Non-stop thrill ride with visually stunning ‘Robots’

Robots; 1:31; PG, for some brief language and suggestive humor; Grade: B

From the opening frame to the closing credits, Robots is a nonstop thrill ride, with brilliant animation, endless sight-gags and puns, frantic action, and a good old-fashioned Disney-esque message about believing in one’s self. The only thing keeping this movie from being truly great is its inability to create any meaningful emotional attachment to the characters. Even with this one major flaw, it’s a sure bet that younger children will LOVE this movie, and beg for a return viewing, and the adults in the crowd will have at least a little fun. Or maybe a lot of fun.

Living in a world populated entirely by robots, Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) is a small-town idealistic kid with big-city dreams of becoming an inventor. Rodney heads off to Robot City, latest invention in hand, in hopes of gaining the attention of famed benevolent inventor Big Weld (Mel Brooks). Big Weld’s corporation has recently been taken over by a more sinister Phineas T. Ratchet (Greg Kinnear), however, with plans of phasing out all older-model robots, forcing them to buy expensive upgrades, instead of replacement parts.

When befriended by a motley crew of eccentric robots who can’t afford the upgrades, Rodney, with his can-do attitude, leads his new friends to revolt against the corporate bigwigs.

The production qualities of Robots are near flawless, and will surely win some big awards. But I don’t see this movie making it onto too many people’s classics lists.

The best animated movies are those that are able to connect with the audience on a deeper level, affecting us with moments that are impossible to forget. Mufasa’s death, in Lion King. Buzz Lightyear’s fall from grace in Toy Story. Our heroine’s ultimate redemption in Mulan. None of these poignant scenes would mean anything to us, had the character’s not been fully developed. Robots tries, fruitlessly, to touch our hearts, but not enough effort has been put forth to make us really care about who we’re watching.

Ironically, the very thing that takes away from Robots is also one of its strengths. Instead of character development, we get never-ending jokes, ranging from slapstick to kiddy-poopy humor, with a few great spoofs of other movies, and some occasional wit thrown into the mix. Not surprisingly, some of the biggest laughs come from comedic sidekick, Fender, voiced by Robin Williams. After flirting with some more serious roles (Insomnia, One Hour Photo), Williams is back in old form, and I, for one, am glad to see it. At the top of his game in Robots, he’s one of the major reasons for the movie’s success.

The voice acting is a mixed bag in Robots. As previously noted, Williams steals the movie. Mel Brooks and Stanley Tucci (as Rodney’s dad) are both nice. Everyone else, though, is completely replaceable. The trend of getting big-name actors in animated movies has reached a ridiculous peak in Robots, so much so that to list all of them would be a waste of ink. Most of their performances are forgettable, and sometimes distracting.

The animation is pure genius in Robots. By now, we’re all fully accustomed to beautifully rendered CGI animation, so that’s not what sets Robots apart from its competition. The “virtual” camerawork, if you will, and hyperactive editing raise the energy level to a height rarely achieved in animation. Besides Rodney and Fender’s rousing ride on public transportation, another noteworthy sequence is the tense (and funny) climactic finale.

Robots also has a couple of nice musical pieces, as energetic as the rest of the movie. Perfectly paced, visually stunning, and just plain fun, Robots is well worth your time and money.