Bolt

Facing inevitable comparisons, Disney’s latest offering has aspired to Pixar’s style, and with a shared creative umbrella, Bolt’s 3D visuals certainly come up to standard.Bolt (John Travolta) is a Hollywood primetime canine, dubiously groomed by his scenery-chewing director into believing his superpowers are genuine, until reality bites when he haplessly gets mailed to Manhattan. Traversing home to his beloved co-star Penny, self-discovering adventures ensue with help from wily cat Mittens and sedative-dodging ‘Scrappy to his Scooby’ hamster Rhino.The movie owes much thematically to Toy Story, yet lacks its standard of wit as well as the referential cleverness seen in Wall-E. The opening sequence is stunning and leaves one pondering whether, if having rolled with the idea of an omnipotent dog, the story may have been more original. Classically Disney however, the film has some genuinely touching moments and like a reliable pooch, will endear most who encounter it. [Juliet Buchan]