Miley Cyrus Voices For Penny: Beloved Owner of "Bolt"

Multi-platinum–selling pop star Miley Cyrus (“Hanna Montana”) brings excitement to Walt Disney Pictures’ new animated adventure “Bolt” as she provides the voice of Penny, the title character’s beloved owner. Aside from being one of the most popular and sought-after talents in show business today, the singer-actress added sincerity and believability to the proceedings.

“One reason I really wanted to do this movie is because I love animals,” says Cyrus. “I have five dogs of my own and I know if one ran away I would not be able to do anything. And that’s the way Penny is. When she loses Bolt, she can’t work. She can’t sleep. She can’t eat.”

In the film, for super-dog Bolt (voice of John Travolta), every day is filled with adventure, danger and intrigue—at least until the cameras stop rolling. When the star of a hit TV show is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to New York City, he begins his biggest adventure yet—a cross-country journey through the real world to get back to his owner and co-star, Penny. Armed only with the delusions that all his amazing feats and powers are real, and the help of two unlikely traveling companions—a jaded, abandoned housecat named Mittens and a TV-obsessed hamster named Rhino—Bolt discovers he doesn’t need superpowers to be a hero.

Cyrus says she liked the story’s built-in diversity. “It really is an emotional roller-coaster ride. You start out kind of scared of this evil villain, but you’re excited at all of the action in the TV-show sequences. Then you’re sad because Bolt leaves. And then you’re laughing at Rhino.”

Co-Director Byron Howard says, “Miley is incredible and we were so lucky to have her provide the voice of Penny in our film. She brought a real sense of maturity and emotional depth to the role and helped us convey the key story point that Penny loves this little dog and really has his best interests at heart. The audience really needs to feel that her love for him is genuine.”

Co-Director Chris Williams adds, “Miley is a very gifted actor and she was totally invested in the character. Penny has a powerful presence in the film and the role required some very difficult scenes. It was very challenging from an emotional standpoint and Miley pulled it off amazingly well. The scenes between Penny and Bolt have some great interplay and emotion.”

There may be a reason for that. According to Cyrus, she could not only relate to her character Penny, she understood Bolt, too. “In the beginning, Bolt does not want to play. He’s all serious, all business with Penny—always trying to protect her. But Bolt learns that he has to also be a dog. It’s like me—I have to be a kid.”

Opening across the Philippines on Nov. 26, “Bolt” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.