Welcome to the new era of Disney animated films. For years, Disney's non-Pixar releases have consisted of straight-to-DVD schlock sequels (Bambi II, anyone?), or movies that were either utterly forgettable hand-drawn fare (Home on the Range) or derivative computer-generated ones (The Wild). When Pixar (the group responsible for Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and this year's WALL-E, among others) officially merged with Walt Disney Animation back in 2006, one of two things could have happened: either resources would be stretched thin and all films, Pixar included, would suffer, or the presence of Pixar's geniuses would elevate everything.

I'm happy to report that it's definitely the latter. The first real collaboration between the two, Bolt, is an overwhelming success (Meet the Robinsons was the first official film under the new studio, but since the merger had happened just the year before, it's hard to see Pixar's influence on it). Bolt is not a Pixar film, but it has the studio's fingerprints all over it. The film takes off (almost literally) like a rocket with a fantastically entertaining action sequence and doesn't stop until the end credits hit the screen.

Bolt (voice of John Travolta) is a dog who believes with every fiber of his being that he is a superhero, saving the life of his owner Penny (Miley Cyrus) and thwarting the machinations of the evil Dr. Calico (Malcolm McDowell). Of course, he believes this because reality (he's actually the star of a TV show called, natch, Bolt) is kept from him at all costs, so that his performance will be believable (yeah, it's a stretch, but just roll with it).

When two feline co-stars (damn cats) coax him out of the trailer where he's kept in seclusion, Bolt accidentally ends up getting shipped across the country (trust me, it makes sense in the movie). Once he arrives in New York, he takes his stranding as a mission to find Penny. Corralling/kidnapping a cat, Mittens (Susie Essman), to help him find her, he sets off on another cross-country journey to make it back home.

If this sounds like an animated remake of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey to you, trust me – it's not. For one thing, for much of the trip Bolt still believes that he's a superhero, egged on by the addition of a hamster, Rhino (Mark Walton), who just happens to be one of Bolt's biggest fans. This leads to Bolt attempting many feats of derring-do, with predictable results. Homesick and at a loss as to why his “powers” won't work, will Bolt ever make it home? Come on, what do you think?

Bolt has all the hallmarks of a Pixar film: Superb animation (the eyes are what get you every time), clever sequences, and, of course, great writing. Writers Dan Fogelman (Cars) and Chris Williams (who also co-directed the film with Byron Howard) keep the film at a high level by doing what all animated films should do: Not talking down to the audience. There are numerous crowd-pleasing moments in the film, including wise-cracking pigeons (with location-appropriate accents as Bolt makes his way around the country) and the hyperactive, maniacal stylings of Rhino. The key is that none of them pander in order to get a cheap laugh; every second of humor or drama in Bolt is completely earned.

Using big names as the voices in an animated film can often backfire (ahem, Shark Tale), but Bolt strikes a nice balance between its two headliners (Travolta and Cyrus) and the supporting cast. It helps that Travolta blends into the role quickly, so that 10 minutes in it's easy to forget who's doing the voice. Cyrus is recognizable throughout, but her raspy lisp doesn't grate too much. The scene-stealers are the various voices of the pigeons and Walton as Rhino, although much of the pigeons' appeal is the bobbing and swerving of their heads as they talk.

Even five months ago, I would have said it was crazy to think that a non-Pixar Disney film could out-perform an actual Pixar outing in the same year, but that's exactly what Bolt has done. Perhaps now we can go back to the golden days (i.e. 1989 – 1994) when every new Disney animated film was highly anticipated. One can only hope.