Robots Movie Review:


It seems that PIXAR animation is the titan among the leading studios to produced 3D-animated films. But the bridge between PIXAR and the rest of the animation leaders is narrowing.

With the success of Shrek and its sequel and Fox’s Ice Age, other animators seem to be chipping away at PIXAR’s lead in the field.

Fox’s ROBOTS is probably the first example of how slim that gap is getting. From the same studio who conjured up Fox’s surprise hit, Ice Age, the animators at Blue Sky Studios seem to have hit it out of the park with their latest project.

ROBOTS tells the story of an ambitious robot named Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor), who embarks on a once in a lifetime journey to the big city to fulfill his dreams and get his invention seen by his idol, Big Weld (Mel Brooks), the father of robot society.

Upon his arrival in the Robot City, Rodney meets a down-on-his-luck robot named Fender (Robin Williams) who helps Rodney fit into his new environment.

As Rodney begins to learn the ropes he learns that his idol has disappeared and that a new robot is in charge named Ratchet (Greg Kinnear). Ratchet has a new goal in mind for the people of Robot City, upgrade or face the smelting pot. This makes him lock horns with Rodney who believes the way to save his world is through repairs because most of his compatriots can’t afford the pricey upgrades

Rodney’s only hope is to find Big Weld and stop Ratchet from changing the face of robot society, forever.

What probably makes ROBOTS so different than other 3D-animated films is that housed with in its walls still beats the soul a good old fashioned cartoon. The new breed of 3D-animated films try so hard to overcome the cartoon feel and become pseudo-real. I don’t think that for one moment ROBOTS attempts that feat because its feels firmly planted in a fantasy world.

The perfect example of this is the spectacular and craziness of the Robot City transit system. The transit system is basically a huge pinball machine and it is truly a sight to behold. It is imaginative genius.

The attention to detail and production design is rich and magical. The robots look a million versions of the Tin Woodsman from the “Wizard of Oz” and even the story has some things in common with that benchmark of a film.

I have always enjoyed films that emphasize the quest to fulfill ones dreams no matter what the cost. Sure the story has been told a million times before but I have always enjoyed that message especially in films aimed at children.

One of the low points of ROBOTS is the inclusion of so many celebrity voices. I really only recognized the voices of Robin Williams, Mel Brooks and Stanley Tucci. That is pretty sad when so many celebrities contributed voices.

This does beg the question do animated films really thrive from having celebrities attached to them?

I really think that ROBOTS is a great film that all families should go to. It is as much fun for adults as it is for the kids.

So Says the Soothsayer.



Dean Kish

“I once told a friend the thing that would make me happiest would be the chance to design an entire world,” says author and illustrator William Joyce. “And with ‘Robots’ I got the chance to do just that.”

In preparing for this clever new animated movie -- populated entirely by robots -- everything had to be invented. Joyce, who served as the film’s executive producer and production designer, did his homework well. His research included items at junkyards, factories, second hand stores, and even his kitchen. In fact, Joyce’s own waffle iron and meat grinder provided some of the inspiration for the movie. Working with directors Chris Wedge (“Ice Age”) and Carlos Saldanha (“Gone Nutty”) and using Blue Sky’s rendering technology, Joyce created an absolutely incredible setting for a host of animated characters who exude warmth and humor despite their mechanical nature.

Rodney Copperbottom (voiced enthusiastically by Ewan McGregor and modeled partially on Joyce’s grandfather’s outboard motor), the intrepid hero of “Robots,” travels to Robot City to share his Wonderbot invention with Bigweld (Mel Brooks), the chief inventor of the land. But Bigweld isn’t easy to find, because a sleek silvery robot named Ratchet (Greg Kinnear) has taken over the company to please his evil, manipulative mother, Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent!). Ratchet and mom want to stop robots from using spare parts for repairs and go for upgrades instead. With a nod to Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” mantra of “Ending is better than mending,” they’ve even changed the company’s slogan from “No matter what you’re made of, you can shine” to “Why be you when you can be new?”

Among the fascinating robots who help Rodney adjust to the big city, find Bigweld and squash Ratchet’s nefarious plans are Fender (Robin Williams), Cappy (Halle Berry), Piper (Amanda Bynes), Aunt Fanny (Jennifer Coolidge), and Crank Casey (Drew Carey). They all have a unique look, but Williams, as a robot falling apart in practically every scene, overpowers everyone with his fast-talking quips and his hilarious parody of Gene Kelly’s legendary “Singin in the Rain” musical number.

Too bad the film doesn’t capitalize more on its musical potential. I don’t mean to criticize the background score by John Powell (“Shrek”) – its edginess seems entirely appropriate for a movie with a mechanical setting, and adding percussions by the Blue Man Group was a great idea. No, I’m talking about featuring more musical routines like “Singin’ in the Oil” and the rousing finale. However, I don’t know what could be cut from the amusing screenplay by David Lindsay-Abaire, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel to make room for them – and I realize youngsters have trouble with movies longer than 90 minutes.

I certainly wouldn’t delete the exciting roller-coaster type ride on that Robot City Express, which reminded me of a similar terrific scene from “Chicken Run.” Perhaps some of the flatulence jokes could’ve ended up on the cutting room floor. Still, those got lots of laughs, especially from the kiddies.

Despite minor quibbles, I felt great joy at discovering a whole new world in Robots, and I'm planning to visit it again.

