'Bolt'

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Disney's "Bolt" is the studio's best non-Pixar animated movie in ages.

It's smart enough to keep adults on their toes and exciting enough to keep even an ADHD kid glued to his seat.

The film begins with an amazing action sequence in which the super-powered 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 pizzazz of this intro is astonishing _ one can only wonder how mind-blowing it will be in digital 3-D.

When the dust settles we realize that the whole adventure was planned 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 NYC, the canine celeb assumes he'll be able to use his superpowers to get back home. Except that for some reason they don't work.

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

There are some delicious running gags. No matter where he goes, Bolt encounters pigeons, and they're always dumb.

I haven't yet mentioned the celebrity voices, largely because 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 (my favorite), 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."

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BOLT

3 ½ stars

Director: Byron Howard and Chris Williams

Cast: Voices of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton

Rated: PG for some mild action and peril.

Running time: 1:30

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© 2008, The Kansas City Star.