ROBOTS [2005 / 2011] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] From The Creators Of ‘Ice Age.’ Thrilling! Funny! Terrific! The Ultimate High Definition Experience!
Fasten your seat bolts and gear up for a hilarious, heart-warming comedy that's "fun for the whole family!" says Clay Smith of Access Hollywood. With the help of his misfit mechanical friends, a small town robot named Rodney embarks on the adventure of a lifetime as he heads for the big city to pursue his dreams and ultimately proves that anyone can shine no matter what they're made of.
Featuring an all-star voice cast and a ground breaking visual style that pushes the boundaries of animated filmmaking, Robots is a dazzling, fun-filled feast for the eyes and a riveting good time for all ages.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 2005 Awards Circuit Community Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Feature. 2005 Casting Society of America: Nominated: Best Animated Feature. 2005 Casting Society of America: Nominated: Artios Award for Best Animated Voice-Over Feature Casting for Christian Kaplan. 2005 Golden Schmoes Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Movie of the Year. 2005 Mexico MTV Movie Awards: Win: Favorite Song for a Movie (Mejor Rola Peliculera) for Aleks Syntek for the song "Un Héroe Real." Nominated: Favorite Voice in an Animated Film (Mejor Caricatura de Voz) for Aleks Syntek as the voice of "Rodney." 2005 St. Louis Film Critics Association, USA: Nominated: SLFCA Award for Best Animated, Musical, or Comedy Film. 2005 Teen Choice Awards: Nominated: Choice Movie: Animated/Computer Generated. 2005 The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards: Nominated: Worst Animated Film. 2005 Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Film. 2006 Annie Awards: Nominated: Best Character Design in an Animated Feature Production for William Joyce. Nominated: Best Production Design in an Animated Feature Production for Steve Martino and William Joyce. 2006 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards: Win: Top Box Office Films for John Powell. 2006 DVD Exclusive Awards: Nominated: Overall PSP for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Nominated: Best Games and Interactivities for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for "Invent-a-Bot." Nominated: Best New Movie Scenes (Finished-Edited Into Movie or Stand-Alone) for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for “Aunt Fanny's Tour of Booty” for "Aunt Fanny's Tour of Booty" in "Robots" (DVD). 2006 International Film Music Critics Award: Nominated: Best Original Score for a Comedy Film for John Powell. 2006 Kids' Choice Awards, USA: Nominated: Blimp Award for Favorite Animated Movie. Nominated: Blimp Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Feature for Robin Williams. 2006 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Nominated: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in an Animated Feature Film for Sean Garnhart (supervising sound editor/sound designer), Steven Visscher (supervising foley editor). Nicholas Renbeck (supervising dialogue/adr editor), Tom Carlson (music editor), Joshua Winget (music editor), Paul Urmson (sound effects design), Wyatt Sprague (sound effects editor), Marissa Littlefield (dialogue editor), Frank Kern (foley editor), Marko A. Costanzo (foley artist) and Jay Peck (foley artist). 2006 Online Film Critics Society Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Feature. 2006 PGA Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures for Jerry Davis, John C. Donkin and William Joyce. 2006 Visual Effects Society Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture for Ben Williams, David Torres Mark Piretti and Robin Williams for "Fender." 2006 Young Artist Awards: Nominated: Best Family Animation Feature Film.
FILM FACT No.2: Originally developing a film version of Joyce's book “Santa Calls,” Chris Wedge and Joyce then decided to develop an original story about a world of robots. Rivet Town was rumoured to be based on Watertown, New York, but director Chris Wedge dismissed this in an interview. It was the first 20th 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 20th Century Fox.
