Meet the Robinsons (2007)
Genre: Animated Comedy
Format Viewed: Theatrical Release
Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.
Disney finally gets back on track and releases a movie worthy of its name!
Let me tell you, I’ve been waiting for this movie for a long time. That is, I’ve been waiting for the legend that is Disney Feature Animation to actually release a movie on its own that lives up to the expectations that so many of us have built for arguably one of the best storytellers of all time. And mind you, when I say that I’m talking strictly of all of the non-Pixar movies that Disney has created over the past fifteen years because by now you all know just how high of a pedestal that I hold Pixar to – in fact, I believe not too long ago I could even be quoted as saying that Pixar was the future of Disney Animation. Well, in comparison to Treasure Planet and Atlantis and so on and so forth, the Pixar films of those times certainly made Disney’s own brand of animation seem dry and old, but then along came Meet the Robinsons to prove that this company still knows a thing or two about making movies, even before the Pixar merger, and as far as I’m concerned, their future has never been brighter…
Point blank, this movie was amazing. At first I was mildly concerned that the characters might be just a little bit quirky – what with the bowler hat guy and all – but it didn’t take long before I was over that and suddenly I was reminded of what a real Disney film is all about. Meet the Robinsons has those hilarious scenes that just make you laugh uncontrollably, in fact almost to the point of falling out of my chair at the end of the great T-Rex chase! It has the heartfelt moment when all seems lost and you actually find yourself wondering if things are going to end up ok, and then of course, the triumphant culmination when all wrong becomes right and even the best of us find ourselves a bit weepy as that underlying message hits home. Just between you and me, it’s that last one that really seals the deal for a truly “great” movie with me – call me a softy if you must – and hands down, this one was definitely what I would call a great movie.
And mind you, to add even more to the affair, I actually had the pleasure of watching this not only in a digital theater, but in a digital theater in 3d! It really doesn’t get any cooler than that – the movie looked absolutely stunning and easily stands proudly alongside The Incredibles in my book as one of the best visually looking movies made in the last couple of years. The third dimension really added to the presentation without just being over the top and cheesy, too, which is something you’ve got to be kind of careful with because for some reason far too many directors aim for the silly bar when they’re “shooting” in 3d, making every other object one that damn near takes out an eye in the audience, so it was nice to see a show where the extra effects complimented the evening without being completely overbearing.
Also, one of the previews before the movie actually included an old Donald Duck cartoon from the 50’s that had been converted into sort of a mock 3d, which was pretty cool, too. It was the one where Donald is working at the zoo around the elephant and has to fend off Chip and Dale as they attempt to steal the elephant’s peanuts – a real classic of a cartoon, and kind of just a nice way to ease us into the idea that we’d all be wearing 3d glasses for the next hour and a half!
But the piece that finally drove it home for Meet the Robinsons in my eyes was simply the message – I like to think of myself as somewhat of a modern guy and both technically and creatively, what better advice is there to give than just “Keep moving forward”? I love it. One of my favorite scenes was where Lewis has a rather explosive accident at the dinner table with the Robinsons, quite similar to the one he had earlier at the orphanage, however instead of anyone getting angry about the mess, the whole family celebrates his mistake as merely a new opportunity to try again. In a way, whether it was intentional or not, this struck me as intriguing simply because I read it as Disney themselves admitting to not having created some of the most successful animations in their most recent years. Like I’ve said before, with Pixar off to the side Disney hasn’t exactly raised the bar with the flicks they’ve put out lately, but this film sort of brought it all full circle for me because to me, it was like saying, “Being successful isn’t easy and we’re not always going to be perfect, but we will always try to learn from those mistakes and keep on trying because it’s what we do.”
It may have taken looking back at their roots, but really, who has more inspiring roots than the Walt Disney Company? I admit wholeheartedly that I felt that little tingle down my spine as Walt’s quote flashed up on the screen just before the credits, and it made me feel good to know that they’re back on the right track again.
Very, very good…
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