The 2000s animated films were quite the thing, there was everything in the realm of possibility of fantasy on screen in different films, television series, and cartoon shows. This was a golden era for animation, where almost every other company was trying their hand at the genre.
It was fantastic as well because we got some decent and fun action and adventure films from these animation studios. Bolt, Open Season, Over the Hedge, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Mary and Max, and Chicken Run were all standouts of this era, bringing new life to the genre. However, in a sea of animated movies, a little film called Robots went under notice.
How to Download Robots (2005)
You can download the film from a digital store. You can also stream it. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
This underrated story is set in a world where no humans exist, the world is instead populated by robots who tinker and toy around with different materials to further extend to a better version of themselves.
Our story focuses on Rodney Copperbottom, a young genius inventor whose only dream is to meet his idol, a master inventor by the name of Bigweld. However, doing so seems to be a tall task for young Rodney as he finds himself lost in the big city, dealing with corporate honchos and many different characters that he meets along the way in order to meet his hero.
For a film made in 2005, with a budget of only $75 to $80 million, Robots has a distinct art style that looks visually stunning on screen. This was the only advantage this film had against many of the bigger names in the world of animation. 2005 was a tough year for animated films, as the competition was genuinely fierce. Robots somehow still managed to rake out $262 at the box office, despite having little to no marketing backing it.
The director Chris Wedge tells a deeply personal story about a young robot who wants to meet his hero. He hones in on the complexity of going through a corporate, industrial cesspool of a city that functions almost in a semi-dystopian way.
He focuses entirely on its main character, as he is present in almost every single scene of the film. This gives us a lot of time to familiarize ourselves with Rodney Copperbottom, and even feel empathy for him throughout the adventure.
Not to mention, Rodney is played by one of the most prolific actors in the industry, Ewan McGregor. McGregor brings an innocent charm to the character; someone you can root for and understand his motives as well.
Then you have the legendary Robin Williams as Fender Pinwheeler, a mischievous robot who becomes a close friend of Rodney and helps him out on his adventure. You also have actors such as Halle Berry, Mel Brooks, and Greg Kinnear to offer their support and different roles. The voice acting is simply phenomenal in this film, and it is consistently so throughout.
The distinct art style of big Robot City and the characters that occupy it are breathtaking to look at. Even by today’s standards, this film stands on its own due to the particularly distinct art style that is present here. The colorful characters, the wide-open vistas of the city and the mechanical metropolis that our characters travel through are nostalgic and beautiful.
The only key issue in this film is the music, rich just does not stand out at any given moment in the film. The music is the most forgettable part of this movie, and as a kids’ flick, that does hinder its progress from being a good film.
The Verdict
It took Blue Sky Studios a total of 5 years to develop this film in its entirety. In all honesty, that time limit and the wait was worth it, because the end product turned out to be beautiful. Robots might not be a cinematic masterpiece with a story that will shake you to your very core or give you a moral life lesson to remember forever. However, it is a film that is memorable and entertaining throughout its design, voice acting, gorgeous mechanical world, and the lovable characters that inhabit it.
