Bolt (matinee viewing) *****

James: ***** I liked it when the building went on fire and when Penny went to the hospital and at the end when her face was brand new. Green-eyed man got a poisonous shot and was about to stick it in her then Bolt shot out and stopped him, and I liked when Bolt was dragging the cat's leash and I liked when the cat banged her head against the garbage can and I liked it when the kidnapper kidnapped Bolt and the green-eyed man caught Penny in the cage and took her away from Bolt. The funniest part was when the hamster was breathing on his ball and it started to turn white and he drew, like a face on it and you could see the building through it. It's better than Kit Kittredge but Journey to the Center of the Earth is the best.

Jupiter (age 4):*****(81 stars) I liked it when the cat banged against the mailbox and I liked it when Bolt got hooked onto a string and I liked it when he tied the cat. I liked it when the human said to Bolt, "Oh, sweetie, are you lost?" and then he ran away when she put him on a leash, and I liked it when the cat jumped off the train. I like it when Bolt hit Cat on the head and when cat hit Bolt on the head and when he didn't know what blood was. He was like, "What's that red stuff coming out of my paw?" and the cat said, "It's blood." I like it when Bolt hugged Penny.

Justice (age 2): *****I liked the cat and hamster and Penny. The cat was funny and Bolt and the hamster.

Grandma Pat: *****My favorite part of the movie was the reunion scene, and I liked how mittens came to be such a good mentor, teaching Bolt how to be a real dog instead of a super hero. I thought it was a real good buddy flick that the kids could relate to. I thought the opening sequence was pretty good witht he girl-hero.

Mama: ***** This movie was an absolute delight. It had everything a kid could want, a high-speed motorcycle/razor chase scene, a girl with cool gadgets trying to save her father from evil villains, a dog with a supersonic bark. But Bolt the dog, like Truman, is really the hapless, unknowing star of a TV show and so is about to embark on a huge search for his identity. That, the knowing critique of the film industry and the buddy movie aspect of this movie is what makes it enjoyable for adults. I love how Mittens the cat teaches Bolt how to be a dog and we get a glimpse of her dog-envy, when she attempts to beg for food herself and gets told to scat. I've got a theory that the Pixar movie is one of the few remaining options for an interesting women's role. Since the male (leading) character is often of a different species from their buddy sidekick, that sidekick can be female, without having any of the complications of sexual attraction (or needing to be saved every other scene.) Ellen Degeneris as Dory can navigate the Pacific with Marlon, with great chemistry, and some antagonism without there needing to be a wedding at the end of the movie. Likewise, Mittens, voiced by Susie Essman to Bolt's John Travolta can be road-trip sidekicks without the need for them to fall in love. The family they form at the end has way more potential than what Cinderella got stuck with.
Oh, and the sycophantic hamster was ADORABLE.