Robots (2005)

Robots is a 2005 animated movie by Blue Sky Studios, about a young inventor who wants to meet his idol and build a career to support his family. Boasting a great cast of voice actors including Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Robin Williams, Paul Ciamatti, Amanda Bynes and Jennifer Coolidge, it was released to mixed reviews and never gained the traction that its predecessor Ice Age did.

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This film has always been one of my favourites since I was a kid, and it’s only in recent years that I’ve reconnected with it after I played my childhood copy so many times it was scratched to oblivion. I never realised just how brilliant it is, because I was too young to grasp alot of the concepts within the film, but little me still really felt the sense of justice the characters achieve when they triumph at the end of the movie.

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It begins with some shots of Rivet Town, which is so beautifully illustrated, imagining what a place populated by robots might look like. Herb and Lydia Copperbottom are expecting their first child, and the viewer is taken by surprise when the baby arrives in a box. This is only the beginning of the ingenuity of this film, as true to robotic lore babies in this universe have to be built and slowly upgraded towards adulthood.

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As their son Rodney Copperbottom grows up, he gets used to wearing hand-me-downs and we start to see a class analysis appear that will thread itself throughout the rest of the film. Not all robots can afford new parts, and those that resort to using secondhand pieces are treated as discardable. This is also rooted in an analysis of ableism, as robots who aren’t fit to work are also viewed as worthless.

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Every night Rodney and his dad sit down to watch their favourite TV show, as famous inventor Bigweld gives a tour of his factory and beckons new visionaries to bring their creations and follow their dreams. Rodney quickly gets to work crafting his ‘Wonderbot’, a flying sentient contraption made from a coffee flask. He uses his new invention to help at his Dad’s dishwashing job, but this only causes damage and gets them in alot of trouble.

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Dismayed, he flees to the train station, vowing to leave his life behind and move to Robot City where he can pursue his passions and help his father repay his boss. His mother tries to persuade him to stay, but his father encourages him to go and he embarks on the journey of a lifetime, meeting Fender Pinwheeler along the way.

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The whole sequence as he travels to Robot City is one of my all-time favourite cinematic experiences, as a number of mechanic constructions are involved to move him along, as he’s catapulted through a cityscape towards Bigweld Industries.

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Upon arriving at the gate, he’s denied entrance by puppet gatekeeper Tim, who is unbearingly smug and informs Rodney Bigweld isn’t accepting new apprentices. Wanting to see this for himself, he flies up to the corporate offices holding on to Wonderbot, only to see a meeting being held, headed by Phineas T. Ratchet who has stolen the company from under Bigweld’s feet.

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Rodney is promptly removed from the building and is hilariously barraged by metal objects, magnetised after being extracted by one. He bumps in to Fender again, who introduces Rodney to his chosen family of robots known as the ‘Rusties’ because they’re outcasts who can no longer find the parts needed to repair themselves.

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He goes home with them to the house they live in with Aunt Fanny, a curvy bot who acts as a motherly figure. He soon adjusts to his new life, sharing a bedroom with Fender, and his first night ends with a hilarious scene where they all try to do the best arm fart, though Aunt Fanny gets the wrong idea and fumigates the street with a real blast.

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A little earlier, Fender’s neck got damaged and the shop that used to sell his replacement parts is now favouring the ‘upgrades’ being pushed by Rachet and his mother who runs the Chop Shop where scrap metal is recycled. Rodney offers to repair Fender himself, and soon the whole neighbourhood gets word of this and runs to him for help. I really love this part of the movie because it’s so rooted in community and looking after each other.

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Realising this is only a temporary band-aid without the necessary parts being made, Rodney and his friends set out to find Bigweld and restore the way things used to be. They manage to sneak into the Bigweld Ball, hoping its creator will appear, using disguises at the door in another amusing exchange with Tim. This doesn’t work for long, but Rodney has the chance to confront Rachet and he’s helped by an executive called Cappy who is also displeased with the new management.

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Cappy takes Rodney to Bigweld’s home, hoping he’ll be there. After setting a domino maze into motion, Bigweld appears and reveals he’s still been inventing, even though he’s become a recluse since leaving his own business out of disgust for the greed Ratchet is displaying. He refuses to budge and Rodney walks away, giving up hope and resigning himself to going home after he learns his Dad wont be able to be repaired much longer.

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Bigweld surprises them at the train station, revealing Rodney has lit a spark in him again, and they both go to Bigweld Industries to challenge Phineas again, though this ends in another unsuccessful attempt as Bigweld is injured in the process. A chase ensues, as Rodney attempts to repair him while Ratchet tries to whisk them off to the Chop Shop.

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This reaches the crescendo of the film, as Rodney and his new friends prepare for battle. He fixes them with some upgrades to make them stronger fighters, before going to the Chop Shop and becoming completely outnumbered. Ratchet’s mother Madame Gasket thinks they’ve got the upper hand, until a wall panel falls and Fender’s sister Piper stands triumphant with a whole army she’s assembled.

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An epic fight scene ensues, as each character works together to take down Ratchet and Gasket forever. Wonderbot himself faces up to the latter, overcoming his fears to help throw her into the furnace alongside her son. The movie closes as Rodney visits his hometown with Bigweld and his friends, revealing that people will soon be able to get their replacement parts again. He hands his Dad a saxophone, as he’d always dreamed of being a musician, and he plays while everyone dances and celebrates a new beginning.

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It’s hard to think of another animated movie that presents so much political analysis in a way that’s accessible to kids. Beyond the systems of oppression mentioned, at its core Robots is a critique of capitalism and the disposable culture we live in. Rather than repairing our devices, we’re sold a new phone every few years in order to make companies richer. Not only does Robots teach us to embrace who we are, but encourages us to repair and reuse what we’ve got, rather than getting swept up by consumerism.

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The special features is crammed with bonus content, including previews of Ice Age 2, games, character profiles, a music video for Sarah Connor’s ‘From Zero To Hero’ which featured as the European theme song for the film, a look at the voices behind the characters and deleted scenes, some which never got past the sketching stage. I think all the decisions made were correct, as many of the scenes cut don’t add much to the narrative.