The idea of a cartoon film about robots must have sounded like a natural. The slick style of computer animation would weld nicely with shiny, mechanical robots.
Hmmm. Yes, the animation in “Robots” is very good, but there may have been a miscalculation here. Watching metallic characters for 90 minutes turns out to be a rather cold experience. These ‘bots are not the cuddly folks of “Toy Story” or “The Incredibles.”
Of course, it may just be the script. “Robots” is the story of a bright young robot, Rodney Copperbottom (voiced by Ewan McGregor) who goes from small town to Robot City.
He’s an inventor, and his inspiration has always been the CEO of Bigweld Industries, the company that creates parts for robots. Alas, Mr. Bigweld himself (Mel Brooks) has been nudged aside by a corporate weasel named Ratchet (Greg Kinnear).
Ratchet’s evil plan is to stop repairing robots, instead forcing everybody to “upgrade” to a newer, more expensive model. Damaged robots are being hauled away to be melted down as scrap. His new slogan for the company is “Why Be You When You Can Be New?”
You may read in this whatever parable of modern capitalism you like. Meanwhile, Rodney rallies the have-nots of the robot world in a cyborgian rebellion.
Most of the robots are voiced by celebrities, including the extremely quick, minor jokes (did they really need Jay Leno to give voice to a fire hydrant?). Halle Berry is a Bigweld employee, Stanley Tucci and Dianne Wiest are Rodney’s parents, and Jennifer Coolidge is quite funny as a rather inefficiently designed robot with a giant caboose. The wiggiest idea is Jim Broadbent as Ratchet’s fire-breathing mother, the real evil genius of the story.
And then there is Robin Williams, doing his first big cartoon voice since his “Aladdin” triumph. He plays a particularly dilapidated robot whose parts have a tendency to fall off in moments of distress, which is pretty much all the time.
As you would expect, Williams brings his own improv personality to the role. He gets a few zingers in, but somehow he doesn’t ignite. (Or maybe it’s just the nagging awareness that none of this is approaching “Aladdin.”)
“Robots” has jokes for adults, and a heartwarming storyline and multiple chase scenes for the kids. It should hit the young audience just fine. But it doesn’t quite delight.
Director Chris Wedge and Blue Sky Studios previously made “Ice Age,” a very funny prehistoric tale. It’s hard to account for the decline in fun from that movie to this, except that “Robots” feels packaged, all too similar to its video game spin-off. Or is the movie a spin-off from the video game?
It does begin with a brief sketch featuring the beleaguered chipmunk from “Ice Age,” which is frankly funnier than anything in “Robots.” Look for “Ice Age 2” in about a year.
Piper Pinwheeler (Amanda Bynes), Lug (Harland Williams), Crank Casey (Drew Carey) and Fender (Robin Williams) in Robot City.
“Robots” HH
Missing a part: Computer animation powers this story of a young robot in the big city. Lots of chase scenes and celebrity voices (Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry) don’t add up to real delight, as this one’s a little too close to video-game territory.
Rated: PG rating is for subject matter.
Now showing: tk
“Robots” HH
Missing a part: Computer animation powers this story of a young robot in the big city. Lots of chase scenes and celebrity voices (Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry) don’t add up to real delight, as this one’s a little too close to video-game territory.
Rated: PG rating is for subject matter.
Now showing: Edmonds, Everett 9, Galaxy, Grand, Marysville, Mountlake, Olympic, Stanwood, Meridian, Metro, Oak Tree, Woodinville, Cascade, Oak Harbor.
Robert Horton
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