Robots is a 2005 American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios for 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Chris Wedge and produced by Jerry Davis, William Joyce, and John C. Donkin, and stars the voices of Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey, and Robin Williams.
Originally developing a film version of Joyce's book Santa Calls, Wedge and Joyce then decided to develop an original story about a world of robots. The film was released on March 11, 2005, and grossed $260.7 million on its $75 million budget.
Video Robots (2005 film)
Plot
In Rivet Town, Rodney Copperbottom is a young inventor who dreams of making the world a better place, like his idol, Bigweld. During Rodney's adolescence, he invents the Wonderbot to help his father, Herb, clean dishes at a restaurant. When Herb's supervisor confronts them, Wonderbot breaks the dishes, causing Herb to be put in debt and Rodney to be dismissed. Rodney takes his invention to Robot City to work as an inventor at Bigweld Industries and help pay his father's debt. After a spectacular but harrowing ride on the Crosstown Express, Rodney arrives at the gate of Bigweld Industries.
He learns that Phineas T. Ratchet has taken over Bigweld Industries and has put an end to manufacturing spare parts. Ratchet believes the company can improve if it focuses on selling upgrades; if the robots refuse, they are sent to the Chop Shop, where they are melted down by the owner of the Chop Shop, Madame Gasket, Ratchet's mother. Rodney is forced out and meets Fender Pinwheeler, and a group of other robots called "The Rusties" with whom Rodney stays at a low-rent boarding house owned by Aunt Fanny. Eventually, Rodney begins fixing old robots in the neighborhood. Upon discovering this, Gasket orders Ratchet to stop Rodney and destroy Bigweld.
Rodney later receives news that Herb needs replacement parts. Rodney decides to contact Bigweld directly to beg him to restart the manufacture of spare parts. Wonderbot reminds him that Bigweld will show up at the Bigweld Ball, which takes place that night. Rodney and Fender go to the ball in disguise only to hear Ratchet announce that Bigweld is unable to attend. Rodney confronts Ratchet, but security stops him. Cappy, a robot-executive of the company who dislikes Ratchet's plan, saves him, and together with Fender, they escape from the ball.
Afterwards, Fender is captured by a sweeper and taken to the Chop Shop, but manages to escape, losing his legs in the process and finding a replacement pair with a built-in skirt. Meanwhile, Rodney and Cappy fly to Bigweld's home and meet him. Rodney asks Bigweld to return to his company and make spare parts available again, but Bigweld refuses, explaining that Ratchet forced him out of the company. Rodney calls his parents, intending to give up his dream and return to Rivet Town, but Herb encourages Rodney to continue pursuing it. Rodney rallies the Rusties into fighting back against Ratchet and Gasket. Fender reveals that Ratchet has built a fleet of super-sweepers with the intention of rounding up and destroying all of the older robots. Bigweld eventually comes with the group, having realized what Rodney meant to him.
The group then heads back to Bigweld Industries where Bigweld attempts to fire Ratchet, but after a huge chase involving Ratchet chasing after Rodney, Bigweld, Cappy and the Rusties around the city, Bigweld ends up getting captured and sent to the Chop Shop. A battle ensues between the Rusties, Ratchet, and Gasket's henchmen. During the chaos, Rodney rescues Bigweld, the choppers and sweepers are destroyed, Wonderbot engages Gasket in combat, where she is destroyed when she gets tossed into a furnace, while Ratchet loses his upgrades. Retaking control of Bigweld Industries, Bigweld goes to Rivet Town to tell Rodney's parents that their son is now his right-hand inventor and eventual successor.
Maps Robots (2005 film)
Cast
Locations
Rivet Town was rumored to be based on Watertown, New York, but director Chris Wedge dismissed this in an interview.
Release
Robots was originally scheduled for a 2004 release, but the release date was changed to 2005. The film premiered on March 6, 2005 in Westwood, Los Angeles, and it was released theatrically on March 11, 2005. The film was the first to feature the new trailer for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The film also featured the exclusive trailer for Ice Age: The Meltdown, then called Ice Age 2. Robots was digitally re-mastered into IMAX format (IMAX DMR) and released in select IMAX theatres around the world. It was the first Twentieth Century Fox's film that was released on the same day on IMAX and conventional 35mm screens. It was also the first IMAX DMR film released in the Spring season, and the second IMAX DMR film distributed by Fox.
Home media
The film, released on DVD and VHS on September 27, 2005, was accompanied by an original short animated film based on Robots, titled Aunt Fanny's Tour of Booty. The film was released in high-definition on Blu-ray Disc on March 22, 2011.
Reception
Critical reaction
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 64% based on 177 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Robots delights on a visual level, but the story feels like it came off an assembly line." Another review aggregator, Metacritic, gave a score of 64 based on 33 reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, stating that "this is a movie that is a joy to behold entirely apart from what it is about. It looks happy, and, more to the point, it looks harmonious."
Box office
The film was released March 11, 2005, in the United States and Canada and grossed $36 million in 3,776 theaters its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office. It grossed a total of $260.7 million worldwide--$128.2 million in the United States and Canada and $132.5 million in other territories.
Accolades
The film was nominated for many awards in the category of best animated film, as well as awards for character design, best animated character, voice casting, and sound editing. However, it only won one, the MTV (Mexico) Movie Award for best song, "Un Héroe Real".
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10: Nominated Animation Film
Music
Soundtrack
Robots: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on March 1, 2005 by Virgin Records.
- Other songs in the film include
- "Underground" - Tom Waits
- "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" - Barry White
- "...Baby One More Time" - Britney Spears
- "See Me" - Melanie Blatt
- "Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor
- "From Zero to Hero" - Sarah Connor
- "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" - C+C Music Factory and Freedom Williams
Score
Robots: Original Motion Picture Score was composed by John Powell and was released on March 15, 2005 by Varèse Sarabande Records.
Video game
Aunt Fanny's Tour of Booty
Aunt Fanny's Tour of Booty is a five-minute computer-animated film that was included as a bonus feature on the DVD and VHS releases of Robots and a prequel to the film. In the short, Aunt Fanny gives a tour of the Robot City Train Station to a motley collection of robots, including Fender Pinwheeler, Zinc, Tammy, Hacky, and an Old Lady-Bot.
References
External links
- Official website
- Robots on IMDb
- Robots at The Big Cartoon DataBase
- Robots at AllMovie
- Robots at Rotten Tomatoes
- Robots at Metacritic
- Robots at Box Office Mojo
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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