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While other kids his age (like his roommate, Goob) are out playing baseball, Lewis spends his spare time on the roof of the orphanage where he was raised, inventing things. Some of his inventions actually work. Others…not so much. After a failed invention drives away yet another pair of prospective parents, twelve-year-old Lewis decides that what he really wants is to find his real mother—so he begins working on an invention that will scan his brain and show him what she looked like.
At the science fair, where he plans to unveil his invention, Lewis meets Wilbur Robinson, a boy who claims to be from the future. Wilbur warns him about a mysterious man in a bowler hat—and before Lewis can show his invention to the judges, the Bowler Hat Guy sabotages his project, making Lewis feel like a total failure. Wilbur tries to restore his confidence, but Lewis has a hard time believing that Wilbur is from the future—until Wilbur takes Lewis for a spin in his time machine.
Back in the future, Wilbur accidentally crashes the machine, and he begs Lewis to fix it for him—in the garage, where the rest of the family won’t find him. But when Lewis accidentally ends up in the middle of the Robinson home, he’s pleasantly surprised by the craziness that awaits. Wilbur, meanwhile, is afraid of what might happen if he doesn’t get the time machine fixed so he can get Lewis back to the science fair.
I’d been looking forward to seeing Meet the Robinsons for months. The trailers made me giggle uncontrollably (especially the part with the dinosaur and his little arms)—and I had a feeling that we’d finally seen the end of the recent string of bad kids’ movies. Once the movie started, though, it took a little while to convince me.
In the beginning, the story seems a little complex—and even a bit heavy. Then, once Lewis arrives in the future, it’s totally random and all over the place. But once I got into it, I was sold. I’ll admit that there’s a lot going on—and that some of that stuff has little to do with the actual story (like all of the crazy Robinsons, who are mostly just thrown in for fun). But that’s the point: it’s just fun. The characters are absolutely delightful—especially the wacky Robinsons, young Lewis (who reminds me of my brilliant blonde nephew), and his down-on-his-luck roommate, Goob. The story may not be rock-solid, but it’s cute—and it has a great message (it’s okay to make mistakes—just learn from them and keep moving forward). And there are all kinds of memorable lines that I find myself quoting repeatedly. I actually look forward to watching this one again—to pick up on some of the stuff I missed the first time around.
Meet the Robinsons isn’t a touching kids’ drama, nor is it over-the-top, laugh-till-you-cry silly. But it’s fast-paced enough to keep the kids happy, and there are plenty of grown-up references to keep Mom and Dad entertained, too—making it a fun night out for the whole family.
Blu-ray 3D Review:
Back in 2007, 3D movies were still a novelty—not the norm—so, at the time, Disney’s Meet the Robinsons was a pretty ground-breaking film. Four years later, 3D technology has definitely advanced—and, in 3D, the film sometimes seems just a bit simple. Of course, it still has plenty of fun 3D animation, which makes the wacky cast of characters jump out of the screen that much more—adding a whole new dimension to this action-packed time-travel adventure.
As with other Disney 3D releases, though, the Blu-ray 3D disc doesn’t come with any additional features. The release does, however, come with Blu-ray and DVD versions of the film—and if you pop one of the other discs into your player, you’ll find all of the extras listed below, along with an additional Blu-ray game.
DVD Review:
It may not be the most dazzling Disney film of the year, but Meet the Robinsons takes viewers on a fun ride through the future and leaves them with a great message—one that you’ll understand even more after watching the DVD’s special features.
The short feature, “Inventing the Robinsons,” not only explains how Meet the Robinsons went from William Joyce’s quirky storybook to an animated adventure, but it also tells the story through the eyes of director Stephen Anderson, who—as an adopted kid, just like Lewis—was able to give the story his own perspective.
Along with a few deleted scenes and the commentary track, the Meet the Robinsons DVD also includes two music videos (by Rob Thomas and Jonas Brothers). For younger viewers, there’s also a game and a short featurette, called “Keep Moving Forward,” which provides some interesting facts about some of the world’s greatest inventions.
While there aren’t a lot of features, they do exactly what they’re supposed to do—they enhance the overall experience. So if you didn’t catch Meet the Robinsons in theaters (or even if you did), be sure to check it out on DVD.
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