Meet the Robinsons

Sporting rollicking state-of-the-art digital 3-D effects, Meet the Robinsons may not challenge the likes of Cars or Monster House for animation honors, but considering its tame G rating, it's a surprisingly bright, clever, and irreverent movie experience. Thanks to the gimmickry provided by Disney's spectacular-looking new digital 3-D process, this amusing gang of characters comes right at you with some big laughs along the way. The time-traveling tale centers on the misadventures of an orphan named Lewis—whose main talent lies in inventing all sorts of gadgets—as he finds himself whisked off to the future for an encounter with the "family" he never had, not to mention a group of Rat Pack–wannabe frogs who sing like Sinatra. He also manages to get tripped up by a villain known as the Bowler Hat Guy, who is out to kidnap Lewis and steal the invention that provides his only way back home. The movie is populated with all sorts of hipsters and smart alecks that kids will love and adults might even find amusing, although some parts do tend to drag until the next good gag comes along. This 'toon zigzags over every conceivable time zone, and even throws some obligatory loveable dinosaurs into the mix. Beware that only about 600 specially equipped screens around the country will be showing Meet the Robinsons in the new digital format, and that's the only way to see it. Grab a 10-year-old, your 3-D glasses, and experience what these filmmakers certainly hope is the next dimension of interactive family entertainment. The great innovator Walt Disney himself would have loved this one for sure.