Bolt/Trivia

""I saw the latest reel (yes, I worked at Disney then) and it was the most disjointed, confusing, quirky, weird, unmarketable movie Ive seen. It was rife with plot problems, the characters were unappealing... it just wasnt working and Sanders wouldnt fix it.""
 * Executive Meddling: John Lasseter strongly suggested several changes to the original director, Chris Sanders; Sanders refused, causing some considerable behind-the-scene drama. Considering the source, though, the interference was probably justified. As a result, Sanders left Disney and now works for Dreamworks Animation. Go figure.
 * Though the original version did look a lot more distinct with Sanders' art style. At least the original version of Mittens, a cat with an eyepatch named Mercury, got his own Web Comic, Kiskaloo.
 * According to some Disney insiders who saw previews of Sander's American Dog, it had a lot of problems that justified the meddling.

"Hollywood Pigeon: We got a nibble! Now don't freak out, that's how we lost Nemo."
 * But, then again, others who have seen the original version have stated that Disney staff were afraid that it was "too mature".
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Just try and guess the voice of Penny's Mother. Go on, guess.
 * Also, the Green-Eyed Man is President John Henry Eden.
 * How about Hannah Montana and Danny Zuko, for that matter?!
 * Or one of the thug dogs... OOOH YEAH!
 * "While you were still learning how to SPELL YOUR NAME, I was being trained, to save Hannah Montana from Alex Delarge!"
 * Hey, Batman is Dr. Calico's pet!
 * Not to mention Haruhara Haruko as Mindy From the Network, though you can't really tell by ear.
 * In Spain, Bolt is Gaara, Sheldon Cooper, and Chris Griffin.
 * From the Japanese dub of the movie: Penny is Akari Hinomoto.
 * The Other Marty: Chloë Grace Moretz was the first choice to voice the role of Penny, and apparently voiced the character for the entire film. But she was quickly replaced by Miley Cyrus, who went on to re-record most of Penny's dialogue, even though Moretz's voice for Penny as a child still remains.
 * Shout-Out: The New York pigeons bear more than a passing resemblance to the Goodfeathers from Animaniacs (who were in turn a Shout-Out to Goodfellas). Also:


 * This connection to Animaniacs reinforces the sense that Mittens and Bolt resemble Rita and Runt.
 * The pound dogs all went "Ball? Ball? Ball?" in a scene similar to another scene in Finding Nemo.
 * Super Rhino (a short on the DVD) has Rhino doing a Hannah Montana concert; let's not forget who voices Penny.
 * Also, Penny's slimy manager looks a lot like Glenn Beck.
 * In the opening sequence, Bolt has some difficulty getting rid of a bomb.
 * It's been acknowledged that Penny is named after the Penny from Inspector Gadget.
 * Hmm, an All CGI Cartoon 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. Where have we seen that before?
 * What Could Have Been: The final version is far different from Chris Sanders' original American Dog idea. Originally Bolt was more of a Funny Animal secret agent character, Rhino was a giant radioactive rabbit and as mentioned above, Mittens had an eyepatch and was named Ogo. Also... Executive Meddling.
 * Looks like the writers of Cats and Dogs decided to take that original script.