In the new Disney/Pixar animated film, Bolt, John Travolta voices the title character, a dog who has his own reality TV show. When he accidently gets shipped to New York City, and the pooch must find his way back to his soundstage in Hollywood and his owner, Penny, voiced by teen sensation, Miley Cyrus.

Both stars shared what it was like to rely on just their voices, and what each hopes moviegoers will take away from this family flick.

Filmazing: What made you decide to become the voice of Bolt? 

Travolta: Well, I waited a long time to say 'yes' to playing the character. Honestly a lot of my friends were doing brilliant work: Robin Williams in Aladdin and Tom Hanks in Toy Story.  I hadn’t felt the right one was offered to me. I had some other characters, but I thought they weren’t classic, and I wanted to wait for a classic. I felt Bolt had the potential to be a classic. When I heard about it and read some pages in it; I felt they were on to something, and it was very important to Disney that it be a good animated feature. I think it had the heart and the humor that I needed and wanted.

Filmazing: How would you describe the character of Bolt? 

Travolta: Bolt is kind of naive, earnest, strong-willed character. He loves his owner. He doesn’t realize he is on a television series; he thinks that’s real life. And when he accidentally gets shipped to New York he tries to use all of his superpowers, and he realizes that they don’t exist. He is just a dog. That’s his transformation.

Filmazing: What kind of message do you think the film sends?

Travolta: Well this movie covers a lot of bases, as far as message is concerned.  The message is that it’s ok to be loyal. It’s ok to be earnest, and it’s ok to have a heart. And, all that while being entertaining, with a lot of humor—that is all part of the message.

Filmazing: Was the process of making the film what you expected? 

Travolta: It was better than I thought it would be because you lead the way. You really design the character. You direct it because the animators follow your vocals’ qualities to expressions. I didn’t know it was that way. I didn’t know how limiting that could be or would be, and it wasn’t at all.

Filmazing: What was it like solely relying on your voice?

Cyrus: Ever since I was little, people would make jokes about my low voice.  And, now it’s so great; you don’t necessarily have to have the picture perfect girly voice to be able to do something like this, and I think it’s really cool for the kids out there who have a really unique voice to know that they can do something like this. Also, I’m really strict on myself, and I wanted everything to be perfect.  So, I kept thinking this isn’t me on camera; it isn’t me being able to be animated when I talk. For example, using my hands to talk. I could do all of that, but no one could see, or knew what I was trying to do.  It was hard to show that through my voice, and also kind of frustrating.

Filmazing: How many dogs do you have? 

Cyrus: Six, and I love them! Could you hear me doing the baby voice in the movie? ‘Come here Bolt!’ They (cast and crew) were all laughing, and cracking up! They thought it was the greatest thing that I was talking to the dog like it was real.

Filmazing: When your friends and fans come see it, what message do you want them to get from this?

Cyrus: I hope that it’s one of those movies that when you go home, you get the need to tell your best friend you love her, and you come home and love on your dog.  Hopefully you realize you love your pet, and what good friends they can be. Second, no matter what you do for a living, or if your job is controlling your mind, that you realize it can go away in a second. That most likely that isn’t what matters to people like Penny. Your best friend is what matters.

Filmazing: What was the process of making the film like for you?  How long did it take?

Cyrus: I did about five sessions, so it was pretty easy. I loved going in there in my sweats; that was my favorite part. I was a mess, and I thought, let’s roll with it, get it done, go home and take a shower.

Filmazing: How is your character, Penny, like you and how is Penny different from you?

Cyrus: Penny is hard core—I love it. Everyone asks, ‘what’s your favorite scene?’ And I say my favorite scene is when I come in, my hairs all chopped off, and she’s wearing dock martin boots, and she’s riding on her skate board. It’s so great; something I’ve never been able to do. I always want to be that girl. And, I love how vulnerable she gets as soon as she loses Bolt. It really shows that it’s just a persona.