Meet the Robinsons (2007)

In all my years of reading reviews and shopping on Amazon I have never been compelled to write one myself until now. Like many parents, when a new disney film comes out on dvd, I usually buy it, watch it during movie night, and forget about it by the time the credits start rolling. My daughter is five and she enjoyed it but to me, as an adult who can look back at his life and appreciate all those struggles and "twists and turns of fate" that shaped who I am, the emotional impact ressonated much deeper. I was skeptical of this film due to the fact that disney's computer animated ventures without Pixar on board have consistantly been pretty weak, but in my opinion this one can stand toe to toe with every Disney/Pixar film to date. The director, Stephen Anderson explains that his life was extremely similar to that of the main character, Lewis. The passion that he had for this project is evident in every single detail of every single frame. The musical score by Danny Elfman and the brilliantly heartfelt song "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas fit with the theme perfectly. I've always judged movies based on the emotional response I have to them. If a movie can bring tears of sadness to my eyes, that's one thing, but if it can make me genuinely cry out of sheer happiness, well then in my book it's a winner because I am extremely critical of sappiness and what I call "emotional blackmail". I recently showed this film to a group of 30 of the most hardcore juvenile delinquents gathered from 20 different counties around Ohio and we spent an hour afterwards talking about it. I spend all day with these kids, and the way they let their guard down and opened up about their lives during our discussion was............magical. I don't see that side of them very often and I'm thankful that a "silly disney cartoon" inspired that.

We saw "Meet the Robinsons" in the 3-D version at the theater and my kids laughed about it for days. Too bad they couldn't release the DVD in the 3-D version, but it's still an excellent film for children. Personally, I also loved hearing the voice of Adam West in the film.

The film is based loosely on William Joyce's, A Day with Wilbur Robinson. If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it. William Joyce ALSO was the artist behind Rolie Polie Olie series. The book is quite different from the film, but there are direct parallels. For instance, there is no orphanage theme in the original book and no Bowler Hat Guy. However, many of the other characters are present in both. Stylistically, the book and the movie have a pronounced retroanimation/cartoon feel to them. It is a very refreshing artistic style to watch and makes for a unique animated film.

The DVD contains a fairly extensive set of features, but nothing out of the ordinary. For future releases of children's videos, I'd suggest adding a reading of the original book. In the few DVD's we've purchased with this feature, it's encouraged my children to read the actual book.

I highly recommend this DVD for your child's video library. It's a film enjoyable by both adults and children. The film is funny and presents a very clear message about the need to celebrate our human differences and stresses the importance of family and friends(adopted or otherwise).

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Evaluating `Meet the Robinsons' depends on whether you entered the theater offering 3-D glasses. Either way you receive excellent family entertainment, even if there are elements of the film you've seen before. Resembling an animated version of `Back to the Future' or `Peggy Sue Got Married,' `Meet the Robinsons' is a briskly based, nicely woven tale about belonging and achieving.

Starting we find the typical desperate mother leaving her baby on the orphanage steps. Her son Louis becomes a nervous inventor at the orphanage and a nuisance to everyone, especially his long-suffering roommate, Goob. Having an intellectual disposition doesn't help him in adoption interviews, and ingenious inventions that seldom work, don't endear him at school. Add to that a pure villain comes upon his scene, known as "Bowler Hat Man" (Whose hat makes him like a nimble, but less scary nemesis comparable to "Dr. Oct".) his life comes into disarray at science fair he's finally sure he'll win.

Using time travel well and peril and humor that truly entertain, `..Robinsons' message to always persevere and the plot's neat and heart-felt resolution will make every family member smile.

(This being my first 3-D adventure that actually worked certainly gave the movie a lift, too!)

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"Meet the Robinsons" was initially based on the book by William Joyce entitled "A day with Wilbur Robinson." While Disney's movie focused on a young inventor name Lewis who specializes in innovative inventions. Lewis adventure begins when he meets Wilbur and journeys across time to avert any changes in the space time continuum.

The film pays homage to a number of established iconic movies such as Back to the Future, Star Wars, Casino, and generic Kung-Fu inspired action sequences. "Meet the Robinsons" also tackles a number to issues such as friendship, responsibility, integrity, and the importance of a family unit/parental figure in one's life.

It's a great movie and one that every family should take time out to see.

Want Meet the Robinsons (2007) Discount?

This movie is a wonderful family movie with great lessons about true friendship, forgiveness,adoption, restoration, and family. But not only that it is full of clever and witty dialogue to keep the parents entertained while the colorful images and special effects keep the kids entertained. This bluray version is just as good as the film original if not better. The 1080p factor brings this film to a 3-d likeness. This is a must own if you love disney and hi-def entertainment. Dont let anyone tell you otherwise.

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