Bolt

Another surprise. A relatively simple tale that takes some cues from movies such as The Matrix--or is it The Muttrix?--and The Incredible Journey turns out to be an insightful, funny and occasionally even moving story about a girl and her dog...and, oh by the way, Hollywood, which the film both admires and skewers at the same time and with equal amounts of feeling. Anyone who has ever had a pet can’t help but feel the tug of this picture's underlying story of a companion lost, so it’s no wonder the film would hit home with its audience. Add on to that foundation a clever script, strong vocal performances, and a major upgrade to the studio’s digital animation output (by this point Disney finally learned a thing or two from their Pixar cousins) and you wind up with a movie that probably deserves way more love than it seems to have gotten in its day and subsequently. Ironic though it may be, this is one movie about a dog that earns a long, loud PURR.