D.C. MOVIE GUYS

Robots
Directed by Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha
Animated in theatres nationwide beginning 3/11/2005
3.5 *
As surprisingly enjoyable as was Ice Age, the maiden effort from Blue Sky animation, one cannot be prepared for how terrific their follow-up feature Robots turns out to be. The movie is that rarest of all things in movies: a family film that is truly appropriate and enjoyable for all ages. It is in that spirit that it will be compared to Shrek or the Toy Story movies and the movie would not be out of place at Pixar (the highest compliment one can claim for a modern ‘toon). But in its “something for all ages” humor and plethora of pop culture references, it more closely resembles the genius of another News Corp. property, The Simpsons.
The story is nothing special; in fact, the cliché plotline only provides only the slightest of frameworks for the movie’s great dialogue and brilliant animation. Rodney Copperbottom (voiced by Ewan McGregor) is a young robotic lad of considerable promise. Shaking the dust of his small town from his mechanical feet, he takes off for the big city, his big-time dreams fueled by the TV pep talk he received from Mr. Bigweld (voiced by Mel Brooks); the Edison/Gates of Robots’ landscape whose doors are “never closed to new ideas.” But when Rodney arrives in Robot City, he finds the doors are closed (and guarded) and Mr. Bigweld is nowhere to be seen having been edged out by up and comer corporate player Ratchet (an oleaginous Greg Kinnear). It turns out that Ratchet has decided that there is more money in upgrades than in repairs and spare parts and as for those who cannot afford the more lucrative (and expensive) upgrades, well then, it is time for the scrap heap. What the corporate allies do not know is that Ratchet’s mom is the local scrap iron queen and his single-minded concern for the bottom line will also feather momma’s nest.
That is the story, but it does not take much prescience to sniff out an allegory at work. The cartoonists of Blue Sky (who were themselves tossed off the Fox lot just prior to the release of Ice Age when the bottom-line types felt they were not returning enough revenue quickly enough to justify an on-site animation arm) may look back with nostalgic longing to a time when the creative roost was run by the Walt Disneys rather than the Michael Eisners (although a cold, hard look at the way Walt did business would show that he was more like Michael than Will Eisner).
The voice cast is one of the best ever assembled. McGregor imbues his Rodney with all the stalwart virtue one might expect of a Jedi master and Robin Williams is almost as good as he was playing Aladdin’s genie. But the gang which also includes Brooks, Kinnear, Halle Berry, Amanda Bynes, James Earl Jones (making the first of his joint film “appearances” with McGregor), Jennifer Coolidge, and Drew Carey are at their best when delivering the scripts crazy quilt blend of puns, wise-ass pop-offs, and pop culture allusions that are the charm of Robots. The seamlessly rendered world of the mechanical men (and women and children and dogs and birds…) is dazzling to look upon. What you get with Robots is a movie that can be enjoyed by all ages.
–Bill Henry

Related Reading:

The Queer Movie Poster Book

The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made, Updated & Revised (Film Critics of the New York Times)

The Independent Movie Poster Book

Juno Music From the Motion Picture Soundtrack

Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, Second Edition ( Set with DVD)