Betty Jo Tucker

This lively and visually striking animated comical romp succeeds simply because it remembers its story and characters. And it doesn't hurt to also pack the film with visual flair and subtle movie references that will hold onto more sophisticated audiences.

The Copperbottoms (voiced by Tucci and Wiest) are proud of their inventor-wannabe boy Rodney (McGregor). But when he heads off to the big city to start a life as an inventor nothing goes as planned. Rodney's idol Bigweld (Brooks) is missing, his empire taken over by the greedy Ratchet (Kinnear)--who's actually driven by his ogre of a mother (Broadbent). So Rodney teams up with a motley crew of outcast robots (Williams, Bynes, Carey, Coolidge) to save the day.

There's an almost Simpsons-like density to this film, which keeps both visual and vocal jokes flying off the screen. It's a constant current of clever and witty gags, many of which are sharp throwaway bits the film never slows down for. Meanwhile, the animators wonderfully render this robotic world as a collection of nuts, bolts, oozing oil and gleaming chrome that looks absolutely fantastic on a big screen (video might be less impressive). This is an inventively realised animated universe full of tiny details. So you can forgive the filmmakers for getting caught up in the gadgetry from time to time. Some of the most technically awesome sequences actually add nothing to the plot; it's like a whiz kid just having fun with animation software. While the story is a bit boyishly technical for very young audiences.

Where the film comes together brilliantly is in the characters and storyline. There's nothing terribly original going on, but it's done with such heart and spark that you can't help but have a great time joining the adventure. The actors all smartly subvert their own personalities--although Williams goes off on a few of his gleefully goofy riffs, and Broadbent and Kinnear are clearly having too much fun. The pop culture references are sometimes rather strained, but even those moments are amusingly warped enough to appeal to the kid inside us.

Rich Cline

Rodney Copperbottem (McGregor) has always dreamed of been an inventor. Now that he is old enough, he decides to take best invention to Robot City and show it to his idol and the world’s greatest inventor, Bigweld (Brooks) and hope he offers him a job at his company. But the big city isn’t the same as it appeared on TV, as Rodney arrives to discover that Bigweld Industries has a new CEO called Ratchet (Kinnear), who just wants to make money and has no time for inventors.

After the phenomenal success of ‘Ice Age’, 20th Century Fox’s Blue Sky Studios had the chance to rival ‘Pixar’ and ‘DreamWorks’ PDI’ but is their next 3D animated movie up to the same illustrious standard? Definitely yes!

Successfully combining comedy, great characters and a decent story about acceptance and the importance of chasing your dream, ‘Robots’ has everything an animated feature should have. Add to this the fact that this is probably one of the most visually stunning and amazing realised animated creations to hit the silver screen and you have a sure fire winner on your side.

As with all successful animated films, you have to group of characters that you really care about and can easily get behind. ‘Robots’ is no exception to this rule and director Chris Wedge and his creative team have produced some truly memorable ones. Adopting an approach that has been so successful for Pixar over the years, the team behind ‘Robots’ have hired actors that will provide a vocal performance, not just an on screen version of themselves. While the vocal cast is filled with star names, each of these, with the exception to some extent of Robin Williams, create voice that drives the character and doesn’t just sound like Ewan McGregor or Halle Berry in cartoon form. The film is far better for this, as you now invest more time in the characters and are not distracted by thinking ‘which star is this?’

The characters draw you into the film instantly. As we watch Rodney Copperbottem ‘grow up’ in the first third of the movie you connect with the character and want him to succeed in his endeavours. When he grows up and makes the decision to go to Robot City, we are ready to follow his adventure and already care about his plight and circumstances. Voiced brilliantly by an unrecognisable vocal performance by Ewan McGregor, Rodney is a hero character that you can instantly get behind.

As well as our lead we have an abundance of supporting and secondary characters that are instant hits. Robin Williams brings this outrageous vocal style to Fender, a robot on the verge of falling apart as his model coming more and more outdated every day. Greg Kinnear’s Ratchet is a dastardly villain driven by greed and power but is also a complete mother’s boy. Jim Broadbent voices his mother, Madame Gasket, who wants all the old robot models to feed her fiery forge. Amanda Bynes is perfectly cast as the feisty Piper, Fender’s tomboy sister. Cappy, a Bigweld executive with a conscience, is a beautiful robot version of Halle Berry. When you add in Aunt Fanny (Jennifer Coolidge), Bigweld (Mel Brooks), Tim the Gate Guard (Paul Giamatti) and Crank (Drew Carey) plus many others, you have a collection of characters where everyone can find a favourite.

The design of the film is extraordinary. The attention to detail in both the character design and the world that they inhabit is astounding, making this arguably the best looking computer animated movie to ever hit the silver screen up to now. It is just the look of the film that will have you jaw hitting the ground, it is the attention to details that will astound you. From the little patches of rush to the reflections in the shiny chrome, the time, dedication and care invested is all there for you to see on the big screen.

‘Robots’ is a magnificent piece of family entertainment. With just the right blend of great characters and comedy that will appeal to all ages, this film proves that ‘Pixar’ and ‘DreamWorks’ don’t have a strangle hold on the computer generated animation market. Combining a good story, great characters and a world that a visual spectacle, ‘Robots’ is ‘riveting’ from start to finish.

Jamie Kelwick

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