Meet the Robinsons

[jeremy88]

Saw MTR yesterday. It was pretty good, I enjoyed it.

3.5/5

[akhenaten]

it looks like my baby is still holding good this week! oh yeah! i pray it will reach $115 mil

[Loomis]

Been a while since I posted 'up top' here in the General Discussion section, but I saw Meet the Robinsons 3D over the weekend.

For me, this was a bit of a return to form. I think this statement needs to be qualified though. This isn't to take anything away from the terrific Chicken Little, a film I will defend despite the many criticisms I have read over the last year or so. What I mean by a 'return to form' is that it felt like Disney of old with new technology used to tell the story. The tribute to Walt at the end of the film, coupled with the Chip 'n' Dale short screened at the start of the session, felt like fitting bookends for this holistic view of Disney.

The short review is that is film is fun. For ever moment of sentimentality and tweeness, and there were a couple (especially on the soundtrack), there is a non-stop barrage of visual and verbal humour that is reminiscent of recent animated prime-time shows. Regardless of any other failings, this alone would keep most people in their seats giggling for the duration of the film.

The character and background design was absolutely wondeful too. The retro-futuristic look was in keeping with the sentiment I discussed above, and who couldn't help themselves but go "Awwww" over Goob's design. Similarly, Bowler Hat Guy's twiggy and twisted - and completely inept - character hits all the right notes.

Also - Best. Use. Of. Tom. Selleck. Photo. Ever.

The use of 3D in the screening I saw was interesting. Aside from a few tricks at the start, the effect was underplayed. Nowhere near as impressive as the work done in Disney's theme parks - which I should add got a few none-too-subtle plugs in the film - but it still resulted in an exceptionally clear picture and visual experience.

So the film, like the story itself, was a view to the future with the past firmly still in mind. Lots of fun, and highly recommended. If 3D is the future of animation, this gives me hope. I'd give it a solid ***.

[TheNikki]

I finally got to see this film today and I must say that I firmly believe it was better than any of the Pixar films and that's pretty tough coming from me seeing as I'm a *huge* Pixar fan.

The overall look of the film was so beautiful and my favorite visual was when they first flew over the city, it was breathtaking and made me long to see the film in 3D.

I fell in love with the characters and felt such a connection with these people. I especially felt the pull towards Louis and the relationship between him and Wilbur. The scene where Wilbur admits he never thought he could be friends with his father was touching.

I figured going into the film that there was some connection between them in the future and Louis but I was leaning more towards him turning out to be the Bowler Hat Guy for some reason. Then I was thinking he would turn out to be Grandpa, but I starting thinking he was the father when we still hadn't seen the man by the middle of the movie. I also thought that the mother was going to turn out to be the creepy girl with the fire ants from present time. I didn't even think about the frog connection.

I think the whole movie flowed well, even the middle. Honestly the whole movie felt like it went by too fast for me, I wanted more and that's a good sign that it was a good movie I think. I cannot wait for the DVD because I know it's one I'm going to watch over and over.

I think being the third week and it's still in the top three films at the box office shows a good sign that it's got legs. I think it's going to end up being the sleeper hit of the season and Disney will be proud of this film. If the following movies can be this good then I'm happy with Disney.

[goofystitch]

After it's third weekend in release, MTR is estimated to have brought in around $12 million bringing total domestic box office revenue to a decent $72 million so far. Looks like it will pass the $100 million domestic mark Disney was hoping for. And overseas, it has earned $25 million. I don't know how many countries it has been released in, but it's probably not everywhere yet, so that also seems pretty decent.

[slave2moonlight]

Well, I saw this one and I gotta say, it's a vast improvement on some of the more recent Disney stuff I've seen (or heard about, as I need to catch up on some of the MOST recent stuff). I loved everything EXCEPT the part where you actually MEET the Robinsons. The whole thing about them supposedly being so weird that it's funny,... well, to me they just seemed weird, period. Not really funny weird, just weird. HOWEVER, I thought everything else about the movie was great and give it a thumbs up, ha.

[TM2-Megatron]

I figured going into the film that there was some connection between them in the future and Louis but I was leaning more towards him turning out to be the Bowler Hat Guy for some reason. Then I was thinking he would turn out to be Grandpa, but I starting thinking he was the father when we still hadn't seen the man by the middle of the movie.

I think I figured out who Bowler Hat Guy was during the scene when he was advising Goob to let his anger and hatred fester, etc. ,etc. lol.

I also thought that the mother was going to turn out to be the creepy girl with the fire ants from present time. I didn't even think about the frog connection.

What's funny is Wilbur didn't even seem to realize who she was in the past, since he referred to her as "annoying little girl".

[akhenaten]

after seeing this movie for the 9th time, i can now finally confirm a hidden trivia!

the items in the vault where dor-15 is being put away are not toy story characters but instead characters from the scrapped film Angel and her no good sister (or is it A few Good Ghosts?)! look at the middle part of that shot and u can see the lincolnish guy on the left, a monkey behind doris and the small native american kid behind it, in the containers! don't trust me? go see for urself!

