While watching “Robots” I found myself wanting to raise my arms and yell, “Weeee!” but managed to keep it under control as I didn’t want to get ejected from the theater. I also figured it would be tough to explain my actions to the half-dozen critics sitting around me. Some people just have no sense of humor when it comes to making noise in a movie theater. But that’s the kind of reaction “Robots” elicits. “Robots” isn’t so much a movie as it is a wild theme park ride disguised as a feature film.
“Robots” starts with the ‘birth’ of the movie’s hero, Rodney Copperbottom. Delivered to a working class family of robots, it’s obvious from the start that Rodney wasn’t born with a silver spoon (or wrench or screwdriver) in his mouth. The poor guy has to suffer through the process of growing up by having to wear hand-me-downs, and not always hand-me-downs that belonged to family members of the same sex.
As a young adult, Rodney has just one dream: to be an inventor. His hero is the greatest of all robots, Mr. Bigweld (Mel Brooks in his debut voicing effort). With the support and encouragement of his dad (Stanley Tucci), Rodney sets off to Robot City to show off his talents as an inventor to Bigweld himself. Upon arriving in the big city, Rodney quickly discovers Bigweld’s been the victim of a corporate take-over and serving as the new head of the company Bigweld founded is Ratchet (Greg Kinnear), an ambitious megalomaniac controlled by an ever more power-hungry mother (Jim Broadbent. Yes, you read that right. Mother = Jim Broadbent).
Ratchet wants to send all the ‘outmodes’ – robots who can’t afford upgrades – to the scrap heap. Ratchet’s new corporation slogan ““Why be you, when you can be new?” means that Rodney and all of his family and friends are destined to be recycled. Joining up with a group of misfits nicknamed the Rusties, Rodney becomes the robot with a plan and sets out to find Bigweld and save his fellow robots who are about to be eliminated.
The makers of “Ice Age” have returned with a vengeance. Even more vividly animated than “Ice Age,” “Robots” fairly leaps off the screen. The movie whisks you along on a 90 minute non-stop trip through a wondrous land populated by robots of all shapes, sizes, and social classes. Set in a whimsical make-believe world, the filmmakers have let their imaginations go crazy, drawing on amusement park rides, kitchen utensils, junkyards, and factories for inspiration. The result is spectacular. In fact, the colors are so vibrant and the landscape of the robot world is so complex, it’s actually difficult to take it all in.
Trying to figure out the voices of each of the dozen or so robots with speaking parts is also quite a challenge. Of course it's easy to pick out Ewan McGregor who heads up the group as Rodney, the ordinary robot who accomplishes extraordinary things. I’ve never been shy about proclaiming my admiration for Ewan McGregor. I’ll even sit through “Star Wars” movies just because of his presence. And McGregor’s good as Rodney, giving the character just the right amount of spunk, personality and charm. Another easily recognizable voice is that of Robin Williams who goes wild as Fender, a robot who keeps losing his body parts. Some of Williams’ recognizable voices from his stand-up comedy routines make it into “Robots.” As Fender, Williams kicks the film up a notch or two in each of his scenes.
With “Star Wars” references, fart jokes, and one of the most dazzling domino sequences on film, “Robots” provides a little something for each and every member of the family. The writing is smart, the animation is the best we’ve yet to see, and even though we’re talking about robots here, there’s a real heart and soul at the center of this terrific animated movie.
GRADE: A-
"Robots" was directed by Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha and is rated PG for some brief language and suggestive humor.