Voice Cast: Paula Abdul (Watch), Halle Berry (Cappy), Lucille Bliss (Pigeon Lady), Terry Bradshaw (Broken Arm Bot), Jim Broadbent (Madame Gasket), Mel Brooks (Bigweld), Amanda Bynes (Piper), Drew Carey (Crank), Jennifer Coolidge (Aunt Fanny), Dylan Denton (Youngest Rodney), Will Denton (Young Rodney), Marshall Efron (Lamppost / Toilet Bot / Bass Drum / Microphone), Damien Fahey (Stage Announcer), Lowell Ganz (Mr. Gasket), Paul Giamatti (Tim the Gate Guard), Dan Hedaya (Mr. Gunk), Jackie Hoffman (Water Cooler), James Earl Jones (Voice Box at Hardware Store), Greg Kinnear (Ratchet), Jay Leno (Fire Hydrant), Natasha Lyonne (Loretta Geargrinder), Brian Scott McFadden (Trashcan Bot), Ewan McGregor (Rodney Copperbottom), Tim Nordquist (Tin Man), Jansen Panettiere (Younger Rodney), Al Roker (Mailbox), Alan Rosenberg (Jack Hammer), Stephen Tobolowsky (Bigmouth Executive / Forge), Stanley Tucci (Herb Copperbottom), Chris Wedge (Wonderbot / Phone Booth), Dianne Wiest (Mrs. Copperbottom), Harland Williams (Lug), Robin Williams (Fender), Crawford Wilson (Young Rodney), Lara Cody (Additional Voices), Cooper Cowgill (Additional Voices), David Crommett (Additional Voices), Darin De Paul (Additional Voices), Dann Fink (Additional Voices), Timothy Gulan (Additional Voices), Alex Haney (Additional Voices), Angela Haney (Additional Voices), Ray Iannicelli (Additional Voices), Sondra James (Additional Voices), Vanessa Lemonides (Additional Voices), Anthony J. Lewis Jr. (Additional Voices), Marcus Maurice (Additional Voices), Jennifer Perito (Additional Voices), Kristin Reeves (Additional Voices), David Rossmer (Additional Voices), Lyla Stone (Additional Voices), Bruce Winant (Additional Voices), James Brown (Diesel) (uncredited), Chingy (DJ Robot), Sean Garnhart (Diesel) (uncredited), Randy Jackson (Watch #2) (uncredited) and Paul Urmson (Diesel) (uncredited)
Directors: Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha (co-director)
Producers: Bob Gordon, Christopher Meledandri, Jerry Davis, John C. Donkin, Lorne Orleans (IMAX version) and William Joyce
Screenplay: David Lindsay-Abaire (story/ screenplay), Jim McClain (story), Ron Mita (story), Babaloo Mandel (screenplay) and Lowell Ganz (screenplay)
Composer: John Powell
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
French: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
French: 5.1 DTS Audio
German: 5.1 DTS Audio
Italian: 5.1 DTS Audio
Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Danish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Dutch: 5.1 DTS Audio
Danish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Norwegian: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Spanish [Catalan]: 5.1 DTS Audio
Swedish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Czech: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Icelandic: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Hebrew: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian and Swedish
Running Time: 91 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘ROBOTS’ [2005] falls into much the same trap as that minor 2002 computer-generated effort. Simply put, 20th Century Fox's animated unit, Blue Sky Productions, cannot keep up with the incendiary heights of PIXAR, that is slightly paling in comparison in the story and character departments and lacking the much-needed heart that makes a passable family film great. With that said, ‘ROBOTS’ is a frequently dazzling eye-opener that is worth seeing just for its visuals of a bustling, futuristic metropolis presided over by a population of mechanical beings.
The hero of the story is Rodney Copperbottom [Ewan McGregor], a talented aspiring inventor who leaves his parents Herb Copperbottom [Stanley Tucci] and Mrs. Copperbottom [Dianne Wiest] and small-town existence to make his dreams come true in Robot City. Once there, Rodney's hopes of meeting famed bigwig inventor Bigweld [Mel Brooks] are dashed when he discovers the company is now lorded over by the tyrannical, money-hungry Phineas T. Ratchet [Greg Kinnear]. Instructed by his dastardly, androgynous mother, Madame Gasket [Jim Broadbent], Phineas has made it his mission to sell high-priced parts to the faltering, fading low-mode bot residents. If they are not able to afford it, as is the case with the high-energy Fender [Robin Williams], sweepers are sent out to destroy them and store them in the junkyard. Not one to take such unethical behaviour lying down, Rodney teams up with Fender, Fender's kid-sis, Piper [Amanda Bynes], beautiful company exec Cappy [Halle Berry], and the rest of the low-modes to put a stop to Ratchet's plan and right the wrongs of the Bigweld company.
