ROBOTS

US, 2005, 91 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: Ewan Mc Gregor, Halle Berry, Mel Brooks, Robin Williams, Jim Broadbent, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge, Paul Giamatti, Dan Hedaya, James Earl Jones, Greg Kinnear, Jay Leno, Natasha Lyonne.
Directed by Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha.

It is a machine age – but never more so in Rivet Town and the big city where Rodney Copperbottom grows up and then moves to so that he can fulfil his abilities at inventing, especially, as his idol, Mr Bigweld, often says, ‘to fill a need’. He is the complete altruist, loving his father (a poor restaurant dishwasher whose parts are wearing down) and mother and trying to save his idol, the philanthropist and television personality, inventor Mr Bigweld.

As you can see, this is a kindly and wholesome story. However, there lurks a villain, Ratchet, who has ousted Mr Bigweld and, at the behest of his monstrous mother, has consigned robots whose parts are gone to the scrapheap. Rodney, however, is kind and a whiz at fixing rundown robots. Ratchet and Rodney are on a collision course. Rodney makes many friends, especially a motormouth machine, Fender, who is always falling apart, and the glamorous Cappy.

So, there is plenty to do for the robots and the film moves along quite nicely. The animation of the various robots is always amusing and there is a lot of clever incidental detail for the observant audience, parallels to our taken-for-granted human world. There is also a lot of amusing dialogue.

In case we couldn’t guess, there is not only a happy ending but a moral victory for good Rodney and evil Ratchet, which means that Robots is a genial do-gooding parable.

The voice cast is top-notch with Ewan McGregor? leading as Rodney. Naturally, Robin Williams as Fender dominates every scene he is in and has a great deal of his usual patter which his fans will love. Other voices are Greg Kinnear as Ratchet, Jim Broadbent as his mother, Halle Berry as Cappy, Jennifer Coolidge as Aunt Fanny and the pleasure of Mel Brooks as Mr Bigweld.

1. An entertaining film? An interesting example of 21st century animation? CGI and the skills in creating characters, layouts and backgrounds? Vitality? A technology for technological characters? Art style? Stories and exuberance?

2. The anthropomorphising of robots and the effect for the audience? The machines and life? The parallels with humans and the humour?

3. The range of voices, voice styles, the comedy, villainy, heroics? American style and society? The musical score?

4. The plot, the creation of the small town, the ordinariness, the heroics? The big city, corporations, individuals and their spirit, big business, victory for the good?

5. The town, its setting, Dad and his work, drying dishes? Mum at home? Ordinary life, the detail of the camera going up the street, haircuts etc? The various machines, their names? The restaurant and Mr Copperbottom cleaning the dishes?

6. The news about the baby, the verbal humour and the parallels with conception and birth? The visual parallels of putting the baby together? Mother and father and their pride and joy? Rodney growing up, his relationship with his parents, in the town, his inventions – and mishaps? His wanting to help his father? Seeing Mr Bigweld on the television? His exhortation that every invention should fill a need?

7. Rodney’s decision to go to the big city, his mother unwilling, his father finally supporting him? Going to the station, the ticket, the travel in the train, his high hopes?

8. The visuals of the city, the skyscraper and landscapes? Settling in? The meeting with Fender and their discussions, the comedy? At home with Aunt Fanny? His skills, fixing things, the machines realising that he could help them, the long line and his skilled work, his being seen as a hero?

9. Ratchet, his relationship with his mother? The villain? The meeting of the board, the decisions, the exclusion of Mr Bigweld, his wanting to throw useless machines away, seeing Rodney as a threat? His relationship with Cappy?

10. The social, Rodney in disguise, the parody of the party, his meeting with Cappy, the help of Fender? Getting in, the confrontation with Ratchet?

11. The plan to save Mr Bigweld, Mr Bigweld away with his inventions, not knowing what was going on, the loss of his empire? His feeling alone – but his being revitalised?

12. The character of fender, his look, Robin Williams’ patter and jokes? His sister and his relationship with her, her helping with the team?

13. Ratchet, his evil doings, the influence of his mother, the revolution – and the uprising against him?

14. Rodney, his success, freeing Mr Bigweld, the victory, the acclaim? His future?

15. His becoming the second-in-charge, pride, happiness? The theme of individuals versus exploitation?

16. A light touch presentation of social issues and personal issues?