Published: December 13, 2008 11:39 am      

Bolt is the best Disney in years

Disney released Bolt the same weekend that “Twilight” hit the boards. Bad timing. Any other time, just because of the voice of Miley Cyrus, the tweens would be abuzz with talk of this movie. Even if you have to borrow a neighbor’s kid, go see this movie. it’s one of the better animated tales that is not filled with double-entendre, yet is still funny and tells a tale worth telling.

Even though it is rated PG, Bolt has all the elements of a great family movie and not much that a parent could object to. There are some tense scenes and insinuations of violence, but most of this takes place in the fantasy world of TV — rather than real life — portrayed within the movie.

The premise of Bolt, combined with its high-profile actors, will likely attract audiences of a variety of ages.

Young children may enjoy the upbeat story of a cute white dog celebrity on an adventure in New York City, while tweens may be drawn to the star power of Miley Cyrus, who voices Bolt’s owner, Penny.

Meanwhile, parents and other adults can be entertained by the clever storyline and sophisticated CGI animation without fear of boredom. There is even a 3D version on release in selected theatres.

As with most disney cartoons, there is a moral to the story.

The story revolves around the television adventures of a girl and her dog. The dog however, is not aware the adventures are all staged and he will always come out on top and unharmed.

Bolt’s particular version of reality comes crashing down when the little dog is accidentally trapped in a box that is shipped to New York City.

As Bolt finds his true self in the real world, he also makes a few friends — including a cat and a hamster. The two accompany him as he attempts to find Penny and protect her from his on-screen nemesis — whom he still thinks exists.

It is likely that adults and children alike will exit the theatre with smiles on their faces after watching Bolt’s adventure and reunion.

Voicecast: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton, Greg Germann and Diedrich Bader

Bolt

Rating (*** 1/2 out of *****)

Synopsis: From Walt Disney Pictures comes an animated comedy adventure featuring a super-dog named BOLT (voice of JOHN TRAVOLTA), whose days are filled with 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. Directed by Disney veterans Chris Williams and Byron Howard, BOLT is a hilarious, fun-filled, action-packed animated comedy adventure in Disney Digital 3-D.

MPAA Rating: PG

Running Time: 96 minutes