Robots *** (2005, voices of Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Ewan McGregor, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks) – Classic Movie Review 1587

Directors Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha, the makers of Ice Age (2002), come up with another dazzlingly inventive and witty CGI animation in 2005.

Robin Williams voices the nutty robot Fender, who, with cute Cappy (Halle Berry), helps young inventor Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) stop a corporate baddie Rachet (Greg Kinnear) and prevent a demonic mother, Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent!), hurling antique robots into a fiery furnace.

Though there’s a surprising shortage of gags (you want all lines to be like ‘it’s a mix of jazz and funk – called junk’) and robots aren’t ideal cartoon characters since their faces can’t change expression, it looks a treat, the voice cast gives suitably mechanical performances and it’s still wizard fun!

The impressive IMAX version is shown at London’s BFI IMAX cinema.

The story is by Ron Mita and Jim McClain, as well as David Lindsay-Abaire, who wrote the screenplay with Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel.

Other voices are provided by Mel Brooks, Amanda Bynes, Lucille Bliss, Terry Bradshaw, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge, Dylan Denton, Will Denton, Paul Giamatti, Lowell Ganz, Dan Hedaya, Jackie Hoffman, James Earl Jones, Jay Leno, Natasha Lyonne, Brian McFadden, Tim Nordquist, Stephen Tobolowski, Dianne Wiest, Stanley Tucci, Chris Wedge and Harland Williams. It’s quite a voice cast!

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1587

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