Robots (2005)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Directors:

Chris Wedge
Carlos Saldanha (co-director)

Writers:

Ron Mita (story) &
Jim McClain (story) ...

Release Date:

11 March 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

You can shine no matter what you're made of.

Plot:

In a robot world, a young idealistic inventor travels to the big city to join his inspiration's company, only to find himself opposing its sinister new management.

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Television | Obsolescence | Computer Animation | Dancing

Awards:

2 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Paula Abdul	...	Watch (voice)
Halle Berry	...	Cappy (voice)
Lucille Bliss	...	Pigeon Lady (voice)
Terry Bradshaw	...	Broken Arm Bot (voice)
Jim Broadbent	...	Madame Gasket (voice)
Mel Brooks	...	Bigweld (voice)
Amanda Bynes	...	Piper (voice)
Drew Carey	...	Crank (voice)
Jennifer Coolidge	...	Aunt Fanny (voice)
Dylan Denton	...	Youngest Rodney (voice)
Will Denton	...	Young Rodney (voice)
Marshall Efron	...	Lamppost / Toilet Bot / Bass Drum / Microphone (voice)
Damien Fahey	...	Stage Announcer (voice)
Lowell Ganz	...	Mr. Gasket (voice)
Paul Giamatti	...	Tim the Gate Guard (voice)

Also Known As:

Robots: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some brief language and suggestive humor.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Certification:

Mexico:A | Denmark:A | South Korea:All | Sweden:Btl | Canada:G | Taiwan:GP | Malaysia:U | Iceland:L | USA:PG (certificate #41487) | France:U | New Zealand:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Brazil:Livre | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:U | Finland:K-7 | Germany:o.Al. | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:AL | Norway:A | Peru:PT | Philippines:G | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | Hong Kong:I

Filming Locations:

White Plains, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Animation

Trivia:

The filmmakers wanted the music score to sound like it was recorded by the "Robot Philharmonic". To that effect, they hired performance artists Blue Man Group, known for performing on musical instruments made from industrial piping and other found objects, to do special percussion effects.

Goofs:

Continuity: After surfing the waves of dominoes, Bigweld flies up into the air, and then lands. When he flies up, you can see dominoes fly up with him. But when he lands, no dominoes fall down after him

Quotes:

Loretta Geargrinder: Until tomorrow.
Fender: I'll be counting the seconds. So far I'm up to four.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Troldspejlet: (#40.2)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOVE

Stupendous visuals only barely make up for a forgettable story and characters

The first 2005 film I've seen, and, really, it's the only one released so far this year that I have had even the littlest desire to see at the theater. It was worth seeing, but it's forgettable. The visuals are absolutely eye-popping. The film's best sequence is a Rube Goldberg-esque public transportation system across town. I think if that had gone on for 90 minutes, we would have had some kind of masterpiece on our hands. Instead, we get a dull story of a group of nearly outmoded robots rebelling against an evil company that is no longer building spare parts. The head of that company used to be all for the common folk, but he's disappeared and left a despot in his place. The underground area, where they melt scrap, is really cool, and reminded me of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Madame Gasket, who rules this part of the city, was the most interestingly designed character. Robin Williams is very annoying, but, to his credit, he is playing a character here, not just himself. I wasn't thinking "Man, is Robin Williams annoying," but rather, "Man, that character Robin Williams is playing is annoying." I doubt that could be taken as much of a compliment, though. All of the other main characters are especially forgettable, especially Halle Berry's character, who is supposedly the female lead. I think most of the audiences wanted the protagonist to end up with the second female lead, who is a tad more interesting. And I think the filmmakers realized this, too, because the hero only barely ends up with Berry at the end. The movie is also in need of laughs. I chuckled a bit, but that was all. The funniest moment is the robot who does the robot dance. As much as I can complain, though, I would still highly recommend (renting) it for the visuals alone.