Dog hates cats, dog loves girl, girl loves dog, girl loses dog but it all ends happily ever after...that in short is what Bolt is all about, in true Disney style.

The star of the latest Disney movie and also a TV series in the movie plot, is the white canine that has the good looks of the American White Shepherd and the voice of John Travolta, whose CV can include the talent of being a pilot, a woman (Hairspray) and now, dog.

The story begins in a pet store where a little girl, Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus from the Hannah Montana series), chooses for herself a pup that she names Bolt.

Fast forward five years and you find Penny fighting bad guys with her loyal dog, which has been enhanced by the girl's scientist dad to become a dog like no other and the giveaway is his lightning bolt tattoo.

Bolt can leap tall buildings in a single bound, run faster than a speeding bullet and like the Man of Steel where most superhero attributes are always borrowed from, bend metal bars like they are putty, break through brick wall and send laser beams from his eyes.

What Bolt has one over Superman is the supersonic bark which can bring down almost anything. And it is with that bark, which decimated the teams of bad guys chasing Penny, that we discover that everything is just part of a TV series and the work of special effects.

Everyone knows fact from fiction, except Bolt.

Confined to his superstar caravan each day because the reality could change Bolt, says the director, there is no distraction except the cats that belong to the TV bad guy Dr Calico.

The felines, aware of the make belief world Bolt lives in, have fun taking jibes at the dog with their evil laugh and threats of dastardly deeds made from the safe distance of a ventilation window on the roof of the trailer.

The problem is, after filming an episode which ends with the staged kidnap of Penny, the loyal Bolt believing that he must rescue his beloved owner, bounds out the ventilation window, much to the shock of the cats getting ready for their night's entertainment.

When Bolt falls into a box filled with styrofoam peanuts during his escape, the adventure begins.

After being shipped off to New York, Bolt discovers that his none of his super powers work but has found a good reason for it - - styrofoam peanuts - - and we all know how deadly styrofoam is.

It's only after he meets Mittens featuring the voice of American stand-up comedian Susie Essman that the canine who starts off hating the cat (and vice versa) comes to the realisation that his life so far had been one big script.

Joining the duo as Bolt searches for a way to return to his owner, is Rhino the Hamster voiced by Disney staff member Mark Walton, with maniacal detail.

Ignoring Mitten's warning that the journey only has room for "one lunatic" Rhino, the die-hard fan who has followed every move of Bolt on "the magic box" takes on his lifetime adventure with his hero.

The fact that Rhino overcomes all odds and won't be held back despite being overweight and having to run about in a plastic ball, should remind all kids not to pick on the big kid or the one who is not like the crowd.

Through the unlikely pair of Rhino who needs a reality check and Mittens who is a constant reality check, we discover friendship and love - - including the fact that pets need love and should not be abandoned.

This is definitely one for the tots and kids up to age of 12 at the very most.

The little ones laughed heartily and didn't seem to mind the length of the movie which had yours truly fumbling for the watch mid-way and wondering "are we there yet?" during the trio's road trip.

The journey of self-discovery from New York to Hollywood held most of "the sappy parts" as my 11 year old best described it, and could've done with some editing without much damage to the overall feel of the movie.

Bolt marks the directing debut of Chris Williams a 14-year behind the scenes Disney staffer and Byron Howard, a Disney animator since 1994.

As in all Disney movies, there are songs, but unlike Brother Bear, The Lion King or The Little Mermaid, the scores here don't score even with the voices of Travolta and Cyrus who team up for the original song I Thought I Lost You (written by Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele).

While Bolt was the hero of the show, Mittens stole the show, but you could also blame it on my being a 'cat person'. As for Rhino, he got the vote from the kids - there's just something about hamsters and kids.

Adults taking the kids out for the school break treat will enjoy the story-line and also the witty dialogue that well characterises the creatures according to their backgrounds, from hard-nosed New Yorker to Hollywood bird-brains.

The movie which is being presented in 3D and at cinemas in 2D will not leave you feeling short-changed in any way. There are sequences that will be well viewed in 3D but at the same time, they are just as great 'normal'.

Bolt is without apologies a cartoon and I am glad for it. From the big-headed characters to the colourful cityscapes, you will be reminded that this is part of Disney's return to a world it once reigned, the world of cartoons.

-CNA/sf