Robots (2005)

Directed by Chris Wedge. Starring (voices) Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Jim Broadbent, Stanley Tucci, Halle Berry, Dianne Wiest, Drew Carey, Amanda Bynes, Jennifer Coolidge, Dan Hedaya, Harland Williams, Paul Giamatti. [PG]

In a world inhabited solely by robots, a young aspiring inventor (McGregor) sets out for the big city (Robot City) to present his latest contraption to the major conglomerate, Bigweld Industries, that first inspired him; too bad that the new management is anything but welcoming toward new ideas, and soon the idealist is helping to lead a revolution of old-model bots against their newer, shinier “replacements.” Sharply-designed and smoothly-animated picture is a feast for the eyes but not the imagination, as it tells a standard-issue (and borderline trite) underdog story jerry-rigged out of a whole junkyard of clichés—little fish in a big pond, always follow your dreams, corporate greed festering behind a friendly façade, etc. The retro configurations show off a fresh polish, but the jokes, references, and sight gags (including Williams’ nutty schtick as a—what else?—ultra-chatty, screw-loose droid) consistently sport rust. Dedicated to the late David Boyd Brown, the founder of the animation studio responsible for the production, Blue Sky.

55/100