Finding home

Bolt's journey will entertain audiences of all ages | Megan Basham

Walt Disney Pictures

They say you can't be all things to all people, and that's especially true of movies. But Disney's latest animated release, Bolt (rated PG for mild action and peril) comes close. It displays at once a snarky pop-culture savvy and a sincere, old-fashioned heart.

It's hard to imagine that kids 20 years ago would possess enough media knowledge to process the story-within-a-story that propels Bolt. But today's texting, programming youngsters will likely have no problem absorbing the Truman Show-esque plot that has loyal pup Bolt (John Travolta) believing that he possesses superpowers and needs to protect his owner Penny (Miley Cyrus) at all costs. Little does he know that the gates he crashes are breakaway props and the enemies who drop at a swipe of his paw are, like Penny, really actors. When Bolt accidentally wanders off his studio lot and winds up in New York City, he meets a street-smart cat, Mittens (Susie Essman), who sets him straight: He's just another dog and must rely on his natural canine talents if he ever wants to get back to Los Angeles and Penny.