‘Bolt' opens Friday, November 21. See the trailer here.

In a world where it is getting harder to find a wholesome movie that all ages can enjoy, ‘Bolt', Disney's new animated feature is a charming, smart, funny romp that is sheer refreshment and will keep both children and adults glued to their seats.

The film begins with a tense action sequence as Bolt, the superhero dog, and his beloved owner Penny, foil an army of bad guys bent on their destruction. Bolt has a super bark that can blow up roads and tanks, eyes that can melt metal, and legs whose sheer strength allows him to leap beyond any danger.

When the action ends, the audience sees the truth in the form of a tell-tale boom mike. It turns out that this whole sequence is just part of a television show, and unbeknownst to Bolt, who has spent his life carefully confined to a Hollywood studio, he has no superpowers. The studio bad guys have shielded him from the truth so that he could convincingly act the part and believe that Penny's life is constantly in danger and he alone can save her.

When he gets accidentally shipped across the country to New York , however, he slowly and hilariously begins to learn the sad truth and concludes erroneously that the pink Styrofoam packing pellets have drained him of his strength—like Kryptonite weakened Superman.

On his journey back home not only does he have some very funny misadventures, but he is accompanied by a sardonic cat named Mittens and a hamster named Rhino who has only seen Bolt on TV and all but worships him. Add these two to earnest Bolt as he soon becomes dashed that he is not a hero, and the screenwriters (Chris Williams and Dan Fogelman) and directors (Byron Howard and Chris Williams) have created a recipe for fun.

It reminds me of the kind of clever humor that marked ‘Finding Nemo,' and made its characters so memorable and quotable, and, in fact, in one scene, a daffy pigeon mentions Nemo.

The animal characterizations are sharp and clever, especially the divide between a cat and a dog as demonstrated in one scene where Mittens teaches Bolt how to beg and shows him the difference in the results between a dog and a cat begging for food.

Adding to the fun is that though the animals understand each other perfectly, only their animal sounds are audible to the humans in the story.

Also right on are the portrayals of the network types, the director and the agent who come across as laughable in their slimy self-interest.

Voices for the film include a couple of well-known stars: John Travolta for Bolt and Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) as Penny.