'Bolt': A Nice Zap of Energy in a Dog-Tired Genre (Continued) 

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What's in It for Parents

How about this? It isn't "Twilight," and you won't have to listen to tweens drooling over Edward the perfect vampire-boyfriend, his sparkly skin or his swift, swift Volvo. For some parents (the ones not bitten by the vampire bug themselves), these are a lot of good points.

Moreover, it's nice to see a carefully crafted movie. There aren't a lot of throwaway elements. Certain things we see at the beginning, we see echoed at the end. Tertiary characters, such as the pigeons, appear in Hollywood, New York and at home with Penny, and each time reflect the local flavor with humor. This sort of thing shows respect for the audience.

It's also nice to see performers we're used to in edgy roles, like Susie Essman of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," who plays a jaded cat named Mittens. Her voice sounds fresh and lively, and she manages to work up quite a bit of sympathy for alley cats without being overly sentimental about it. It's a little like hearing Patton Oswalt in "Ratatouille": unexpected, and all the more delightful that it works.

The 3-D touches were nothing more than eye candy in "Bolt." And, let's face it, eye candy of this sort for people who need glasses is like chewing Dots with a mouth full of dental work. It's not necessarily easy to swallow.

Despite the cool opening shot of the animal-shelter window, this is probably not a movie that needed to be in 3-D. You might find yourself groaning in anticipation of the dimension-busting juggernaut that started with "Fly Me to the Moon" this summer and will continue next year with "Coraline," and "Ice Age." Next year, Disney alone will have five 3-D releases. Let's hope they're all as fun as this one.

"KUNG FU PANDA" ON DVD

"Kung Fu Panda" is now out on DVD and comes packaged with a great bonus: "Secrets of the Furious Five."

Oh, how I love this movie, which tells the story of Po, a fat panda who works in his father's noodle shop while he dreams of being an awesome kung fu master. Po is accidentally chosen to be the dragon warrior, which means he's entitled to learn the secret of unlimited power.

No one's happy about it. Not the Furious Five, who've been training all their lives for the honor. Not Master Shifu. And not the evil Tai Lung, who's broken out of a maximum-security prison (featuring armored rhino guards) in order to claim the prize.

Jack Black stars as Po, Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Lucy Liu as Viper and Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, among others -- a solid cast working with great material.

There are two reasons it's worth owning on DVD. First, it's a well-told story that carries a wise message for kids. I've seen this movie three times now and notice new things each time. Second, the art is fantastic, with just the right Chinese flavor.

The companion DVD, "Secrets of the Furious Five," isn't a standalone movie on its own. Rather, it tells the origins of Po's fighting friends: Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey. This definitely is aimed more at kids than their parents. The DVD also teaches kids a few kung fu fighting moves, matches their personalities with those of the Furious Five, and introduces kids to the Chinese zodiac.

The two-disc special-edition package is $34.98, though it's not hard to find significantly lower prices. That's a lot of bang (among other fighting sound effects) for your entertainment buck.

DreamWorks Animation recently announced a sequel for summer 2011. And yes, it will be in 3-D.

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Martha Brockenbrough is MSN's Cinemama, for the Parents' Movie Guide. She is also the author of Things That Make Us [Sic], a guide to funny bad grammar published by St. Martin's press. She also blogs about family life for Cozi.com, and writes an educational humor column for Encarta. Check out her Web site.

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