‘ROBOTS’ screenplay is by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel [‘Where the Heart Is’], who cook up a fair share of ingenious comedic fodder as they put a robotic spin on the actual human world. For example, in the robots' world, going into labour means mantling the spare parts of a mechanical baby; public restrooms are divided not by male and female but by input and output symbols; and maps to the stars' homes features celebrities such as Britney Gears. Whereas 2004's mediocre ‘Shark Tale’ suffered enormously by its flash-in-the-pan pop-cultural references, the ones in ‘ROBOTS’ are more original and appropriate, including funny uses of Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" and Chingy's "Right Thurrr."
Director Chris Wedge and screenplay by Babaloo Mandel, David Lindsay-Abaire and Lowell Ganz have the humorous aspects of ‘ROBOTS’ down to a fine art, especially handling the plot and the ensemble characters. The storyline is a little muddled; zooming at 150mph when 55 mph would have been fast enough. The frenetic pace will enrapture the children in the audience and they, after all, will like anything this fast and colourful, but director Chris Wedge is always so determined to get to the next scene that he loses sight of his ragtag protagonists. They are all likable enough, but, save for the quick-witted Fender, are terminally forgettable and underdeveloped.
Halle Berry, as Rodney's sort-of love interest, Cappy, shares top-billing with Ewan McGregor for no determinable reason other than that she is a big name. Berry is barely there and her Cappy is not humanized enough to understand the character's objective. The team of low-modes are voiced by Amanda Bynes, Harland William, Drew Carey, and the invaluable Jennifer Coolidge. They are energetic enough in their performances, but stand around looking for something interesting to say that they never find. This is one case where an all-star cast in an animated picture is extraneous. The voices too often call attention to them and keep the viewer from believing in the robots as genuine characters. Only Robin Williams calls attention to himself for the right reasons, bringing a zany lovability and warmth to the indomitable Fender that only Williams could achieve.
‘ROBOTS’ is entertaining, no doubt about it, a gorgeously computer-animated family film that will win over children and has enough slyly mature humour to bring favour to grown-ups. A thrilling sequence in which Rodney and Fender ride a public transportation contraption that catapults them through the air and over cliffs is a rollercoaster ride-like highlight. Ultimately, it is on the basic screenplay level where ‘ROBOTS’ suffers slightly next to the superior heights of something like ‘Finding Nemo,’ ‘Shrek 2’ or ‘The Incredibles’ which those are modern animated classics that transcend the rapidly evolving animation format, meticulously developed and thought out and emotionally resonant. ‘ROBOTS’ is slightly creakier, slighter and more indifferent, as much in need of an oil change as its heroes. Until 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Productions match PIXAR in the monopoly of computer animation, audiences will have to make do with ambitious but flawed productions like ‘ROBOTS.’ It does not sometimes contain a whole lot to grasp onto and take away with you, but it's pleasurable, bright and inoffensive while it lasts. That's honestly not such a bad place to be at. The only thing that would make this animation film soar to greater heights, is if they had finally got round to doing a 3D Blu-ray conversion, especially with the technology available in turning a 2D animation film, into an amazing 3D Blu-ray presentation, as that would indeed be a mind blowing experience.
