Release Date:
Friday, March 11, 2005
Robots takes place in a futuristic world in which your average appliance can talk, do impersonations like Robin Williams, and bore adult theatergoers to sleep. The kid-friendly action follows aspiring inventor Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) on his trip to the big, bad city, where he leads a revolt of bourgeois robots (made from spare parts) against the evil Ratchet (made from shiny new parts) and his Bigweld Industries, a corporation hell-bent on turning them all into scrap metal. The story is heavy on kiddie-book morals—from "follow your dreams" to "it's what's inside that counts"—as well as hyperactive musical sequences. Along with Williams, Greg Kinnear, Halle Berry, Mel Brooks, and Drew Carey also lend their vocal talents, but the animation doesn't stand up against the digital toons originating from Pixar and DreamWorks. This isn't the most objectionable animated film we've seen, but it's definitely better suited as a weekend matinee with your niece as your date than a Friday night out…also with your niece as your date.