I enjoyed this animated flick so much I wanted to buy a 'Piper' action figure. I kinda still do. Here's my review of Robots from 2005.
Release Date: March
11
Director: Chris Wedge
& Carlos Saldanha
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry and Greg Kinnear
Even after brilliant works such as The Secret of Nimh and Spirited Away, animated films have yet to get their fair shake, usually being dismissed as nothing more than children's fare. Disney's early output (Snow White, Pinocchio) was an exception, appealing to children while captivating adults.
While Disney floundered in the 80's, Japanese Anime started picking up the slack, with intelligent stories and innovative techniques. About ten years ago, Disney briefly returned to form, making strides in presenting films adults could respect, (notably Beauty and the Beast) but have recently fallen back on the cash cow of endless sequels. (Pocahontas 2, anyone?)
Animation is currently having a bit of a renaissance thanks to other studios, like DreamWorks (Shrek) and Pixar (The Incredibles). And I know plenty of adults who enjoy Spongebob Squarepants on a completely different level than their kids.
As much as I enjoy the "serious animation" of Akira or the grown-up humor found in Shrek, there is something to be said for animation just for kids. Cartoons, if you will. Robots falls into this category; adults can enjoy it, but it's important to realize this isn't SERIOUS ART, this is for the children (like the Wu-Tang Clan!).
When introduced to a world completely populated with sentient machines, my first thoughts were "Who makes these Robots?" "How do they age?" and "What happens if it rains?" I suppose it never rains in robot city, but my other two questions were answered in a very clever opening scene as we watch Herb Copperbottom (Stanley Tucci) rush home to find his wife (Dianne Wiest) holding a box full of baby-bot parts. ("I'm sorry dear, you missed the delivery...but making the baby is the fun part.")
Some robots are able to afford new "upgrades" of body parts once a year (effectively "growing up") but Copperbottom baby Rodney (Ewan McGregor) receives hand-me-down parts from relatives. Hand-me-down vs. new robo-parts turns out to be a major part of this story as the film takes a slightly anti-capitalist turn. Wait, I did say this was a movie for the kids, right?
Rodney is a young inventor who travels from his hometown of Rivet City to the metropolis of Robot City, hoping to meet and work for famed industrialist Bigweld (Mel Brooks). However Bigweld is nowhere to be found and his robot-friendly empire has been taken over by Ratchet (Greg Kinnear) and his Manchurian Candidate-esque mother (Jim Broadbent), who looks very much like a robotic version of the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland and inhabits a "chop shop" vision of hell, complete with Tom Waits soundtrack (Go Tom Waits! Yeah!).
Ratchet's plan is to stop offering "spare parts" to robots, thus forcing them to pay for shiny new "upgrades" at steep prices. In his quest to stop Ratchet and restore Bigweld to power, Rodney meets an array of misfits, from love interest Cappy (Halle Berry) to robo-vagabond Fender (Robin Williams - basically channeling Aladdin's Genie, and doing a bang-up job). The gifted Amanda Bynes also shines as Fender's younger sister Piper ("The name's Piper. Rhymes with viper. Hiss!"). There are sight gags aplenty with many standout scenes, including Rodney's first trip to find Bigweld where he runs into Tim the Gate Guard, voiced hilariously by Paul Giamatti.
There are bad reviews of this flick out there, so I'll say this to my fellow reviewers: take off your jaded critic hat and have some fun. After all is said and done, I liked these characters, and had a good time with the film. What's even more important is the kids in the theater did too.
Tomorrow: Sherlock Holmes (2009)
