MEET THE ROBINSONS
(G)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
STARRING
Angela Bassett as MILDRED
Daniel Hansen as LEWIS
Matthew Josten as GOOB
Laurie Metcalf as LUCILLE KRUNKLEHORN
Stephen J. Anderson as BOWLER HAT GUY
Harland Williams as CARL
Adam West as UNCLE ART
Nicole Sullivan as FRANNY
Directed by: Stephen J. Anderson
Studio: Disney
BY KEVIN CARR
While Pixar will always be the market standard for computer generated family films, Disney’s other feature animation arm (which I believe was created with the anticipation of Pixar leaving a few years back) has put out some decent films. It started with “Chicken Little” and continues with “Meet the Robinsons.”
This film tells the story of a young inventor named Lewis who has been left in an orphanage. He keep up hope that his mother will come back for him, and he longs for a family of his own. One day, a strange young man shows up with a time machine and whisks him into the future to introduce him to a family he’s never known.
What I have enjoyed most about both “Chicken Little” and “Meet the Robinsons” is that they are not held back by convention. Both films have an incredible visionary style and undefinable flavor to them. It seems that Disney has made a concerted effort with both films to get out of the rut of just adapting fairy tales. Even “Chicken Little,” which is based on a children’s story, went above and beyond anything you’ve ever heard in the original tale.
“Meet the Robinsons” had the feeling of “The Incredibles” without the superheroes, and it really serves as a way to stretch the imagination. On the surface, it’s a story of a young boy searching for a family, but the movie has a greater scope than this. There’s a nostalgic feel to the movie, bolstered by the retro sci-fi design, and it presents a fun family adventure.
The only real drawback to the DVD release is that you can’t watch it in 3D, which was available in limited run when this movie hit the theaters this past spring. However, I’ve heard from the folks at RealD, which are the geniuses that make the ultra-realistic 3D process come alive today, that it’s only a matter of time when we can have this experience at home.
The DVD of “Meet the Robinsons” comes with a nice collection of special features, including deleted scenes, a look at real inventions that changed the world, music videos, the film’s development from the original book, an audio commentary and a family set-top game.