[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Bolt]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bolt_disney.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JohnTravolta; Creator/RichardAnconina (European French Dub), Ernesto Laguardia (Latin Spanish dub)

The main and titular protagonist.
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* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: He's so utterly committed to Penny that, even after filming has wrapped and they're alone in their trailer, he protectively guards the door and won't calm down to play with her. When he's tricked into thinking she has been put in serious jeopardy, a cross-country trek starts to get her back.
* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: On and off the set.
* AssKickingPose: Before delivering the Superbark, Bolt always assumes the position. Right forepaw, forward. Right hindpaw, backward. Then, WOOOOF!!!
* BadassAdorable: In the TV series. He's actually an adorable shepherd.
* BadassNormal: [[spoiler:Despite coming to realize his superpowers are all fake, he still ultimately pulls through everything thrown at him by sheer determination.]]
* CanineCompanion: To Penny. First in the ShowWithinAShow, and [[spoiler:then in real life at the end.]]
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Spending most of your life in a recording studio with zero knowledge of the outside world will do this to you.
* TheComicallySerious: Due to him actually [[TrumanShowPlot thinking he's a superhero.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: Thinks Dr. Calico, the villain of the ShowWithinAShow, is behind everything.
* {{Determinator}}: He will not give up searching for Penny no matter what.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: During the road-trip montage, he and his friends enjoy rain falling on them while on top of a vehicle. Mittens notices that the drizzle is washing away the thunderbolt makeup on his fur. It's a perfect symbolism on how Bolt has finally accepted his "real-ness" and his newfound friends.
* FamedInStory: Deconstructed. It's due to his fame as an action dog for a TV show that the directors for his show decide to get him to method act, and also why [[BigBad the agent]] keeps Penny away from him, which in turn causes the film's conflict.
* FantasticRacism: Pre-CharacterDevelopment, Bolt really has a strong loathing of felines, due to them being heavily tied to TV villain Dr. Calico:
-->'''Bolt:''' You just can't stop lying, can you cat?! It's in your genes, man. It's just gross!
* FemaleFelineMaleMutt: With Mittens.
* FirstInjuryReaction: Bolt's paw bleeds a bit after he and Mittens jump out of a moving truck. Since [[FishOutOfWater he's been living in a recording studio all his life]] and has never been in any real danger, he's confused by this leakage of "red liquid". [[CatsAreSnarkers Mittens]] is incredulous that he doesn't know what blood is by now, but Bolt mistakenly believes that styrofoam is his KryptoniteFactor.
* FishOutOfWater: Has spent most of his life [[TrumanShowPlot being tricked into thinking that his superhero action show is reality, and that he actually has superpowers]]. Outside of his controlled soundstage, he has no idea what is going on and tends to attempt things that he is not capable of.
* FreudianTrio: The Ego to Mittens' Superego and Rhino's Id-detached from reality, but still committed to heroism and kind to his friends.
* HeroicDog: Spends most of his life being [[TrumanShowPlot tricked into thinking he's a superhero]]. [[spoiler:Even after he realizes it was all fake, he continues to act as a hero, with his daring rescue of Mittens from the pound, and later on trying to actually save Penny from a burning building.]]
* InterspeciesFriendship: With Mittens and Rhino.
* KryptoniteFactor: Parodied. Due to a misunderstanding as to why his "powers" aren't working, he comes to the conclusion that styrofoam packing peanuts are this to him.
* LargeHam: Comes as a package with the superhero delusions.
* LockedIntoStrangeness: Played with. He believes the lightning mark in his fur is a symbol of his powers, but it's actually just make up.
* ManChild: For a dog who ''speaks'', at least.
* NervesOfSteel: His time on the show has thrown so many improbable situations at him, with him effortlessly taking them out, that it's given him a tremendous amount of bravery. [[spoiler:His replacement was raised as a much more normal dog, realistically whining and cowering when put into a dangerous situation, leading to tragedy and Penny being put in ''real'' danger; Bolt wastes no time saving her despite the risk.]]
* NoSocialSkills: Having spent 5 years isolated in the TV studio, Bolt is often socially inept when meeting and interacting with different characters in reality, such as Mittens and other dogs. Mittens, who is a cat, actually knows more about how dogs are supposed to behave around each other than he does, and has to teach him.
* NiceGuy: He is very altruistic and doesn't like the idea of harming towards another.
* OlderThanTheyLook: He's a five year old dog, and for a large breed like a German Shepherd, this qualifies as middle aged. Despite this, he has the size and build of a little puppy.
