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Robots Movie Review:

Directed by
Chris Wedge
Carlos Saldanha (co-director)

Tagline: Repair for adventure!
MPAA: Rated PG for some brief language and suggestive humor.
Runtime: 91 min

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.

Rich Cline

“I once told a friend th 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

Adopted from "the zreview.co.uk"