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Meet the Robinsons
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Steve Anderson
Produced by	Dorothy McKim John Lasseter
Written by	Jon A. Bernstein Michelle Spritz Nathan Greno Book William Joyce
Starring	Jordan Fry Harland Williams Tom Kenny Steve Anderson Angela Bassett Laurie Metcalf Adam West Tom Selleck Nicole Sullivan
Music by	Danny Elfman
Editing by	Ellen Keneshea
Studio	Walt Disney Pictures
Distributed by	Buena Vista
Release date(s)	March 23, 2007 (2007-03-23) (United Kingdom) March 30, 2007 (2007-03-30)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Gross revenue	$169,333,034

Meet the Robinsons is a 2007 American computer-animated family film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released on March 30, 2007. The forty-seventh animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, the film was released in both the United States and the United Kingdom in standard and Disney Digital 3-D versions in the United States. Its standard version in the UK on March 30, 2007. The film is based on the book A Day with Wilbur Robinson, by William Joyce. The film originally had the same title as the book. The voice cast includes Jordan Fry, Harland Williams, Tom Kenny, Steve Anderson, Laurie Metcalf, Adam West, Tom Selleck & Angela Bassett. It was released on DVD-Video and Blu-ray on October 23, 2007.^[1]

Plot

Lewis (Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry), is an aspiring young inventor who is an orphan because his mother abandoned him when he was a baby. He has yet to be adopted and fears that he never will be. Convinced that his birth mother will want him, he attempts to invent a memory-scanning machine in the hopes that he can find her. However, Lewis's roommate Mike Yagoobian (Goob) is beat by his baseball match teams for failing the match, for Goob slept in the important baseball match, for he had to stay all last night because of Lewis whi was inventing memory-scanning machine.

At Lewis' school science fair, Lewis is approached by a mysterious boy named Wilbur Robinson (Wesley Singerman), who claims to be a "time cop" from the future and that a man wearing a bowler hat has stolen a time machine that Wilbur wishes to recapture. The sinister 'Bowler Hat Guy' (Stephen Anderson), sends Doris (Ethan Sandler), his robotic bowler hat with mechanical arms, to sabotage Lewis' memory-scanner. As Lewis begins demonstrating the use of his machine, it explodes, throwing the science fair into chaos. Lewis runs out, and the Bowler Hat Guy steals his unattended memory scanner. Wilbur tells Lewis to go back to the science fair and fix the machine. To prove suspicious Lewis that he is from the future, Wilbur takes him to a flying time machine to take them to year 2037, thirty years forward.

While giving Lewis a tour of the fantastical world of the future, Lewis realizes he can use the time machine to go back and see his mother. Wilbur insists he go back to fix the memory scanner, and while arguing, they crash the time machine. Wilbur asks Lewis to fix it, and Lewis agrees under the condition that Wilbur take him back to visit his mother afterwards. Wilbur tries to hide Lewis in the garage of his house, but Lewis meets Wilbur's grandfather, Bud (Steve Anderson). Bud takes Lewis on a tour of the house, during which Lewis meets the rest of the fun-loving and overly-eccentric Robinson family. Wilbur explains that his father, Cornelius, the only member of the Robinson family that Lewis did not meet, invented several of the futuristic inventions earlier seen, coining the motto "Keep moving forward".

Meanwhile, Bowler Hat Guy and Doris follow Wilbur and Lewis to the future and attempt to kidnap Lewis so he can show them how his memory scanner works. Meanwhile The Robinsons offer to adopt Lewis but change their mind when they discover that he's from the past. Lewis runs away in misery after finding out Wilbur lied to him about going back to see his mom, and encounters the Bowler Hat Guy, who lures him into his time machine by promising to bring him to his mother.

At an abandoned orphanage, the Bowler Hat Guy reveals himself as an aged and deeply embittered Mike Yagoobian (Goob). He also reveals that Lewis is Cornelius Robinson, making Wilbur his son and the Robinsons his family. He tells Lewis that he is to be blamed for a miserable life of Goob. He later met DOR-15 (Doris), a failed and abandoned invention of Cornelius'. They co-operate to steal the time machine and plotted to use it to capture and plagiarize Lewis' first famous invention, to ruin Lewis's career as an inventor.

