Bolt

For decades, Walt Disney feature films represented the gold standard of animation, but recently both Disney's sister company Pixar and DreamWorks have outperformed Disney product on almost all levels. Filmmakers Byron Howard and Chris Williams' Bolt, the latest in a string of mediocre pictures from Uncle Walt's once-indomitable organization, revolves around the superstar eponymous dog (voiced by John Travolta), who appears with his teenage sidekick Penny (Miley Cyrus) in a Truman Show-like TV series. Bolt not only mistakenly believes the show's cliffhanger premise—that Penny is being menaced by a suave British villain (Malcolm McDowell)—but also thinks he has the superpowers of his TV character. Thanks to a mishap, pampered Bolt is soon forced to enter the real world, where life lessons await. As a sassy cat named Mittens, Curb Your Enthusiasm's Susie Essman adds a little spice by challenging Bolt's misconceived notions and teaching him how to act like a “real” mutt, but she's the only truly bright spot in an otherwise routine and occasionally tedious yarn that serves up a few solid fish-out-of-water gags but is nowhere near best of breed in contemporary animated films. Still, considering its Disney pedigree and Oscar nomination, this is recommended, overall. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include seven minutes of deleted scenes, the production featurettes “Act, Speak! The Voices of Bolt” (10 min.), “Creating the World of Bolt” (7 min.), and “A New Breed of Directors: A Filmmakers' Journey” (5 min.), the animated short “Super Rhino” (5 min.), a brief “In Session with John Travolta and Miley Cyrus” behind-the-scenes segment with the costar voice cast, the “Be Awesome Mission Game,” an art gallery, and trailers. The Blu-ray release includes a standard DVD version and bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this Oscar-nominated Disney film.] (E. Hulse)