2008 Woodie Awards
Animated family film produces laughter and fun
By Blake Baxendell
Issue date: 3/18/05 Section: Entertainment
A family film packed with fun is what I saw in the film "Robots." This film was brilliantly animated and it parodied many films while poking fun at cultural references. The movie was jam packed with awesome voice talents and distinct voices. The film's slap-stick, potty and random pop-up humor is what made it so great. I felt like I was watching an episode of "Family Guy," but with robots.
"Robots" is about a robot named Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) growing up with a poor family whose only income is from the father who washes dishes. Copperbottom believes he is destined for greatness and wants to be like his idol Bigweld, voiced by the great Mel Brooks.
Copperbottom then decides to venture into the big Robot City to meet Bigweld, the master inventor. Along the way, Copperbottom meets some great friends such as Fender (Robin Williams), Piper (Amanda Bynes), Crank (Drew Carey) and also the beautiful robot Cappy, voiced by Halle Berry.
He also finds that the inventor's company is not run by Bigweld anymore. Instead, it's run by the evil Ratchet, voiced by Greg Kinnear. Watch the film to see how Copperbottom eventually gets to shine.
The film is loaded with some great guest voices. As I watched the film, some of the robots' voices sounded very familiar. Jay Leno plays a Fire Hydrant, James Earl Jones plays Darth Vader's voice and Terry Bradshaw voices as a broken bot. Best Actor nominee Paul Giamatti even has a voice appearance in the film as the Gate Bot.
Some of the voices were not as distinct. Halle Berry's voice was not very noticeable and the company probably paid her too much money. Robin Williams complained that he was not nearly paid enough from Disney, just like he was not paid very much for his voice in Aladdin. I also had a hard time telling the voice of Rodney. I actually found it kind of fun trying to figure out whose voices belonged to whom in the film.
The film's parodies were fantastic. The movie as a whole is mainly a parody of "The Wizard of Oz" because, much like the classic film, in "Robots," Copperbottom is adventuring to get to "the bad guy's" palace and meets some great friends on the way. If you look closely, you can see the Tinman in the film, too.
"The Wizard of Oz" was only a small portion of the parodies. This film poked fun at things ranging from other films to Britney Spears. My only complaint was that the story could have been made a little bit better, but it is a family film and is meant to be fun.
If you enjoy films like "Shrek" and "Ice Age" you will enjoy "Robots." I recommend it to all ages, though there are some sexual references just like any other animated film. The majority of young children will not understand it, but that is what makes some of the film funny for the adults. If you enjoy slap-stick parodies and minor potty humor this film is for you. I give it 4 rockets out of 5, and it's well worth the fuel to drive to the Regal and see.
"Robots" is about a robot named Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) growing up with a poor family whose only income is from the father who washes dishes. Copperbottom believes he is destined for greatness and wants to be like his idol Bigweld, voiced by the great Mel Brooks.
Copperbottom then decides to venture into the big Robot City to meet Bigweld, the master inventor. Along the way, Copperbottom meets some great friends such as Fender (Robin Williams), Piper (Amanda Bynes), Crank (Drew Carey) and also the beautiful robot Cappy, voiced by Halle Berry.
He also finds that the inventor's company is not run by Bigweld anymore. Instead, it's run by the evil Ratchet, voiced by Greg Kinnear. Watch the film to see how Copperbottom eventually gets to shine.
The film is loaded with some great guest voices. As I watched the film, some of the robots' voices sounded very familiar. Jay Leno plays a Fire Hydrant, James Earl Jones plays Darth Vader's voice and Terry Bradshaw voices as a broken bot. Best Actor nominee Paul Giamatti even has a voice appearance in the film as the Gate Bot.
Some of the voices were not as distinct. Halle Berry's voice was not very noticeable and the company probably paid her too much money. Robin Williams complained that he was not nearly paid enough from Disney, just like he was not paid very much for his voice in Aladdin. I also had a hard time telling the voice of Rodney. I actually found it kind of fun trying to figure out whose voices belonged to whom in the film.
The film's parodies were fantastic. The movie as a whole is mainly a parody of "The Wizard of Oz" because, much like the classic film, in "Robots," Copperbottom is adventuring to get to "the bad guy's" palace and meets some great friends on the way. If you look closely, you can see the Tinman in the film, too.
"The Wizard of Oz" was only a small portion of the parodies. This film poked fun at things ranging from other films to Britney Spears. My only complaint was that the story could have been made a little bit better, but it is a family film and is meant to be fun.
If you enjoy films like "Shrek" and "Ice Age" you will enjoy "Robots." I recommend it to all ages, though there are some sexual references just like any other animated film. The majority of young children will not understand it, but that is what makes some of the film funny for the adults. If you enjoy slap-stick parodies and minor potty humor this film is for you. I give it 4 rockets out of 5, and it's well worth the fuel to drive to the Regal and see.
