Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45079 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-09-19
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .18 pounds
• Running time: 86 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The delightful designs of William Joyce (writer/illustrator of such popular children's books as George Shrinks and Bently & Egg) make Robots a joy to behold. The round, bouncy, and ramshackle forms of hero Rodney Copperbottom and his computer-animated friends are part of an ornate a universe of elaborate contraptions and gleaming metallic surfaces. Rodney (voiced with a hint-of-Scottish lilt by Ewan McGregor) is a young inventor who sets off for Robot City to work for Big Weld (Mel Brooks), the supreme inventor of the mechanical world. But upon his arrival, Rodney discovers that Big Weld has disappeared, and the slick, shiny Ratchet (Greg Kinnear, As Good As It Gets) is phasing out the spare parts that lumpen robots need to function and replacing them with "upgrades"--expensive and glistening new exoskeletons. Unfortunately, from this suitable beginning, the story degenerates into a series of action sequences that make very little sense, though some are kinetic and fun (though others are only there to serve the inevitable Robots video game). Most kids will enjoy the sheer visual pleasure of the movie, but compared to the narrative richness of Pixar movies like The Incredibles and Toy Story, that pleasure is pretty short-lived. Also featuring the voices of Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Jennifer Coolidge, and many, many more. --Bret Fetzer

Synopsis
The pixel-happy production company Blue Sky follows its successful feature ICE AGE with more animated antics in ROBOTS. Rodney Copperbottom (voiced by Ewan McGregor) is a talented inventor who hopes to make his fortune by moving to Robot City and working among the nuts and bolts of the robotics industry. Rodney fantasises about building robots for his boyhood hero and master inventor Big Weld (Mel Brooks), but when he meets him, Rodney's dream threatens to turn rusty. Big Weld reveals that his company is now being run by the evil Phineas T. Ratchet (Greg Kinnear), a merciless money-maker who wants to rid the world of the antiquated robots that clutter up the streets of Robot City. This leaves Rodney's aspirations needing a major oil change, and with little chance of finding work, he feels about as useful as a broken spare part. So he takes to the streets, where he finds some unlikely salvation in a group of robots lead by Fender (Robin Williams). Fender urges Rodney to help save them from the scrap heap, while Ratchet and his company create threatening new policies on robot reconstruction. The ensuing action leads to a breathtaking set of adventures in the futuristic city. A fun, dizzying delight, ROBOTS benefits from the many voices of Robin Williams, who is the perfect comic foil to Ewan McGregor's central character. The special effects are masterfully handled, and the rendering of Robot City is a true sight to behold. A film that should find a broad audience among adults and children alike, ROBOTS is fast-paced animated entertainment at its finest.