Animation Blog

According to ROBERT W. BUTLER, ‘Disney’s “Bolt” is the studio’s best non-Pixar animated movie in ages.’

Here’s what he wrote:

“It’s smart enough to keep adults on their toes and exciting enough to keep even the most antsy of kids glued to their seats.

The film begins with an amazing action sequence in which a super-powered canine named Bolt and his owner Penny outrun, outfight and outsmart an army of bad guys against a photo-realistic San Francisco. The animation, the timing and the visual pizazz of this intro are astonishing — one can only wonder how mind-blowing it will be in digital 3D.

When the dust settles we realize that the whole adventure was orchestrated for the cameras. Bolt is the star of a TV show, though he doesn’t know it. The pooch has been raised from childhood to believe he’s a superhero and, like Jim Carrey’s character in 1998’s “The Truman Show,” Bolt is unaware that hidden film crews follow him wherever he goes.

So when he gets lost and finds himself shipped across the country to New York City, our hero assumes he’ll be able to use his superpowers to get back home. But since they’re not real, they don’t work.

Bolt blames his loss of strength on the pink packing peanuts that filled the crate in which he was held captive. They must act like Superman’s Kryptonite, robbing him of his abilities.

He’s accompanied on his cross-country trek by a supremely cynical cat named Mittens and a hamster named Rhino, a fan of the TV show whose devotion to Bolt falls just a little short of stalking.

That’s the premise, but it only suggests the fun cooked up by directors Byron Howard and Chris Williams and the screenwriters (Williams, Dan Fogelman).

What makes “Bolt” an ever-surprising delight is its witty satire of Hollywood. Weedling agents, self-obsessed directors, conscienceless network hatchet men (or, in this case, a hatchet woman) — “Bolt” is populated with such slimy, self-serving creeps. And they’re hysterical.

Equally satisfying are the razor-sharp characterizations, especially among the animal players. Rarely has canine or feline behavior been so perfectly rendered in cartoon form, and the animation of these furry creatures is so convincing that you want to reach out and pet their furry heads.

The film pulls a nice one by allowing the animals to talk to each other, but humans hear only barking or meowing.

What about those celebrity voices? Thankfully, this is one of those rare (and blessed) animated films where the voices serve the characters and not the other way around.

For the record, John Travolta voices Bolt, Susie Essman is Mittens, tweener queen Miley Cyrus is Penny and Mark Walton (a Disney animator) voices the hyperactive Rhino.

In a brilliant stroke, James Lipton (”Inside the Actors Studio”) portrays a supercilious and self-important TV director — it’s the perfect melding of voice and character. Ditto for Greg Germann’s turn as a scheming, amoral agent.

Don’t be put off by “Bolt’s” tepid trailer. It doesn’t begin to hint at the pleasures to be found here. This may be the best animated movie since The Incredibles.”