ROBOTS MUSIC TRACK LIST
Pomp & Circumstance (Written by Edward Elgar) (Arranged by John Powell) (uncredited)
SILENCE (Written by Ian Ball, Paul Blackburn, Tom Gray, Benjamin Ottewell and Oliver Peacock) [Performed by Gomez]
SHINE (Written by Ricky Fanté, Josh Deutsch, Kevin Kadish and Andrew Wyatt) [Performed by Ricky Fanté]
RIGHT THURR (Written by Chingy aka Howard Bailey, Alonzo E. Lee, Jr. and Shamar D. Daugherty) [Performed by Chingy]
EYE OF THE TIGER (Written by Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik)
UNDERGROUND (Written by Tom Waits) [Performed by Tom Waits]
I’M A LITTLE TEAPOT (Written by Clarence Kelley and George H. Sanders) [Sung by Robin Williams] (uncredited)
TRISH TRASH POLKA (Written by Johann Strauss) (Arranged by John Powell) (uncredited)
WALKIE TALKIE MAN (Written by Jared Wrennall, Tyson Kennedy, Jake Adams, Tim Youngson and Brad Carter) [Performed by Steriogram]
I LIKE THAT (Written by Shamar D. Daugherty, Alonzo E. Lee, Jr., Mischke, Houston Summers, Chingy aka Howard Bailey, Nate Dogg aka Nathaniel Hale), Bobby Sandimanie, Jr. and Steve Prudholme) [Performed by Houston Summers featuring Chingy, Nate Dogg and Bobby Sandimanie aka I-20]
(There's Gotta Be) MORE TO LIFE (Written by Harvey Mason Jr., Damon E. Thomas, Sabelle Breer, Kevin Kadish, and Lucy Woodward) [Performed by Stacie Orrico]
TELL ME WHAT YOU ALREADY DID (Written by Adam Schlesinger) [Performed by Fountains of Wayne]
The Barber of Seville (Written by Gioachino Rossini)
SONGBIRD (Written by Kenny G) [Performed by Kenny G]
ANYONE FOR A DRINK (Written by Sean Garnhart) [Performed by Sean Garnhart]
SUPER BAD (Dance Remix) (Performed by James Brown) [Performed by James Brown]
WONDERFUL NIGHT (instrumental) (Written by Fatboy Slim aka Norman Cook and Lateef Dumont/Lateef The Truth Speaker) [Performed by Fatboy Slim]
GONNA MAKE YOU SWEAT (Everybody Dance Now) (Written by Freedom Williams and Robert Clivillés) [Performed by The Hit Crew]
LOVE’S DANCE (Written by Jimmy Jam aka James Samuel Harris III, Terry Lewis andTony L. Tolbert) [Performed by Earth Wind & Fire]
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (Words by Arthur Freed) (Music by Nacio Herb Brown) (Parody Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel) [Performed by Robin Williams] (uncredited)
LOW RIDER (Written by Thomas Allen, Harold R. Brown, B.B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, Howard E. Scott and Jerry Goldstein) [Performed by War]
CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOVE (Written by Barry White) [Performed by Barry White]
IF YOU’RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT (Traditional) [Sung by Mel Brooks] (uncredited)
A BICYCLE BUILT FOR TWO (Written by Harry Dacre) [Sung by Mel Brooks] (uncredited)
…BABY ONE MORE TIME (Written by Max Martin) [Performed by Britney Spears]
GET UP OFFA THAT THING (Written by Deanna Brown, Deidra Jenkins and Yamma Brown) [Performed by James Brown]
SEE ME (uncredited) (Written by Melanie Blatt, Stuart Zender and Femi Fem (YDs) [Performed by Melanie Blatt]
FROM ZERO TO HERO (uncredited) [Performed by Sarah Connor] [German version only]
RIDERE RIDERE (uncredited) (Written by Emiliano Bassi and Francesco Facchinetti) [Performed by DJ Francesco] [Italian version only]
Blu-ray Image Quality – Cut straight from the digital source, ‘ROBOTS’ looks absolutely stunning with its 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. For lack of a better term the image quality here is nearly flawless with really nothing to complain about. The colours remain vibrant, the video is crystal clear and aside from a few moments where it becomes soft the picture is very sharp. There is so much attention to detail in this robotic world that I found it a little daunting at first but it took my breath away. Compared to ‘Ice Age,‘ this animation film is not only designed better, but it receives a much better transfer, compared to the NTSC DVD I had in my collection, that I was glad to get rid of.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – With ‘ROBOTS’ you have two English audio options we get the best of both worlds with this release. Depending what you’re set up allows for and what you prefer there are 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS tracks available here. Both sound absolutely remarkable and make some intelligent use of speaker set up although the DTS sounds a smidge better. The directional audio is great with the main sound effects and workings of the robotic world, music and dialogue pumping from all angles. The sound is ultra-crisp and cleans with no real noticeable distortion or flaws and is on par with the visual aspect of the disc.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary by Blue Sky Productions: Nine members of the Blue Sky Productions animation team offer up their insights in this technically-minded free-for-all, exploring the particulars of lighting and animation. But because there are far too many people giving us their technical and vacuous inputs, that it got a bit too much information all at once and so I decided that if you are keen to hear their views, then the best option is to purchase this Blu-ray disc.