* APetIntoTheWild: He's a very sheltered pet dog who gets lost in the city and has to find his way home.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Ends being extremely close friends with [[TheNotLoveInterest Mittens]].
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: As a puppy.
* SkilledButNaive: For a dog who falsely believes he has superpowers and was raised in an incredibly sheltered and controlled environment (to the point he doesn't even understand the concept of ''hunger''), Bolt is remarkably skilled and resourceful, even while he still delusionally believes himself to be a superhero. Also, even though he's an ordinary non-superpowered dog, that's nothing to laugh at; as a dog, he's still crazy strong compared to Mittens.
* TrumanShowPlot: Spends most of his life thinking he is actually a superhero, and the plot of the TV show he stars in is reality.
* UndyingLoyalty: Raised from puppyhood to be Penny's protector.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mittens]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mittens_9.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/SusieEssman; Marie Vincent (European French Dub), Verónica Jaspeado (Latin Spanish dub)

A stray cat who Bolt befriends on his journey to find Penny.
----
* BalloonBelly: She gains one after having Bolt beg for food from the people in the [=RVs=]. She loved every minute of it, and also lampshades it.
* ButtMonkey: She was prone with being thrown into slapstick jokes or situations with Bolt and/or Rhino.
* BrokenBird: She's been traumatized by her DarkAndTroubledPast, and it's made her bitter and cynical.
* CatsAreMean: Subverted. Initially, she kicks around the pigeons and makes them bring her food, but during her journey with Bolt and Rhino, she softens up and grows a heart.
* CatsAreSnarkers: Responds to Bolt's superhero delusions, among other things, with much sarcasm. She's the page picture for a reason.
* CatStereotype: She's black and white, so she's snarky and becomes unlucky.
* ConMan: [[spoiler: Since she's been declawed, she can't hunt. But she likes to threaten people with her claws that don't actually exist.]] Before she met Bolt, she survived by extorting food from pigeons in this way, by making [[spoiler: empty]] threats to the pigeons of, "bring me food or I eat you."
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler: Her owners suddenly packed up and moved away one day, leaving her, a ''declawed cat'', to fend for herself. She wonders what she could have possibly "done wrong" to cause them to abandon her.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Replies to nearly everything with snark.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Cold and selfish, but ends up warming up to Bolt. Eventually.
* EarAche: She has a ragged bite mark on her left ear. It's unknown how she got it.
* FemaleFelineMaleMutt: She forms this dynamic with herself as the female cat and Bolt as the male dog.
* FreudianExcuse: The reason she's a jerk who runs a protection racket against pigeons for a living, is because [[spoiler: her owners abandoned her.]] She tells Bolt that Penny's just pretending to love him, but she [[JerkassRealization later realizes that she was wrong when she saw how heartbroken Penny was without Bolt.]]
* FreudianTrio: The Superego to Bolt's Ego and Rhino's Id-snarky, reserved, and the voice of reason to Bolt.
* FromStrayToPet: At the end of the film, [[spoiler:she's taken in by Penny. Though she seems to be more for Penny's mother than Penny herself]].
* GreenEyedMonster: Mittens is very envious of Bolt because of the cushy life she thinks he’s had and his adorable appearance which makes him loved by humans. She’s also jealous of all dogs in general, claiming that cats hates dogs because they want to ''be'' dogs.
* IJustWantToBeLoved: Mittens hides so much pain after her owners abandoned her and wishes for someone to ''truly'' care for her.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: She uses snark to mask her depression about being abandoned by her family.
* InterspeciesFriendship: She eventually becomes friends with Bolt (a dog) and Rhino (a hamster).
* JerkassRealization: After witness a heartbroken Penny telling her mom that she still misses Bolt, Mittens realizes that Bolt was right: Penny ''truly'' loves him.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's not very nice, but underneath it all she's just desperate and lonely.
* LeanAndMean: Was very skinny due to not having means of food as a stray, though the "mean" part is averted later in the movie.
* MessyHair: She has messy fur because she's a stray.
* TheNotLoveInterest: Though they're never romantically involved, her plot arc with Bolt has a lot of the hallmarks of a romantic subplot, complete with a pseudo-FallingInLoveMontage. By the end, they're basically PlatonicLifePartners.
* OnlySaneWoman: Amongst herself, [[TrumanShowPlot Bolt]], and [[CloudCuckooLander Rhino]], she's the only one who knows that Bolt's TV show isn't real. When Rhino mentions seeing Bolt perform amazing feats on the "magic box", she immediately pieces together that he's a TV star.