[TM2-Megatron]

after seeing this movie for the 9th time, i can now finally confirm a hidden trivia!

The 9th time? Wow, you're really doing your part to raise the box office figures

I've seen it twice so far... and wouldn't mind seeing it once more before its theatre run is finished; but probably only if I can find someone who hasn't seen it yet to go with.

I'm really looking forward to picking this one up on DVD... it'll be the first new animated classic from Disney I've bought for quite a while. It's a pity that the DVD release won't be able to have this 3-D technology on it... but even without that, it still has a great story.

[akhenaten]

... but probably only if I can find someone who hasn't seen it yet to go with.

well compare the $72 million it makes to lion king's $313 million, im sure there are many more out there who hasnt...so ull have plenty ppl to invite! hehe today's audienece was booooooooooringggggggggg. n they cut the mickey short in front. i brought my three frens. one have seen it once bfr n he cried worse this time around. they all asked me for the rufus wainwright n rob thomas songs after that.. also ive set 'another believer' as my caller ringtone

[TM2-Megatron]

well compare the $72 million it makes to lion king's $313 million

Yeah, it's unfortunate that it hasn't taken in more... particularly considering the fact that this is the first truly great Animated Classic that's come out of Disney since The Lion King (not counting Fantasia 2000)

Most of it's probably due to Disney's record over the last decade of turning out one mediocre flick after another, a lot of people have just given up going to them at all. That, combined with the poor marketing campaign for Meet the Robinsons that seemed to focus most on the Dinosaur and caffeine patch as opposed to the actual story.

[Wonderlicious]

After finally seeing it (not in 3D though ), I have to say that I think Disney storytelling in animation is recovering from years of coporate interference. The story was engaging and there was not a moment of boredom, really. The character development was good as well, and for the most part, the film had a relatively timeless feel to it (despite the whole "future" theme) as opposed to many recent animated films. The art direction and colours were lovely. I think the animation of the human characters could have been a bit better, but considering what Rapunzel may turn out to be, it looks like we've got some treats.

This was far better than the horse manure that was Chicken Little. 9/10

By the way, a question about the opening logos...does the US version have both the castle logo and the Mickey logo at the beginning like the UK version?

[akhenaten]

Yeah, it's unfortunate that it hasn't taken in more... particularly considering the fact that this is the first truly great Animated Classic that's come out of Disney since The Lion King (not counting Fantasia 2000)

Most of it's probably due to Disney's record over the last decade of turning out one mediocre flick after another, a lot of people have just given up going to them at all. That, combined with the poor marketing campaign for Meet the Robinsons that seemed to focus most on the Dinosaur and caffeine patch as opposed to the actual story.

heyyy pocahontas is GREAT!!! and so are the next 4 films. and the last disney movie to reach event status was..i believe hercules. that was the very last of it. yes..most ppl i asked kept saying "they don't make it like they used to" so i feel sorry for them.thats why ive been campaigning through word of mouth like mad for this movie. looking back at emperor's new groove to home on the range, u can somehow smell eisner's stench. i feel sorry for those films. they had what it takes to be superb. but i still love them just not as much.

i truly cant wait for rapunzel. and when every little girls and moms and dads and young adults stake their claim of love for that movie, thats when i will tell them "i told u so!"

[SpringHeelJack]

By the way, a question about the opening logos...does the US version have both the castle logo and the Mickey logo at the beginning like the UK version?

Yes. The castle logo is for all films released under the Disney banner, and the Mickey one is for just the animated ones.

[SpringHeelJack]

and the last disney movie to reach event status was..i believe hercules. that was the very last of it. yes.

I would argue that "Tarzan" was, if mostly because of the box office intake, and it happened like right at the brink where Disney movies featured less of the traditional formula.

[akhenaten]

yea tarzan made money but somehow the media tends to overlook its success in the disney history. wonder why. to me its one of those movies that hit big but doesnt live a lasting impression on people. or is it because its being overplayed on disney channel? the public unanimously love lilo and stitch and i hope the same will happen for robinsons, perhaps even more. im worried when shrek 3rd comes out and ratatouille too, it will be forgotten.

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

Most of it's probably due to Disney's record over the last decade of turning out one mediocre flick after another, a lot of people have just given up going to them at all. That, combined with the poor marketing campaign for Meet the Robinsons that seemed to focus most on the Dinosaur and caffeine patch as opposed to the actual story.

Certainly that couldn't be it. Considering that people such as Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell have zero talent and have released tons of below mediocre films, it doesn't stop people from seeing films such as Norbit* or Blades of Glory.

As far as the advertisement campaign goes, I really don't think we can blame that. I actually believe it's one of Disney's better marketed films to date as the audience reaction has been very positive everytime I went to a theater. Besides, most of Pixar's teaser trailers are very lame and unfunny, but people still go see them.