Special Feature: Aunt Fanny's Tour of BOOTY [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [6:00] It is a five minute tour of the Robot City train station. It's more like a comedy reel with a lot of hilarious bits without much story behind it. Definitely watch this when you're done with the film and want some more laughs at the expense of Fender and company. Contributors include: Jennifer Coolidge [Aunt Fanny], Melique Berger [Tammy], Chris Edgerly [Soda Jerk / Luggage Cart / Announcer], Lisa Fragner [Old Lady], Andy Kreiss [Juice Bar Customer], Randall Montgomery [Zinc], Warren Press [Tattoo Artist], Mark Silverman [Thirsty Bot], Mark Sussman [Toilet Bot], Chris Wedge [Hacky] and Kelly Keaton [Additional Voice].
Special Feature: Interviews of the Voice Actors of Robots [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [18:07] This is a promo documentary about the all-star voice acting team. With eleven characters under the microscope there are clips of the voice actor talking about their character for each one with the exception of Diesel who doesn't have a voice of his own. Every character also has a selection of design sketches that show the progression of the design up to the final material and there is an image showing the final product in motion via a clip from the animated film. Contributors include: Ewan McGregor [Rodney Copperbottom], Mel Brooks [Bigweld], Robin Williams [Fender], Halle Berry [Cappy], Amanda Bynes [Piper], Drew Carey [Crank], Harland Williams [Lug], Jennifer Coolidge [Aunt Fanny], Greg Kinnear [Ratchet] and Jim Broadbent [Madame Gasket]
Special Feature: Music Video: Sarah Connor – From Zero To Hero [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [4:08] Here we get to view the official ‘ROBOTS’ music video from Sarah Connor entitled “From Zero To Hero.”
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:56] Three short deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Chris Wedge. The first involves Tim the gate guard and shows how his conversation with Rodney really ended. This was unnecessary and was understandably cut from the end product because it breaks the illusion that Tim is a hand puppet. The rest are some more character interactions that feature incomplete animations and in some cases conceptual sketches to display the sequences.
Finally, visually ‘ROBOTS’ is absolutely stunning and the film is remarkably detailed in every sense. The NTSC DVD that was in my collection was okay, but this Blu-ray disc has an even more fantastic digital transfer, some wonderful audio quality and a slew of quality extras. My only issues with this release have to do with the animation film itself because it definitely has some slight flaws. The story may be rich with interesting characters and many funny situations but the simple fact is in this case the plot was second place next to the concept of the film. Children will enjoy it more than adults will, thanks to some very immature humour and gaudy pop culture references. Even so this is a good watch for the whole family, but will not give you the emotional connection that something like a PIXAR project would, but despite this I am really love this beautiful animation and I love all the characters, especially the mad cap and inventive Robin Williams, who has now sadly departed from us all, and the team that put this projector together, did a fine job and should be very proud of themselves and I am so lucky to add this to my Blu-ray Collection. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
