Bolt

Bolt (Animated) — It’s true.  Denis and Barbara Roy dared me to see another animated movie, making it at least three this year (Kung Fu Panda, WALL-E, Horton Hears a Who!).  They chuckled and cackled throughout.  I smiled a lot.  It’s a story about a character that has been a TV star all his life but didn’t know it; he thought he was a normal being.  His caretaker has loved him and nurtured him since birth.  And he sets off on an unexpected adventure, not knowing what he’s going to find but convinced that he has control over his own actions. Sound like The Truman Show?  Well, it’s not.  It’s Bolt, the wonderdog, of TV fame that has a “super-bark” and other superpowers.  Penny is his loving “person,” who takes great care of him while starring in the TV show next to her canine.  Bolt is a cute dog that lives a king’s existence but all the studio wants is higher ratings and more drama so it concocts some scheme for some bad guy to kidnap Penny away from Bolt.  Of course, the dog thinks it’s all real, escapes from his “star trailer” and sets out across the country in search of some green-eyed bad guy.  Along the way, we meet a cat, a hamster, some smart-alecky pigeons, and a host of other animal and human animated creatures.  It’s all quite fun as the cat reveals the truth to Bolt and leads him to self-discovery.  The hamster is an unabated fan of the TV dog and rolls thousands of miles to help his newfound buddy get back to Penny.  It all culminates in a scene where Bolt has to confront his ordinariness (is that a word?) while Penny faces mortal danger?  No, this is not The Truman Show!  Anyway, John Travolta voices Bolt; recently turned sweet 16 Miley Cyrus is Penny; and Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm) as Mittens the Cat.  The kids will love it; adults who are still kids at heart will find it cute; and fans of 3-D will love the effects.  This is from Disney Pixar, which recently announced that virtually every movie it makes from now on will be in 3-D.  Hint: you may want to save, rather than re-cycle the glasses since they’re charging about $2 extra for them.  It’s old technology taking advantage of new-tech animated techniques to make for an enjoyable viewer experience.