Latest animated dog film has a Disney pedigree

By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Contact)

“Bolt,” opening Friday, comes from the same cinematic kennel as Mickey’s dog, Pluto, Lady and Tramp and the “best doggone dog in the West,” Old Yeller, as reviewer Ron Wolfe writes in Friday’s MovieStyle section.

Disney has gone to the dogs since way back — from scratchy beginnings to the latest computer whiz-bang.

Bolt

9.0

Rating: PG

Length: 1 hour, 36 minutes

More info on: Bolt

This time, there’s the pedigree of John Lasseter’s name as “Bolt’s” executive producer — reason to expect the best doggone computer-animated dog in digital 3-D. And it is, too.

But, woof! — such complications. Lasseter is the big dog behind Pixar Animation, “Toy Story,” “Cars” and this year’s “Wall-E.” Now, Pixar is part of Walt Disney Pictures, and he is chief creative officer all the way around. “Bolt” came with the job.

The end result is that “Bolt” shakes out pretty much like a Pixar movie, but it’s not quite the same. It’s from Walt Disney Animation Studios, a different pooch, talkier than Pixar, sometimes not as smooth as Pixar animation. But it’s a dog that wants to tell us something — what is it, boy? — Timmy’s in the well? — no, happy news for a change.

Go! Sit! It’s worth the higher $11-or-so ticket price (still less than a bag of Purina) for Disney Digital 3-D, even if the rest of the movie is a bite long on kibbles and short on bits.

Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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