Two formulas for movies are hard to beat -- animated films and stories with animals. Walt Disney’s Bolt includes both, plus it’s an entertaining and well-made film for adults and kids.

Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) and his best friend Penny (voice of Miley Cyrus) have a great relationship. Penny knows Bolt on two levels. While loving him as a dog, she also knows he’s a kind-of-brainwashed canine actor who’s been trained to think he’s invincible. Bolt only knows Penny as his person, and loves spending every day with her in exciting lands of adventures where he saves her from danger.

When Bolt accidentally falls into a box and gets shipped from Hollywood to New York City, his world is suddenly foreign. He meets up with Mittens (voice of Susie Essman), a de-clawed mocking kitten, and a TV-obsessed hamster named Rhino (voice of Mark Walton). The three of them begin a journey to get Bolt back to Hollywood.

The trip is funny and heartwarming. Bolt insists he can battle evil and be the mighty savoir in any dangerous incident, but he only ends up injuring himself and getting laughs from Mittens. Rhino, however, who still believes Bolt to be the famous TV character in real life, is so excited to be his friend. Humanity plays a role in this story as Bolt ultimately realizes he’s not a super dog, and Mittens begins to become more understanding of his predicament.

Cyrus fans will be pleased that she’s great at inflecting some real emotions into the  voice of  Penny, especially in scenes where Bolt is replaced and her sinister agent (voiced by Greg Germann) insists she shush -- “put a pin in it”--  and get on with her show. He’s a very funny but irritating character. Travolta adds an extra element of amusement in taking Bolt through his arduous journey. Essman and Walton are exceptionally sharp in their character deliveries as well.

The animation looks great and the easy-to-follow storyline moves fast. Bolt is Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first animated feature to be conceived and produced under the guidance of John Lasseter, chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and the Oscar-winning director of Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2 and Cars.

“Along with the humor, you have to have heart,” said Lasseter. “For every laugh, there should be a tear. I believe in that. The heart in Bolt comes from the emotional journey and the change that happens along the way.”

In addition to a happy ending, great adventures and lots of laughs -- including some hilarious pigeons -- the movie also has a positive message about loyalty and courage. Bolt, shown in 2-D and 3-D, is not as jaw-dropping as WALL•E or Cars and contains some edgy scenes of tough action sequences that might frighten very young kids, but overall it will appeal to all ages.

(Released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and rated “PG” for some mild action and peril.)

Review also posted at www.reviewexpress.com .