Goob and Doris prepare to present the stolen invention to a corporation in Lewis' time. Wilbur and his robot Carl (Harland Williams) save Lewis and escape, but Doris destroys Carl. The scenery around Lewis and Wilbur (still in the future) darkens, and Wilbur vanishes into oblivion as history is being rewritten. Lewis enters the derelict house and discovers the memory-scanner in the garage. Viewing its records, he discovers that after mass-producing the memory-scanner, Goob also mass-produces Doris, whereupon the multitude of robotic hats took control of their wearers, something Goob hadn't planned. The Robinsons' utopian future is replaced by a Doris-controlled, smog-darkened industrial empire, with mankind reduced to slaves.

Pursued by an army of DOR-15 hats, Lewis manages to repair the time machine and uses it to go to the precise moment and location whereat Goob signs the contract at InventCo. Lewis causes Doris to disappear into oblivion by promising that he will never invent her. Lewis then shows Goob the bleak future Doris would have created, which is transformed before their eyes back into the Utopian future. After they land near the Robinson house, Wilbur is brought back into existence. Lewis gets Wilbur to offer for the Robinsons to adopt Goob (after he hit Goob with karate), but Goob, ashamed of what he has done, hides and then walks off uncertain of what to do.

Cornelius (Tom Selleck) appears back from his business trip and meets his younger self. Wilbur fulfills his promise to Lewis by visiting the moment at which his mother abandoned him. Lewis nearly interrupts her from leaving the infant "him", but stops, choosing his Robinson future over a childhood with his mother.

Finally, Lewis returns to his own time and prevents Goob from becoming the Bowler Hat Guy by waking him up in time to catch the ball that wins him the game. Lewis then returns to the science fair and demonstrates his memory scanner on the science fair judge, Dr. Krunkelhorn (Laurie Metcalf), revealing that she is Wilbur's grandmother, Lucille. Lewis also meets a young Franny. Bud and Lucille adopt Lewis, who name him Cornelius and sets to work building Carl in an observatory bought by Bud and Lucile which one day becomes the Robinson house. Just before Lewis/Cornelius drives off with Bud and Lucille, he turns around and waves at Goob, who is also leaving the orphanage with his own new family. Bud and Lucille move into the house Lewis saw further in time where he continues his inventing, fulfilling his future.

Production

As the fusion between Disney and Pixar occurred during the production of the film, John Lasseter became the chief creative officer for the Walt Disney Company. When he saw an early screening for the movie, he told the director Stephen Anderson that he didn't find the villain scary or threatening enough, and suggested that he make some changes.

Ten months later, almost 60% of the movie had been scrapped and redone. The villain had improved and was given a new sidekick, a dinosaur chase had been added, and the ending was changed.^[2]

Reception

The film received generally favorable reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 66% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 132 reviews.^[3] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 61 out of 100, based on 27 reviews.^[4]

Realmovienews stated that it has "a snappy plot that demands close attention as it whizzes back and forth in the space-time continuum, touching on serious ideas and proposing some rather disturbing alternate realities. And the witty story twists are handled with rare subtlety and intelligence. In the end it may get a little weepy and inspirational. But it's so charming that we don't mind at all".^[5] Danny Minton of the Beaumont Journal said that "The Robinsons might not be a family you want to hang out with, but they sure were fun to meet in this imaginative and beautiful 3-D experience".^[6] Andrew L. Urban of Australian Urban Cinefile said that "Walt Disney stood for fantasy on screen and this is a loving tribute to his legacy".^[7] Kyle Smith of the New York Post named it the 10th best film of 2007.^[8]

Conversely, A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: "Meet the Robinsons is surely one of the worst theatrically released animated features issued under the Disney label in quite some time",^[9] while Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "C" and said "This is one bumpy ride".^[10]

The film grossed $25,123,781 on its opening weekend, falling behind Blades of Glory. Over its theatrical run, it grossed $97,822,171 in the United States and Canada and $71,510,863 in other territories, totaling $169,333,034 worldwide.

