Disney Animation Studios veterans Chris Williams and Byron Howard presented the first half of the Disney Pixar panel, and treated audiences to nearly twenty minutes of the new computer animated film Bolt. The moderator asked them what it was like to work so closely to John Lassetter, and they gushed over his talents and his ability to make people feel good.
Chris Williams and Byron Howard
Bolt stars the voices of John Travolta as the title character, Susie Essman as Mittens the cat, and Malcolm McDowall as the villain, as well as James Lipton, Randy Savage and Diedrich Bader. Bolt is the star of his own action TV show in which he possesses super powers and must continually protect his owner Penny. It’s all fake, however Bolt believes he really possesses uncanny strength, super woof, and lightning speed. But when he leaves the set to embark on a real adventure, he must come to terms with the fact that he’s not a superhero at all.
The footage shown included animatics, storyboards, stills, partially rendered and fully finished segments of the film. The first sequence demonstrated the superpowers Bolt wields during the action TV show, and the second involved two costar cats tormenting the unaware super dog. The final and longest sequence shows Bolt as he begins to realize that the powers he uses on the set of his show don’t carry over into real life – and that it takes courage and luck to defeat the enemies. The main attraction is his sidekick Rhino the hamster, who rolls around in a plastic ball and provides nonstop comedy.
- Mike Massie
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