'Bolt' review

(Credit: Disney)

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TV action pup Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) doesn't know he's part of a TV show and thus thinks his "Super Bark" is actually forceful, his lightning bolt birthmark isn't just makeup and that he actually has the crime-fighting power to protect his owner, tween girl Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus). When she and Bolt are separated, the pooch treks from New York to Hollywood—where his feline hostage/assistant, Mittens (Susie Essman of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), claims he can find the gal—and tests his presumed powers in the real world.

The buzz: It seems foolproof to combine the excitement of a hero pet able to jump over helicopters with the fact that, uh, small dogs are pretty cute. But it's not exactly encouraging that this 3-D animated  Disney flick comes from the writers of "Fred Claus" and "The Emperor's New Groove," or that "Bolt" just looks like an odd combination of "The Truman Show" and "The Incredibles."

The verdict: Another just-OK animated movie that lacks imagination (Bolt's fear of styrofoam; his nemesis blandly referred to as "the green-eyed man") and bogs down in obnoxious diversions (an overly enthusiastic hamster practically announces "Hi, I'm Irritating Sidekick" from minute one). Travolta and Cyrus work well together, and the film fortunately uses 3-D to step up the adventure, not just so people and pets can stick fingers/tongues/etc. in our faces. But fun, four-legged scampering isn't enough when the characters are so unmemorable, the high concept is so wobbly and the journey doesn't have you rooting for a reunion. When it comes to animated stories, "Bolt" reiterates that there's Pixar, and there's Pixaren't.

Did you know? Based on unfortunate dialogue by wiseguy pigeons in New York, the "word" "ridonkulous" has apparently made its way into the animal community. Hooray.

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