* APetIntoTheWild: Mittens was [[spoiler:a pet cat until her owners abandoned her]].
* ThePigpen: Is rather dirty and scruffy-looking due to her status as a stray. [[spoiler:However, in the ending scene, her fur is much neater, has a softer look, and she's wearing a collar like Bolt, implying Penny or her mother cleaned her up]].
* PlatonicLifePartners: Ends up being this with Bolt.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Rhino]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rhino_hamster.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Mark Walton; Creator/GillesLellouche (European French Dub), Jesús Guzmán (Latin Spanish dub)

A hamster that meets Bolt and Mittens.
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* AscendedFanboy: As a fan of Bolt's TV show, he's very excited about getting to join Bolt on an adventure.
* BadassAdorable: For a hamster, and deluded crazy one at that, he's pretty badass.
* BoisterousWeakling: He's a tiny hamster, and yet he's dead serious about snapping the neck of a human guard.
* BubbleBoy: Some gags reminiscent of this trope, although he can leave his ball when necessary.
* CannotTellFictionFromReality: Rhino believes all TV shows and movies are true, and falsely believes that Bolt is a hero with superpowers like on his show, and that all the actors from his show are the characters they play.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Thinks Bolt's TV show is real despite the fact that no one is tricking him into thinking that and he actually ''watches it on TV''. He refers to the TV as the "magic box".
* DisappointedInYou: Expresses disappointment in Mittens after she pushes Bolt away and says that he no longer needs them.
* ADogNamedCat: Who names a hamster 'Rhino'? ...up until this movie came out, anyway?
* EveryoneHasStandards: If a diva like Rhino thinks your show's jumping the shark, that's how you know you've hit rock bottom.
* EvilLaugh: Although he’s one of the good guys, he humorously does a melodramatic evil laugh after getting out of his hamster ball.
* {{Fanboy}}: He’s a huge fan of Bolt. He even tells Bolt that every minute he spends in his company becomes the new greatest minute of his life.
* FearlessFool: Rhino is always ready to do life-threatening stunts or fight enemies who are gigantic compared to him.
* FreudianTrio: The Id to Bolt's Ego and Mittens' Superego-HotBlooded, excited, and always ready for an adventure with Bolt.
* GenreSavvy: Coexisting with WrongGenreSavvy: that is, his dramatic instincts are correct for the ShowWithinAShow, ''incorrect'' for the "real" world of Penny and Bolt, but correct ''again'' for a character in an "Incredible Journey"-type movie made by Disney.
* HeroWorshipper: Rhino rants about how awesome Bolt is, and he wants to be a hero and save people just like Bolt does on his TV show.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Rhino dreams of being a superhero.
* {{Keet}}: He’s very enthusiastic and excitable.
* LargeHam: Pretty well sums him up.
* NiceGuy: He’s a caring, loyal friend to Bolt and he dreams of being a hero and helping people.
* NoIndoorVoice: Yells whenever excited. And he's nearly always excited.
* PowerOfFriendship: He completely believes in this trope.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: A cute hamster.
* RousingSpeech: For someone living in a delusional fantasy, he's quite good at these. He delivers very [[LargeHam hammy]] speeches that [[RightForTheWrongReasons somehow manage to be really good advice]] despite the fact that his reasoning behind what he says is completely WrongGenreSavvy.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Bolt.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Penny]]
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/penny_bolt.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Music/MileyCyrus, Creator/ChloeGraceMoretz (young); Creator/CamilleDonda (European French Dub), Samantha Domínguez, Itzel Mendoza (Latin Spanish dub)

Bolt's beloved owner.
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* ActionGirl: Since the ''Bolt'' TV show runs on EnforcedMethodActing, Penny would have to do all of her own stunts, and in the video game adaptation she is playable alongside Bolt himself, fighting Dr. Calico's goons with a device referred to in-game as a wheelbar. If the game, which has the premise of being Rhino watching the ''Bolt'' TV show, is considered canon to the events of the film, and if Penny really does do ''everything'' she's seen doing in the show, that would make her very capable.
* BadassAdorable: She is a very cute girl. Not so much a badass, but she [[ShowWithinAShow plays one on TV]].
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Her short brown hair matches her brown eyes.
* TheCutie: Just look at her!
* DisappearedDad: Off-stage, her father is neither seen nor mentioned.
* DamselInDistress: Plays one in the ShowWithinAShow, then becomes one for real at the climax of the movie.
