3 stars***

Undoubtedly, this is Disney’s best animated movie in a long time; it almost takes you back to when Disney made movies where we could ‘feel’ the characters rather than their recent history of forcing us back in our seats and being ‘hit’ by clever animations, but not so much movie interest.

This is a mixture of the days when we loved the ‘101 Dalmatians’ and today’s computer generated technology. It’s the only place (almost) where you’ll see a dog, cat and hamster get along so well without chasing each other, but admittedly the dog doesn’t treat the cat so well before they become friends.

Walt Disney Animation Studios should be complemented on how well they’ve looked at the ways dogs, cats and hamsters really react in their daily lives. The little touches employed by the Disney people are excellent. One example was when Bolt when to his cabin. He turned in a few circles before sitting down. Dogs do this, but it’s rarely seen in movies, especially animated models.

The screenplay by Chris Williams and Dan Fogleman from Chris Sander’s idea is structured well to ensure that we get a good story line that’s not lame with one or two big moments strung out by long non entity sections. This script really moves along correctly, as though we have full human interface. We actually fall for the story and believe in it and the characters.

The comedy is good and matches its audience, probably from aged 9 to 99. It’s probably too worrying or frightening for kids under 9, but parents and guardians will have to judge that one.

It was made in eighteen months, which I’m told is short for this type of movie, but it still cost $150 million to make, so those DVD sales are going to have to be high to get the original costs back. Still, with games and other merchandise, it might not be the movie that makes Disney the Bolt money.

John Travolta does a really good job as Bolt giving full expression so that we really know him quite soon. I’m told that Miley Cyrus is quite big in the states at the moment (where have I been?). Her voicing of Bolt’s owner is spot on.

I wish I’d seen this in 2008 as it would have just piped Madagascar; Escape2Africa, to our annual award. Both are far more entertaining that that bore, WallE. If I wanted a lecture I’d have gone to college. I sought entertainment and Bolt certainly figures very high in that neighborhood.

It looks like we’re on a dog film run at the moment. First we had Marley & Me, now Bolt and very soon we’ll see the Hotel for Dogs movie. All we need now is 103 Dalmatians.

3 stars***

No, dog lovers, this is not just another dog movie, it’s two stories that become one. It is about a great Labrador dog (Marley) and his (almost) entire life living with, and as a major part, of a loving family. More prominently, it’s about the shifting lives of two single people right through changing jobs, moving homes and having three children and all that goes with going from late twenties to life’s forties.

It’s about the lessons a Labrador can teach a family, like one for all and one for all. Like being a family unit, not all out just for themselves. Like bonding together in times of stress and trouble and all having fun when they can. Like little accidents are just little accidents, not the start of world war III. Like teaching forgiveness.

While it took 22 dogs to play Marley at different stages, it only took one Jennifer Aniston who looks great across the fourteen year span. She’s a very under rated actress, mostly remembered for ten years at ‘Friends,’ but now also with a 20+ movie back catalogue. She’s the variety of quality actress where you don’t appear to notice her acting; she appears as the part she’s playing.

If you weren’t close to shedding a tear at the end of this movie, then you haven’t a heart.

The final scenes when Marley drifts off to sleep in the vet’s examination room are performed so well, they are precisely realistic. I know, I’ve been there and got that t-shirt. I wondered how they’d deal with this scene, given the age range of the expected audience. At best I thought they’d cut it short, but the director gave us the full power of that scene: the time to say goodbye to a loved and faithful friend. The scene appeared to continue for a long time, but it was matched by not exploiting the scene and showing a part of life’s responsibility that you take on, when you have a family dog.

John Grogan wrote the original book about his life with Marley and here writers Scott Frank and Don Roos give it a good screenplay treatment. David Frankel’s direction is spot on. He could have made the dogs scenes more over the top, but then this wasn’t a Disney movie, so he chose just the right level of dog funny moments v family interaction.

Sales of $150 million at the box office suggest that this is a popular movie, but I would suggest an age barrier on the cinemas. Some of the coarse language, suggestive language and the scene of Marley’s last vet visit were unsuitable for under 10’s. We know they have to find their way in the world, but we don’t need them to grow up too early. Let them be children and worry about life’s problems if and when they come across them, not forced on them by seeing this movie if they’re too young.

I hope cat lovers go and see the movie, even though your loved ones didn’t even get the slightest mention this time around. Marley didn’t even get to chase a cat!

Here’s a few labs on Flickr

Most importantly of all, here’s our Jodie; fifteen years, three months and five days as a part of our family.

Marley & Me, staring Owen Wilson and the special one, Jennifer Aniston, opens on Christmas Day 2008. That sets a dilemma. Do you really want to see a fantastic story set to film when the ending is where the Labrador dies? You’re going to cry and cry a lot.

Thankfully you’re also going to laugh and laugh a lot.

Of course you’ll want to see it. You’ll be taken to both extremes of human emotion. Not many films move you to both extremes. I think I’ll wait until a few days after Christmas, because it might be too much for the emotional strains in one day. I’ll also need to check out whether it’s suitable for my six year old daughter who asks every day, for a new puppy.

The movie is based on the book of the same name. It’s the story of a Labrador, called, well, Marley. The trailer gives you the impression that the movie is going to be true to the book.

Go see the trailer at       http://www.marleyandmemovie.com/

The original book was written by John Grogan. It’s a sensational read and should be on almost everyone’s bookshelf. You can read it over and over again and find new parts about Marley’s life you missed the first time around. I would guess that many readers will have once had a Labrador in their family or perhaps another breed. Go see John’s website at: http://www.marleyandme.com/ You can see pictures of Marley and read stories of other astonishing Labradors

So why do we love our Labradors so much? From John’s ‘question and answer’ page on his site:

Q. What was the biggest lesson you took away from your relationship with Marley?

A. That commitment matters. That “in good times and bad, in sickness and in health” really means something. We didn’t give up on Marley when it would have been easy to, and in the end he came through and proved himself a great and memorable pet.

It all brings back so many happy memories of our Jodie, our black Labrador, with us for fifteen years, three months and five days. We could have written a book about her grand life; the commitment she gave to us and the commitment we returned to her, but John got there first. We’ll watch the movie and think of Jodie. Stock up on the tissues, dear.

Humans have a lot to learn from Labradors.