Disney Digital 3-D

Over 600 REAL D Cinema digital 3D-equipped theaters presented the stereoscopic third-dimensional version of the film.^[11] The 3D version is preceded by the 1953 Chip 'n Dale 3D short Working for Peanuts.^[12] The final credits of the 3D version were left two-dimensional, except for the names of those who converted the film to 3D.

In late 2005, Disney released Chicken Little in the same process, but in only 84 theaters.^[11] According to the trade figures discussed on line and in the press, that film earned nearly three times as much per screen as the standard release and encouraged Disney to release the new film on a larger scale.

Cast

• Daniel Hansen as Young Lewis
• Jordan Fry as Young Lewis (voice double)
• Wesley Singerman as Wilbur Robinson
• Steve Anderson as Bowlerhat Guy, Grandpa Bud, Cousin Tallulah
• Nicole Sullivan as Franny Robinson
• Harland Williams as Carl
• Angela Bassett as Mildred
• Matthew Josten as Michael "Goob" Yagoobian
• Laurie Metcalf as Lucille Krunklehorn
• Ethan Sandler as DOR-15 (Doris), Uncle Fritz, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Dimitri, Uncle Spike, Cousin Laszlo, CEO of InventCo
• Don Hall as Uncle Gaston, Gym Coach
• Kelly Hoover as Aunt Billie
• Adam West as Uncle Art
• Tom Kenny as Mr. Willerstein
• Tracey Miller-Zarneke as Lizzy
• Joe Mateo as Tiny
• Aurian Redson as Frankie the Frog
• Jamie Cullum as Frankie the Frog (singing voice)
• Jessie Flower as Young Franny
• Tom Selleck as Cornelius Robinson
• Paul Butcher as Stanley
• Dara McGarry as InventCo Receptionist, Mrs. Harrington
• John H. H. Ford as Mr. Harrington
• Nathan Greno as Lefty

Other media

DVD & Blu-ray release

The DVD & Blu-ray Disc versions were both released on October 23, 2007. Both versions feature 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, plus music videos, the "Family Function 5000" game, deleted scenes, and other bonus features. The DVD's audio commentary contains Steve Anderson's narration, occasionally interrupted by himself as the Bowler Hat Guy. As of January, 2008 the DVD had sold approximately 4,000,000 copies.[1] The Blu-ray also includes uncompressed 5.1 audio and a BD-J game, "Bowler Hat Barrage!". You can see more details on the releases here for DVD[2] and Blu-ray[3]. The UK release was in September, and became number one in the DVD charts. Although the Blu-Ray features on the site said that it features a 5.1 Effects-Only Audio track, it is also on the DVD, unexpectedly to many people who buy the DVD.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album was released by Walt Disney Records on March 27, 2007. Contributors to the album beyond the Danny Elfman score include Jonas Brothers, Rufus Wainwright, Rob Thomas, Jamie Cullum, The All-American Rejects, and They Might Be Giants. The Track "Little Wonders", recorded by Rob Thomas, has reached #5 on the Billboard AC chart. Although the song "This Much Fun" by Cowboy Mouth was featured in the trailer, it wasn't in the movie or included on the soundtrack.

Video game

Disney's Meet the Robinsons is available from Buena Vista Games for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, and PC. The independent England-based company Climax Group developed their own adaption for the Gameboy Advance. Nintendo created a version of the movie for Gameboy Advance Video.

Buena Vista Games Version

Storyline

The game begins with Wilbur doing some time-traveling of his own, risking both his safety and the time stream in the process. Despite his father's warning not to mess with the time machine while he's away on a business trip, Wilbur doesn't seem fazed. Soon, the second time machine is stolen by the Bowler Hat Guy and Wilbur ends up following him into the past. It is here where Wilbur accidentally knocks down Stanley and Lizzie, disrupting the time stream in the process. With their projects ruined and their dreams crushed, an alternate future develops.

Carl immediately calls Wilbur back to the future, realizing that their world is now under the dangerous control of Emperor Stanley and Queen Lizzie. It is up to Wilbur to fix the time stream before he can go back to pursue the Bowler Hat Guy, events which lead straight-up to Wilbur's entrance in the movie.