* TheDanza: Implied. She plays a character named Penny in the ''Bolt'' TV show, and given that the show relies on EnforcedMethodActing and the opening shows she's owned Bolt since before the show, her real name is probably also Penny.
* GuiltRiddenAccomplice: Penny loves Bolt and wants to treat him like a normal dog, but begrudgingly goes along with the show's wishes to keep him isolated from the real world. She is completely shattered when this results in his disappearance, and feels bad about having to work with his replacement.
* HeroesLoveDogs: Isn't this kind of obvious?
* MissingMom: In the ''Bolt'' TV show, her mom is never mentioned. However, it is [[AvertedTrope averted]] when she has a real mother.
* [[NiceGuy Nice Girl]]: She’s a sweet kid.
* {{Protectorate}}: To Bolt.
* SelfieFiend: A positive example She often takes pictures of herself and Bolt together to commemorate their adventures, both fake and real.
* RedIsHeroic: Though her hair's more of a brownish red, she still wears a red shirt, and is a hero.
* {{Tomboy}}: Her happy ending is moving out to a country house where she can run around a lot with her slobbery pet dog, as shown in the movie's credits.
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: She's pretty smart.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Penny's Mother]]
[[quoteright:261:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2023_04_09_at_102226_pm.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/GreyGriffin

Penny's loving mother.
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* GoodParents: Her daughter may be a high-profile child actress, but she is ''no'' StageMom; her first priority is Penny's happiness and well-being. When Bolt goes missing, she helps Penny print out "lost dog" flyers and reassures her that Bolt is doing okay out there. [[spoiler:She also quits the show without hesitation when it's clear that their agent doesn't care about her daughter's safety.]]
* KindheartedCatLover: At the end of the film, she adopts Mittens along with Bolt and Rhino.
* MamaBear: [[spoiler:She literally punches Penny's agent out of the ambulance after he suggests using the fire incident to make more money. The agent [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk “acting” sympathetic]], then shaking Penny’s stretcher while she’s in it is just asking for it.]]
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Penny and her mother have the same short reddish-brown hair.
* TakeThisJobAndShoveIt: [[spoiler:After a studio fire in which her daughter and Bolt nearly die, and her agent attempts to exploit the incident for publicity, Penny's mom throws him out of the ambulance, fires him and quits the ShowWithinAShow.]]
-->'''Penny's mother''': [[spoiler:We ''quit!'']]
* UnnamedParent: She is only referred to as Penny's mother.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Agent]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/agent_bolt.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by''' Creator/GregGermann, Creator/CarlosSegundo (Latin Spanish dub)

Penny's Studio Agent.
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* BigBad: The closest the film has to one, since his refusal to let Penny and Bolt be in unison causes Bolt the insecurity that drives his desire to escape. [[spoiler:Once Penny's mother quits her job as an actress on Penny's behalf, the TV show changes due to the agent's absence.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Though he cares only about profiting from the show (something everyone rarely respects nor tolerates), he never actually yells, fights, or complains, and acts a StepfordSmiler. Whereas his supposedly so-called pleasant and respectable disposition, on the other hand, is just a cover.
* CharacterCatchphrase: "Let's put a pin in it!"
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: His very first scene has him disregarding Penny's current situation and asking her to "get to that Teen Vogue cover shoot."
* HateSink: He is made to be annoying and unsympathetic towards Penny and Bolt so the viewer can empathize when [[spoiler:Penny's mom punches him and announces that they're quitting the show.]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: It goes without saying that this unnamed Hollywood agent only cares about himself and his own benefit.
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: When Penny and Bolt almost die in the fire, the Agent sits with her mother in the ambulance. At first he seems comforting and empathetic, only to then start gushing about the publicity and studio leverage they can get from this incident.
-->''I can't imagine what you must be feeling. No mother should ever have to go through something like this...but I promise you we're going to make this work for us. I am talking cover stories, production deals, executive producer credit! This is so great!''
* LackOfEmpathy: While Bolt is missing, the Agent does very little to comfort Penny and indiscreetly pressures her to carry on with the show as usual despite the pain of losing her dog. He later takes this too far after Penny nearly dies in the set fire, excitedly thinking about the benefits this will get them rather than showing any concern for his client’s life.
* NoNameGiven: Along with the director and most of the other staff working on the show, the Agent is never referred to by name, and is only credited by his job.
