Meet the Robinsons (B or 3/4 stars)
Disney strikes again with 'Meet the Robinsons', an animated film directed by Stephen J. Anderson. 12 yr. old Lewis is having a hard time trying to be adopted. This is because he's always on a quest to find his birth mother. One day, Lewis invents a memory scanner, a machine that scans your brain to project memories on a screen. When the project goes awry at a science fair (thanks to Bowler Hat Guy, the film's villain), Lewis is saddened. But a strange boy named Wilbur Robinson appears & takes him on an exhilarating ride into the future. There, he'll meet Wilbur's wackadoo family & regain the 'will' to search for HIS rightful family. The first half of the film is frenetic to a fault ... herky, jerky, & loud. But it settles down, breathes a little, & concludes with a twist of fate. I was completely won over.
We 1st meet Lewis & his pal, Goob, at the orphanage. Lewis loves inventing things. Most of his contraptions are utter failures, but he plugs on. After creating his memory scanner (and entering it into the science fair), Lewis finds out that people in both the present AND the future are eager for its' use. At the fair, the mysterious 'Bowler Hat Guy' shows up, steals it, & whizzes off into the future. This is when Wilbur appears & takes Lewis with him on his own time ship; they travel some 25 years ahead. Once they reach 'Tomorrowland', Wilbur's time machine breaks, which means Lewis is stuck there 'til it's fixed. In the meantime, Lewis gets to spend some time with Wilbur's crazy, yet unbelievably warm & accepting family. He loves being in their company, and vice-versa. There's a connection.
'Bowler Hat Guy' wants to destroy Lewis by altering time for good, but we don't know why just yet. What's his beef with Lewis? He (and everyone else in this film) seems to have a motive: Wilbur needs Lewis' memory scanner. Lewis wants his gizmo back, as well. It needs to be fixed, but how? We learn a bit more about the eccentric 'Bowler Hat Guy', and come to realize that he's someone we already know. Can Lewis save the Robinsons from an awful future where mind-control machines dictate the masses? No one wants that kind of future. The time machine needs to be fixed or the entire Robinson family will be ruined for good. Why, you ask? You'll have to watch the movie to find out. The unfolding of this thought-provoking plot is something truly special.
By meeting the Robinsons, Lewis finds out what it means to have a family. He feels he doesn't belong in society; that is, 'til he meets the Robinsons. The animation in this film is quite good. Colors pop, shapes move freely (the film is offered in 3D in some places). And it's a cartoon film that's minimally 'kiddish' (sure, there are some cute animals, & a T-Rex storming around, but they're not pivotal to the plot); thankfully, it's a human tale. Kids will enjoy it, though, it does have its' confusing concepts (time-travel). 'Bowler Hat Guy' is just as funny as he is 'evil'; so that's a plus. Again, the 1st half of the film made my head hurt for a while. But the movie morphs into a very sweet, delightful family flick. Whoever wrote the song that plays in the last scene is a genius in kick-starting the waterworks.
We 1st meet Lewis & his pal, Goob, at the orphanage. Lewis loves inventing things. Most of his contraptions are utter failures, but he plugs on. After creating his memory scanner (and entering it into the science fair), Lewis finds out that people in both the present AND the future are eager for its' use. At the fair, the mysterious 'Bowler Hat Guy' shows up, steals it, & whizzes off into the future. This is when Wilbur appears & takes Lewis with him on his own time ship; they travel some 25 years ahead. Once they reach 'Tomorrowland', Wilbur's time machine breaks, which means Lewis is stuck there 'til it's fixed. In the meantime, Lewis gets to spend some time with Wilbur's crazy, yet unbelievably warm & accepting family. He loves being in their company, and vice-versa. There's a connection.
'Bowler Hat Guy' wants to destroy Lewis by altering time for good, but we don't know why just yet. What's his beef with Lewis? He (and everyone else in this film) seems to have a motive: Wilbur needs Lewis' memory scanner. Lewis wants his gizmo back, as well. It needs to be fixed, but how? We learn a bit more about the eccentric 'Bowler Hat Guy', and come to realize that he's someone we already know. Can Lewis save the Robinsons from an awful future where mind-control machines dictate the masses? No one wants that kind of future. The time machine needs to be fixed or the entire Robinson family will be ruined for good. Why, you ask? You'll have to watch the movie to find out. The unfolding of this thought-provoking plot is something truly special.
By meeting the Robinsons, Lewis finds out what it means to have a family. He feels he doesn't belong in society; that is, 'til he meets the Robinsons. The animation in this film is quite good. Colors pop, shapes move freely (the film is offered in 3D in some places). And it's a cartoon film that's minimally 'kiddish' (sure, there are some cute animals, & a T-Rex storming around, but they're not pivotal to the plot); thankfully, it's a human tale. Kids will enjoy it, though, it does have its' confusing concepts (time-travel). 'Bowler Hat Guy' is just as funny as he is 'evil'; so that's a plus. Again, the 1st half of the film made my head hurt for a while. But the movie morphs into a very sweet, delightful family flick. Whoever wrote the song that plays in the last scene is a genius in kick-starting the waterworks.