RATING:
PG
GENRE:
Animated/Comedy/Science Fiction
STARRING:
The Voices of Ewan McGregor,
Halle Berry, Robin Williams, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks,
Jim Broadbent, Stanley Tucci, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer
Coolidge, Amanda Bynes, Jansen Panettiere, Drew Carey,
James Earl Jones, Paul Giamatti, Dan Hedaya, and Jay
Leno
DIRECTOR:
Chris Wedge
WRITERS:
David Lindsay-Abaire, Lowell
Ganz and Babaloo Mandel
DISTRIBUTOR:
20th Century Fox
Please Note
In providing movie reviews on our site, CBN.com is not endorsing or recommending films we review. Our goal is to provide Christians with information about the latest movies, both the good and the bad, so that our readers may make an informed decision as to whether or not films are appropriate for them and their families.
MOVIE REVIEW
Robots
Dr. Ted Baehr
Publisher, MovieGuide Magazine
CBN.com
Robots is brilliant! It is one of the best movies
of 2005.
The movie opens in a little robot suburb with Mr. Copperbottom
exclaiming that he’s going to have a baby while giving cigars
to all his friends. When he gets home, Mrs. Copperbottom tells
her husband that he’s already missed the delivery. She hands
him a special delivery box with a do-it-yourself robot kit, and
adds the humorous insight that making the robot is more fun than
delivering it. A typical father, Mr. Copperbottom struggles with
putting some of the parts together.
Although Mr. Copperbottom is a lowly dishwasher, he raises young
Rodney with a clear understanding that Rodney can do whatever
he sets his mind to do. Together, they watch Mr. Bigweld’s
television program where Mr. Bigwell emphasizes that anybody can
shine and that his door’s always open to young inventors.
Growing up with hand-me-down robot parts, assembled each year
to make him grow, Rodney turns out to be an excellent inventor
and heads out to Robot City to meet Mr. Bigweld. What he finds
is that the evil Ratchet and his devilish mother, Madam Gasket,
have seized control of Bigweld’s industries and are trying
to phase out all the obsolete robots in the interest of more profits
and control. Robots either have to upgrade or they’re melted
down. Rodney, along with some newfound friends, has to find the
imprisoned Mr. Bigweld and fight the forces of darkness to save
the robots.
Created by the team that did the blockbuster animated hit Ice
Age, Robots is extremely funny and has a great deal
of heart. The scenes with Rodney and his dad will bring tears
to the eyes of some dads throughout the world. The script is full
of great dialogue, good pacing, and wise moments of emotional
release. When the audience just thinks they have the script figured
out, it surprises you. Moreover, every surprise, every step, every
piece of dialogue emphasizes the good. Bigweld is a good businessman,
Rodney is a creative inventor, people have limitations but try
to do the right thing, and the message is, “See a need,
fill a need.” Rodney even wants to help his dad fulfill
his forgotten dream.
The animation is wonderfully inventive, detailed and colorful.
The cast of cartoon voices is filled with talented people, including
some in cameos, who lend a great spirit of wacky comedy and warm
characterizations.
Unlike Disney movies, Robots contains some Looney Tunes
aspects, plus some scatological references. For example, artsy-fartsy
emphasizes the first syllable of the last word. Also, armpit noises,
anatomical features, and even a bit of cross dressing are used
unnecessarily to spice up the story.
These elements are not oppressive, however. Good is clearly good,
and it is hard to imagine a more pristine PG-rated movie.
All in all, Robots is acceptable for a broad range of
the broad family audience, with the slightest of Movieguide®
media-wise cautions. The end of Robots is a powerhouse.
This reviewer wants to see the movie again, and that tells you
just how good this movie is.
Address Comments To:
Rupert Murdoch
Chairman/CEO
News Corp.
Peter Chernin, President/COO
The Fox Group
Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos, Chairmen
Fox Filmed Entertainment
20th Century Fox Film Corp.
A division of Fox, Inc. and News Corp.
10201 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Phone: (310) 369-1000
Website: www.fox.com
NOTE from Dr. Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide Magazine.
For more information from a Christian perspective, order the latest
Movieguide Magazine by calling 1-800-899-6684(MOVI) or
visit our website at www.movieguide.org.
Movieguide is dedicated to redeeming the values of Hollywood
by informing parents about today's movies and entertainment and
by showing media executives and artists that family-friendly and
even Christian-friendly movies do best at the box office year in
and year out. Movieguide now offers an online subscription
to its magazine version, at www.movieguide.org.
The magazine, which comes out 25 times a year, contains many informative
articles and reviews that help parents train their children to be
media-wise consumers.
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