* ThisIsUnforgivable: [[spoiler:He shows absolutely no sympathy for Penny's life-threatening burns and encourages her stressed mother to use said burns for publicity. This earns him a punch from Penny's mother and costs him his job as one of his clients.]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:For all of his self-centeredness, he had no idea that Bolt's replacement would end up causing a fire in his studio that would endanger Penny and force the real Bolt to save her from it. Not that he cares after it happens, anyway.]]
* VillainyFreeVillain: The agent is technically the real cause of all of the conflict because he only cares about profit, but isn't a malicious schemer and is more horrifyingly negligent.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mindy Parker]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mindy_parker.png]]
->'''Voiced by''' Creator/KariWahlgren, Patricia Palestino (Latin Spanish dub)

The network executive of the studio in charge of producing Bolt's TV show.
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* HonestCorporateExecutive: She does have the usual executive obsession with ratings, but she is mainly concerned about keeping her employees paid and does care about Penny.
* JerkassHasAPoint: While Mindy is abrasive and harsh with her threats to fire the director and staff, she’s completely justified being angry that their convoluted and borderline-cruel methods of [[EnforcedMethodActing perfecting Bolt’s performance]] are costing the studio large amounts of time and money while only generating lacklustre ratings.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's a stern executive who threatens to fire the crew for a slip in ratings. However she's not all a bad person, genuinely sympathizing with Penny losing her pet and telling Penny that if she can't move on, the studio will shut down and the crew will lose their jobs.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Unlike the obnoxious agent, Mindy understands how much Bolt means to Penny and knows her accepting a replacement dog isn't an easy decision. However, she makes it clear to Penny if she doesn't let Bolt go, the studio has to shut down and fire crew members.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: The one she gives to the director in the prologue.
-->"Wow. Okay. You want reality? Here you go, chief. The show's too predictable. The girl's in danger, the dog saves her from the creepy English guy, we get it. There's always a happy ending. And our focus groups tell us 18-to-35-year-olds are unhappy. They're not happy with happy. So maybe you should, I don't know, spend a little less time worrying about the dog's method acting and more time figuring out how to stop 20-year-olds in Topeka from changing the channel. Because if you lose so much as half a rating point, so help me, I will fire everyone in this room, starting with you! How's that for real?"
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In trying to mix up the show's plot for better ratings, she inadvertently sets the stage for Bolt running away from the studio.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Director]]
->'''Voiced by:''' James Lipton, Oscar Bonfiglio (Latin Spanish dub)
The director of the ''Bolt'' TV show.
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* TheDragon: His decision to have Bolt method act every episode is the direct cause of the film's overall conflict, as it's Bolt's belief that the show is real that leads him to escaping from the studio, while Penny's agent manages everything regarding Penny's role in the show.
* EdgyBackwardsChairSitting: He does so whilst describing Bolt's method acting to Mindy.
* LargeHam: Probably the largest ham of the entire film.
-->'''The Director:''' You're missing ''everything'', Mindy. ''You'' see a dog. ''I'' see an animal that believes, with every fiber of his being— EVERY FIBER— that the girl he loves is in mortal danger! I see a depth of emotion on the face of that canine, the likes of which has never been captured on screen before. NEVER, Mindy from the network. We jump through hoops to make sure Bolt believes everything is real. It's why we don't miss marks. It's why we don't reshoot. It's CERTAINLY why we do NOT allow the dog to see BOOM MIKES... because, Mindy from the network... if "the dog" believes it... then ''"the audience" believes it''!
* NoNameGiven: His name isn't given, and he's only credited as the Director.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dr. Calico]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MalcolmMcDowell, Creator/OctavioRojas (Latin Spanish dub)
The main antagonist of the ''Bolt'' TV show.
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* AdaptationalVillainy: Calico's definitely a malicious villain in the in-universe TV show, but the video game ratchets his cruelty to the next level.
* AdvertisedExtra: For a character that only appears for less than five minutes of screentime, he sure does appear on a lot of posters.
* AnimalEyes: His right eye is green and has a vertical slit for a pupil.
* BigBad: He's the main antagonist of the ShowWithinAShow and, by extension, the video game. The film itself has NoAntagonist, but Bolt initially thinks Calico is behind everything.
* EvilIsHammy: He practically spends every scene he's in picking out [[ChewingTheScenery bits of scenery from his teeth]].
* EvilLaugh: It's his stock-in-trade.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: He's a malevolent doctor despite his degree.
* NoNameGiven: His actor isn't named.
* PunchClockVillain: Literally. In the film, he's simply an actor playing a villain.
[[/folder]]