter what, but one day, Emily took her pillow, letting Jessie slip under the bed and the latter saw her owner putting on nail polish with her friend. Then everything was changing, Emily’s horses were replaced with makeup and all her toys were replaced with record players and different things, which meant Emily was growing up. Jessie spent years under the bed with all of Emily’s toys, waiting for her to play. One day, a grown up Emily dropped her purse under the bed and when she reached under the bed to get her things, she found Jessie and smiled at her as she held her. It gave Jessie hope that they would play together again, sadly that didn’t happen, Emily put her in a box and drove away, leaving her forever. This lead to Jessie developing claustrophobia and not wanting to be loved by another kid again. This was one of the reasons Woody decided to stay and go to the museum with the Roundup Gang. Sure he did it because he was afraid of having to face Andy eventually growing up and not playing with him anymore, which was a selfish move, but he also did it so the gang wouldn’t go back into storage, which is a selfless move, plus it was also thanks to some clever manipulation from Stinky Pete. Once Buzz talked some sense into him, Woody changed his mind and decided to be there for Andy until it would all be over, he came up with a third option that would be a win for everyone, he offered to have the Roundup Gang come with him, Jessie wasn’t so sure about it, which is understandable, (however she had grown to respect Woody’s wishes, once Stinky Pete revealed he was the one that stopped Woody from leaving, this angered Jessie for many reasons, he framed her, used her story to have Woody go along with his selfish desires and mostly for forcing Woody to go to Japan against his will, as she called him out). It did take time for her to come around but once Woody told her Andy has a little sister, that was enough to make her eager to go with him, and see there are some good kids out there. By the end she was happy to be part of a family again, showing that deep down, she never really wanted to go to the museum after all.

Mittens seems a bit different, she is snarky, is out only for herself, she bullies the pigeons into giving her food and she did get annoyed with Bolt’s delusions and Rhino’s energy, but once she sees how sad Bolt is to realize everything, he knew was fake, she was happy to teach him to be a dog and see how great it is to be one, which is very sweet. She even hoped Bolt would stay with her in a cardboard home she made for both of them in Las Vegas. However Bolt refused because he wanted to go back to Penny, which angers Mittens. She tries to convince Bolt that Penny isn’t real, she’s an actress and doesn’t really love him, she then goes on a rant, revealing the truth about her past, she did have a family, a home and was a pet cat, but one day, her owners moved away and left her behind, all alone and declawed without any second thought, this hurt Mittens so much, that is how she became the way she was. It’s heartbreaking, especially when you know things like that happen to a lot of pets, which is a horrible thing to do. Please don’t ever abandon your pets, they have feelings! Bolt did feel bad for her but he knew Penny was different, Mittens told him to leave and he wished her luck. Once Rhino convinced Mittens to go and help Bolt, the two went to the studio, once Mittens entered, she saw Penny crying because she missed Bolt, this made her see that there are good in people and she was wrong about Penny. She found Bolt and convinced him to go back to Penny because she really does love him, and after Bolt and Penny were taken out of the burning building, she and Rhino snuck onto the stretcher so they could go to the hospital with them and Penny’s mother, and at the end Penny and her mother adopted Rhino and Mittens, giving her a happy home, it was something Mittens really wanted.

Penny & Andy

As I was writing this I also realized how similar Andy and Penny are. They’re both the owners of the protagonist whom they love and care about, they were sad when they went missing and they tried looking for them but never had any luck, they didn’t smile until they were reunited at the end. Plus the toy or pet of said owner were loyal to them, they never gave up on them, no matter what. It’s very sweet because it shows that your pets and toys love you just as much as you love them and will always be there for you.

Thoughts

While Bolt does share a lot of similarities with Toy Story, it still is an amazing movie. The opening is just too cute, puppy Bolt is so adorable, the action whether it’s fake or real is enjoyable, there are characters you either adore or hate, or despise like that agent, who only cared about money, he along with the studio raised Bolt to believe it was all real, which is what lead to Bolt getting lost in the first place, he didn’t care about Penny’s feelings and worst of all,, after Bolt and Penny were rescued from the burning building and put in an ambulance, he went to Penny’s distressed mother, and suggested they use the disaster for publicity, (he reminds me of Huph from The Incredibles, “I’m not happy, Bob. NOT HAPPY!” Both characters care more about making money than the well being of others, and when someone is put in a life-threatening situation and they don’t show any compassion for that, they get thrown out by someone), he deserved to be thrown out the ambulance and lose his stars since they quit, hopefully he and the studio lost their jobs, since afterwards the show jumped the shark, even Rhino wasn’t impressed with it. The movie can be emotional too, as I said before, when I saw the scene where Mittens reveals she was abandoned, when my old cat Cassie was alive (since she was abandoned twice), I would have her with me, pet her and tell her I would never abandon her, ever! I also find the fire scene emotional too, from Bolt reuniting with Penny, but they have trouble finding a way out, and once they do find a way, only Bolt can get through the vent, and Penny is too weak to go any further, though she tells him to go, Bolt refuses to leave her behind, and lies down with her, he was willing to die with her, another sign that he loves her, I sometimes want to cry when that happens, but I feel relieved when they’re rescued and when they live a happy life with Mittens and Rhino joining them. It’s such a great movie, that might not only remind you of Toy Story, but it can give you a great time and you’ll love your pets even more than ever. I already loved animals before, but seeing it, made me love them even more and though it might not be possible, I hope to one day meet Bolt at the parks, if I ever come back, and if any of you readers are Bolt fans, I hope you can get your chance too. If you ever get the chance, I recommend you see it either on DVD, Blu Ray or on Disney+, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll enjoy yourself.