Gameplay

The game follows Wilbur through 40 missions and 6 different locales, a few of which are revisited in the movie. Secret Blueprints allow the player to "build" different Cheats and Extras, using Cornelius Robinson's Transmogrifier. This machine creates items using Base Components which Wilbur collects during his adventure. A Breakout (arcade game) like game called Chargeball is both featured in the game itself and as an extra gameplay option. Different Chargeball "maps" can be found throughout game and it is up to Wilbur to become the Chargeball champion.

Original actors such as Wesley Singerman, Harland Williams, Adam West, Nicole Sullivan, and Stephen Anderson reprise their roles for the Robinson family, while Daniel Hansen (Lewis) doesn't appear in the game at all.

Climax Group Version

Storyline

After Lewis returns to the past and prepares for his new life, Wilbur arrives back home only to find that his house has been invaded by several hundred Mini-Doris'. He learns that Mini-Doris, which Frannie's Frogs originally captured, has made its way to Robinson Industries to begin cloning herself. Wilbur travels back into the past in the hopes that Lewis will be able to help him again; an offer which Lewis is at first reluctant to take.

Gameplay

Exclusively developed for the Gameboy Advance, the Climax Entertainment game features a completely different storyline and uses a mix of side-scrolling, top-view, and flying levels (for the Time Machine) throughout. Both Wilbur and Lewis are able to create and activate several different inventions by finding invention pieces throughout the levels. In addition, InventCo Egg-Timers and Gift Boxes are hidden throughout; collecting enough of these will unlock special "Goodies" on the main menu. In addition, a "Battery" meter serves as both a life gauge and a power gauge for the many different inventions.

The events of the game take place immediately after the movie, rather than before like in the Buena Vista Games version. This is also the only Meet the Robinsons game which features Lewis as a main playable character. Due to the limitations of the Gameboy Advance, no voice-acting is featured.

See also

• Disney Digital 3-D
• List of animated feature-length films
• List of computer-animated films

References

External links

• Official website
• Meet the Robinsons at the Internet Movie Database
• Meet the Robinsons at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Meet the Robinsons at Rotten Tomatoes
• Meet the Robinsons at Metacritic
• Meet the Robinsons at Box Office Mojo
• Meet the Robinsons at Allmovie
• Review at Variety.com

From Wikiquote

Meet the Robinsons is a 2007 computer-animated family film produced by Walt Disney Pictures about a young boy named Lewis, who is very smart and invents things but does not have any family, even though he wants one. Then one day, Lewis' world was changed when a boy called Wilbur, who has a time-machine, takes Lewis on a trip to the future to meet Wilbur's family - The Robinsons.

Lewis

• This isn't a badge! This is a coupon to a tanning salon! You're a fake!

• You just need to let go of the past...and keep moving forward.

• Would you quit that, please?! I know you're not a pigeon!

• Well, that was unexpected. As was that.

• Are you saying that I'm Wilbur's dad?

• Remember I'm your Father you have to do what i say

Wilbur

• Dude, I can't take you seriously in that hat.

• I am so dead! I'm not allowed to even look at this thing, let alone drive it! Mom and Dad are going to kill me! And I can tell you this: It will not be done with mercy!

• I never thought my dad...would be my best friend.

• They'll bury me alive and dance on my grave! I'm not exaggerating! Well... yes, I am, but that's not the point! The point is, your hair is a dead giveaway.

• That is an excellent question.

Franny

• Mister, you are grounded 'till you die.

• Perfect timing! We need someone on maracas!

• Just a little tip for the future: I am always right. Even when I'm wrong, I'm right.

Michael Yagoobian (Bowler Hat Guy)

• Oh look, a mini-Doris! I didn't know you could do that! It's so cute!

• I know! I'll turn him into a duck! Yes, yes, it's so evil! (pause) Wait...I don't know how to do that, and I...I don't really need a duck.

• Shut up! And don't call me Goob! How many evil villians do you know who can pull off a name like Goob?

Dialogue

Bowler Hat Guy: Ahhh, yes! You are now under my control!

Frankie: I am now under your control.

(Bowler Hat Guy laughs and Frankie does monotone laughing)

Bowler Hat Guy: Stop laughing.

Frankie: Stop laughing.

Bowler Hat Guy: Don't repeat everything I say!

Frankie: I won't repeat everything you say.

Bowler Hat Guy: Excellent.

