MIT Lecture Series Committee

Rated PG
96 minutes

view trailer

Bolt (2008)

This FREE screening will be followed by a talk and Q&A with MIT Alum Gene Lee, Senior Software Engineer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, entitled "Technology at Walt Disney Studios: Past, Present, and Future." This event is co-sponsored by MIT TechFair. Admission is open to the general public. Priority seating for the MIT community begins at 6:30 and general seating opens at 6:45. Seats are limited so be sure to arrive early!

For super-dog Bolt (voice of John Travolta), every day is filled with adventure, danger and intrigue—at least until the cameras stop rolling. When the star of a hit TV show is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to New York City, he begins his biggest adventure yet—a cross-country journey through the real world to get back to his owner and co-star, Penny (voice of Miley Cyrus). Armed only with the delusions that all his amazing feats and powers are real, and the help of two unlikely traveling companions—a jaded, abandoned housecat named Mittens (voice of Susie Essman) and a TV-obsessed hamster named Rhino (voice of Mark Walton) -- Bolt discovers he doesn’t need superpowers to be a hero. [www.rottentomatoes.com]

With the holiday season officially underway, "Bolt" is the perfect present for the whole family.
      -- Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review. Read this review.

Dr. Gene Lee is a Sr. Software Engineer with Walt Disney Animation Studios. As a member of the modeling and animation group, he develops new tools and methods for creating both 2D and 3D feature films. In his talk, he will discuss past, present, and future technologies shaping modern animation at Walt Disney. In doing so, he will also describe the challenges faced by modelers and animators in developing Bolt and other recent and upcoming Disney films. Prior to joining Walt Disney, Gene worked at Apple Computer, SGI, Grumman Aerospace, and Dreamworks Animation. His films credits include Shrek, Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, and Bolt. Gene received an ScB from MIT and a PhD from the University of British Columbia; both degrees were in Computer Science.