It is a dynamic and humorous sequence where Bolt displays all of his superpowers, including speed and heat vision. However, it is revealed that Bolt is the star of a popular television series and the dog does not even know it. There is a great sequence with the director (James Lipton) explaining just how important it is to hide reality from Bolt. It all makes sense, but it is also a little sad that Bolt cannot be allowed to know what life is like outside the show, that everything is not a matter of life or death.
Well, one thing leads to another and Bolt gets out of his protected trailer and is inadvertently shipped across the country. Alone and loose in the real world, Bolt sets out to find Penny and the evil man with the green eye (Calico). To that end, Bolt intends to use all of his available powers to reach his goals. Unfortunately, it turns out that his powers are little more than special effects that he has been led to believe in all his life, which leads directly into the greatest Styrofoam joke ever.
Before long, he is teamed with a streetwise and cynical cat named Mittens (Susie Essman). Together they begin a journey across the country, one that Mittens has no interest in. Partway through their journey they meet Rhino, a chubby hamster with a television addiction and a particularly fierce attachment to Bolt — he will do anything for the dog. Rhino believes, like Bolt does, that the powers are real and is always looking forward to seeing them used.
The story is very predictable, you can almost see all it coming — from Bolt being sent across the country, to meeting sidekicks, to comical adventures, to a mid-movie montage, all the way to the inevitable teary reunion. Fortunately, that's not what the story is really about. It is much more about the critter characters and their personal journeys than it is the overt adventure.
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