Step aside 007: this fall's greatest action-film hero is a lovable white mutt named Bolt. The opening chase sequence of this smart Disney Animation feature rivals anything done in recent memory by Jason Bourne or James Bond. Never mind the fact that the edge-of-your-seat action is part of a popular TV show starring the canine hero. It is an exhilarating beginning to a thoroughly satisfying film that, save for a few lapses and a clumsy ending, gives a glimpse of Disney magic that, outside of the Pixar films, has been sorely lacking in recent memory.

Bolt, voiced by John Travolta, is a "superhero"dog of a hit TV show of the same name. Battling unnamed evil forces replete with armored trucks, missile-launching helicopters and armies of soldiers, Bolt and his sidekick owner Penny (Miley Cyrus) are prime-time heroes. Apparently, they also garner big time ratings as evidenced by the billboards and advertisements plastered on the sides of city buses. One problem, though: Bolt does not realize that his super-powers are make believe and that his "danger around every corner" life is purely fictional. Bolt is kept secluded on the set to reinforce his belief in this alternate reality. Bolt gets his "reality check" when he is accidentally boxed up and shipped off to New York City where life on the streets is no cakewalk and certainly not like prime-time television.

On the mean streets of Manhattan, he encounters three wise- (or not-so-wise-) guy pigeons named Joey, Vinny, and Bobby who bring a little New York attitude to damper Bolt's naivetè. Bolt, believing Penny is really in danger, vows to return to Hollywood to rescue his "person." Accompanied by a skinny alley cat named Mittens (Susie Essman), the two venture west.

As the pair journey as stowaways on a U-Haul, Mittens tries to convince the dumb-founded Bolt that he possesses no superpowers: he can't bend steel-bars with his bare paws, leap across large caverns, and obliterate an army of bad-guys with an earth-shaking "superbark." As Bolt begins to fail, he comes to the sobering realization that he is just an ordinary pooch. "Nothing you think is real is real," Mittens preaches to him. What is real, in a dog's world anyway, are mundane pleasures like sticking your head out of a moving car, playing with other dogs (and cats) and the unconditional love of a loving "person," er, owner.

Comic relief comes in the smallest of packages: a high-strung hamster named Rhino (marvelously voiced by Mark Walton). Sleek and mobile in his clear plastic ball, Rhino is the epitome of a Bolt superfan. A zealous follower of the show, Rhino believes that Bolt is every bit as "awesome" as he is on TV. His own delusions of grandeur embolden him to picture himself as Bolt's superhero sidekick, a proverbial furball Robin to Bolt's Batman. "I eat danger for breakfast," Rhino says mustering up every last bit of intensity in his little body as he ventures off in his adventure with Bolt and Mittens.

The journey westward physically parallels the inward journey that Bolt undergoes. Even as he realizes his canine ordinariness, the daunting task of finding Penny will require steadfast faith and courage. Driven by unconditional love and loyalty to his owner, Bolt indeed becomes the hero he always portrayed on TV—minus the superbark. As a result, Bolt finds out what is really real. Extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary measures and Bolt, along with his new friends Mittens and Rhino are more than up to the task.

Executive producer John Lasseter brings a dash of Pixar-like charm to his first feature for Disney Animation. The man who brought us The Incredibles knows his way around an action-sequence and Bolt does not disappoint in this area. The film is quick-paced, quick-witted with just enough heart and emotion to make Bolt a truly special family film—and that may sound cliched, but when there are so few such examples to be found it has to be said. The only slight drawbacks are the awkward ending, which felt rushed and uneven, and the ever-growing annoying trend of being released in some theatres in 3-D. Flaws aside, Bolt is, in the words of new cinematic hero Rhino, awesome.