Wildly inventive with super-cool futuristic innovations and an eclectic array of exotic characters, Meet the Robinsons is an incredibly enjoyable family film. Presented in luxuriant Disney Digital 3D fused with quirky and stylized animation, this is breathtakingly original entertainment as only Disney can produce.
Lewis was abandoned on the doorstep of an orphanage as a child and longs to be part of a family. As an exceedingly creative inventor, he constantly destroys his opportunities to be adopted due to frequent invention malfunctions. He decides to create the Memory Scanner which will aid him in jogging his few memories of his mother so he can search for her and possibly reunite. During the science fair where he plans to unleash his masterpiece, the mysterious Wilbur Robinson, a boy who claims to be from the future, tries to convince him to perfect the malfunctioning machine, while they both must dodge the evil machinations of the Bowler Hat Guy. Unwittingly whisked away to the future, Lewis meets a crazy assortment of characters that comprise the Robinson family and embarks on a time-traveling adventure of a lifetime.
Meet the Robinsons scores big with its huge assortment of lovable characters, and the remarkable designs themselves. The Robinson family consists of numerous characters, many of whom receive small amounts of screen time, but make every second worth it. From Grandpa Bud, who easily has the most purely comedic sequences in which he searches for his missing teeth, to the suave family robot Carl, to Lefty, the one-eyed purple octopus butler, the family members are each very unique, funny and most importantly, well designed. The character concepts are sensational, exhibiting funny, cute and bizarre creations that hysterically make use of animation techniques such as squash and stretch. Aided by great voice actors including the talented Harland Williams and Adam West, the characters come to cartoonish life with the help of these popular comedians.
Aside from the excellent animation which most recent computer animated films have excelled at, a magnificent story is what separates a decent film from a spectacular one. Disney has been a little under the standards with their last couple of releases, but has struck gold with Meet the Robinsons. The heartwarming story is destined to attract children of all ages for multiple viewings, and adults will enjoy the many eccentricities of the Robinson family. Where recent animated films have fallen short on story, yet flabbergasted with realistic environment renderings, Meet the Robinsons has an excellent blend of both that equals outstanding entertainment. The futuristic setting provides for some amazing innovations including instant buildings and bubble transportation devices. The wondrous worlds are brought to life in the film by top-notch animation and CG models.
Vibrant and realistic, the movements of the characters and photorealism of the backgrounds are becoming more and more life-like. Still making use of stylized human characters, which are notably more effective than attempting photorealistic models, Meet the Robinsons uses exaggeration and cartoon designs to bring to life the high-energy family members. The reflections, refractions and textures of the models are technically masterful and enhance the 3-dimensionality of the film. This is furthered even more by Disney Digital 3D (the film will be presented on more than 600 screens across the country in this revolutionary new digital format). Recent animated films that have made use of the format, including Chicken Little and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, don’t have quite the visual magnitude that this film displays in full 3D.
Meet the Robinsons is pure entertainment for audiences of all ages. While recent animated films have failed to intrigue with a solid storyline, character designs, or animation, Meet the Robinsons has successfully fused the best aspects of each into a surprisingly captivating film. The recent trend here at MoviePulse has been to rate animated films somewhat higher than appropriate, but Meet the Robinsons is most deserving of its score.
– Mike Massie, MoviePulse
In the trailer, the scene:
“Why aren’t you seizing the boy?!”
“I have a big head, and little arms…”
has me giggling like a 4-yr-old every single time I see it.