Frankie: Excellent.

Bowler Hat Guy: Uh. Did you just say excellent because I said excellent?

Frankie: Uh. No.

Bowler Hat Guy: Excellent.

Frankie: Excellent.

Lewis: Why is your dog wearing glasses?

Grandpa Bud: Oh, because his insurance won't pay for contacts.

Bowler Hat Guy: What's going on? Why aren't you seizing the boy?!

Dinosaur: (in dinosaur language) I have a big head, and little arms! I'm just not sure how well this plan was thought through. Master?

Dr. Krunklehorn: I haven't slept in eight days!

Teacher: Well can I offer you a cot?

Dr. Krunklehorn: Nope! I've got the caffeine patch! I invented it myself. One patch is the equivalent to twelve cups of coffee. You can stay awake for DAYS with no side effects! AH!! Sorry.

Lewis:...Fritz is married to Petunia...and is she...?

Wilbur: Cranky? Yes.

Lewis: ...Spike and Dimitri are twins, and I don't know who they're related to.

Wilbur: Neither do we. Go on...

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. - Walt Disney"

Dr. Krunklehorn: Oh, wrap him up! I'll take two!

Mildred: Poor Mr. Harrington...

Lewis: I killed him?!

Mildred: No, no! You didn't kill him. He's perfectly fine.

Tallulah: Laszlo, you stop painting my hat, or I'm telling Ma!

Laszlo: Ah, lighten up, sis!

Tallulah: Lasz, I mean it!

Uncle Fritz: Children, please! Your mother's trying to take a nap!

Aunt Petunia: WHAT IS ALL THE YELLING OUT HERE?!

Tallulah and Laszlo: HE/SHE STARTED IT!

Aunt Petunia: I don't want to hear ANY MORE!

Uncle Fritz: Now, sweetie...

Aunt Petunia: DON'T YOU SWEETIE ME! I'm going for a drive!

[sound of a car roaring away]

Grandpa Bud: That's strange. She usually takes the Harley.

Grandpa Bud: I think my wife Lucille's baking cookies! Bake them cookies, Lucille!

Gaston: And so it begins...Ready, aim, fire!

Franny: Ha! Surely that is not the best you can do! (sound doesn't match her lips, like a poorly dubbed martial arts movie)

Gaston: Impressive, little sister. Your skills are strong, but not strong enough!

Franny: Your words do not threaten me, brother.

Gaston: Then enough words. Now the real battle begins.

Franny:Your meatballs are useless against me.

Gaston: Then perhaps it's time for spicy Italian sausage!

Franny: No!

Lewis: My project didn't work because I'm no good! There is no Bowler Hat Guy, there is no time machine, and you're not from the future! You're crazy!

Wilbur: Whoa ho! I am not crazy!

Lewis: Oh yeah, Captain Time Travel? Prove it.

Wilbur: Ah...um.

Lewis: Yeah. that's what I thought. I'll just go lock myself in my room and hide under the covers for a couple of years.

Wilbur: If I prove to you I'm from the future, will you go back to the Science Fair?

Lewis:Yeah, sure; whatever you say. Hey, where are we going? What are you doing? Let go of me!

Wilbur: Okay.

Wilbur: Pop quiz. Who've you met, and what have you learned?

Lewis: Okay, Bud, Fritz and Joe are brothers. Fritz is married to Petunia, and is she...?

Wilbur: Cranky? Yes.

Lewis: Tallulah and Lazslo are their children, Joe is married to Billie, Lefty is the butler, Spike and Dimitri are twins and I don't know who they're related to.

Wilbur: Neither do we. Go on.

Lewis: Bud is married to Lucille and Cornelius is their son. What does Cornelius look like?

Wilbur: (muses for a moment)Tom Selleck.

Lewis: Okay, Cornelius is married to Franny and her brothers are Gaston and Art.

Wilbur: You're forgetting something...

Lewis: Forgetting...? Oh, right. Wilbur is the son of Franny and Cornelius.

Wilbur: And no one realized that you were from the past?

Lewis: Nope.

Wilbur: Whew.

Lewis: Thank you, thank you, hold your applause, thank you very much.

External Links

Wikipedia has an article about:

Meet the Robinsons