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I returned from Comic-Con with a bagful of goodies, a nasty cold and lots of movie news.
 
Comic-Con is about the most exciting place on earth if you want to get sneak peeks of everything the big studios are preparing for coming years. 

I attended the Disney/Pixar preview panel and got to get sneak peeks of both Bolt, coming out on November 21 and of Up, the new Pixar release for 2009.

The studio showed 20 minutes of footage from Bolt -- some of it not even in its final stages -- and it got a great reaction from the huge (really, huge -- like, in a couple thousand strong) crowd gathered in the San Diego Convention Center’s largest hall. The film is about, well, Bolt, a famous dog who stars in a big-budget action Michael Bay-style TV series. He’s never left the world beyond the soundstage and his trailer, and believes that he possesses all the powers he has on the show: Super speed, super strength and a bark so strong it can flip cars. When he accidentally gets shipped to New York, he has to find his way back -- and discovers maybe his powers don’t really exist. John Travolta voices Bolt, an adorably scrappy canine who’s going to inspire a lot of kids to want a puppy, while Miley Cyrus voices his co-star on the show. The real scene stealers are destined to be James Lipton (of Inside the Actors Studio fame) and Malcolm McDowell. But my prediction for the favorite character? It’s gotta be Rhino, a chubby hamster who’s Bolt’s biggest fan. He’s voiced by Mark Walton, a Disney storyboard artist (who also did the voice of Goosey Loosey in Chicken Little.) Right now, eager Bolt fans-to-be can check out the Bolt Across America tour as it arrives in your city.

As for Pixar’s presentation, well, we’ve come to learn that the studio can create a remarkable story out of just about anything it chooses. (Really: Who would have thought a trash-cleaning robot could wind up one of the summer's biggest stars?) Already being pegged a "coming of old age" story, Up will tell the tale of a 70-something hero who travels the globe, fights beasts and villains, and eats dinner at 3:30 in the afternoon. Ed Asner will voice the lead, a crotchety widower who refuses to sell his home to developers and move to a nursing home. Instead, he sets off for an amazing and untouched mountaintop land, which Pixar's talent visited themselves to research the film. The trip paid off as the early footage looks simply incredible. Pete Docter, director of Monsters Inc., is at the helm of Up, so I bet we can expect stellar things. For more details (and a look at the lead character, visit the official Up website.)

Have you heard any good movie scoop lately? Share your news in the comments.