I am actually believeing the real reason MTR is underperforming in addition to the March release date is that people have grown tired of CG animated films. Now that doesn't mean people are liking traditional animation more, people are just lacking interest in all animated films in general, or at least, enough to make them not see it in the theaters. I'm actually predicting both "Shrek the Third" and "Ratatouille" will also both underperform at the box office. Not a successful year for feature animation for anyone this year.

*Well, while Meet the Robinsons looks like it will gross more than Norbit(thank God), at this point, I have to say Blades of Glory will more than likely beat MTR at the box office.

[MadonnasManOne]

Those of you putting this film in the catagory of a great Animated Classic for Disney, must see something in it that I don't.

I just came home from seeing it in Disney Digital 3-D. First, the audience was nothing. Me, my friend, and a couple. That's it! 4 people watching this film.

Seeing the Ratatouille trailer in digital projection was awesome. That looks like it's going to be a great film. I can't wait to see it. I also plan to see The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3-D, when that rolls around.

Working For Peanuts was cute, and I really enjoyed watching it.

Now to the movie. It started out well. I didn't like the design of some of the characters, but, that's beside the point. It started with an emotional flair, and I thought, "Finally, I might actually enjoy this." It went along well, until they went into the future. From there, the film fell apart. Terrible! Too much going on, and it was all coming too fast. It was also very ridiculous. At one point, during dinner, when everyone was asking Lewis to take off his hat, then it went into that whole weird fight, my friend and I looked at each other and were like, "What the hell is this?" It didn't actually start improving until after the dinosaur fight. Then, it improved, and actually got back on track. It ended well enough, but, that middle act just didn't work. I was so disappointed, because I had high hopes that this would be the film to bring Disney Animation back. Sadly, that's not the case.

I will say that the animation did surprise me. It looked pretty good, although, it is still not quite up to Pixar, which I didn't expect it would be. I will say that the animation and story were better than Chicken Little, in my opinion. In fact, it is a step up from Chicken Little, which suffered from much of the same that the middle act of Meet The Robinson's does. It's as if everyone took acid, and decided to make parts of the film, but, couldn't keep their thoughts focused, so they are all over the place. If they would have re-worked the middle act of the movie, and slowed things down a bit, it might have been a much better film. As far as the 3-D aspect of the film goes, I've seen better. The Polar Express, for example. I felt as though I was watching Meet The Robinson's through a View Master.

As it is, I was not impressed, overall. I hope they will eventually get their act together, and start making great animated films, again. I would love to see them back at the top.

[PixarFan2006]

My theatre is finally carrying Meet the Robinsons in 3D! I still don't know if I really want to see it or not.

[TM2-Megatron]

Certainly that couldn't be it. Considering that people such as Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell have zero talent and have released tons of below mediocre films, it doesn't stop people from seeing films such as Norbit* or Blades of Glory.

It certainly could. The average, unenlightened person treats animation differently than live-action... and most adults/teenagers have a bias against it that they won't apply to live-action films, however much of a pattern of mediocrity there may be (a great example are the Will Ferrell movies). Plus a lot of people are idiots and actually do find that crap funny.

As far as the advertisement campaign goes, I really don't think we can blame that. I actually believe it's one of Disney's better marketed films to date as the audience reaction has been very positive everytime I went to a theater. Besides, most of Pixar's teaser trailers are very lame and unfunny, but people still go see them.

Yeah, of course the audience reaction is positive once they're inside the theatre... how could it be otherwise? Anyone with good taste and an open mind can't help but enjoy MtR. However, the marketing campaign doesn't have much to do with people's reactions after having seeing it, but getting people into the theatre to begin with. And in that respect, MtR's marketing has been inadequate and misrepresentative.

As for Pixar, they have a fairly untarnished image to begin with... something Disney hasn't had since for quite a while. People will continue going to Pixar films despite the boring/strange teasers until 2 or more consecutive films are actually bad. Cars was the closest Pixar's ever come to making a bad film, and certainly it was the most juvenile, but even that would've been considered an average -> above average release for another studio.

I am actually believeing the real reason MTR is underperforming in addition to the March release date is that people have grown tired of CG animated films. Now that doesn't mean people are liking traditional animation more, people are just lacking interest in all animated films in general, or at least, enough to make them not see it in the theaters. I'm actually predicting both "Shrek the Third" and "Ratatouille" will also both underperform at the box office. Not a successful year for feature animation for anyone this year.

This attitude is just as silly as all those people who have a bias against animation and consider it "only for children". I've always maintained with such people (especially those in my own family) that the medium is irrelevant; rather it's the quality of the story and characters that make a film good or bad. Given that, it would be rather hypocritical of me to judge a movie based on whether it was CGI or traditionally animated, wouldn't it? I'm not saying your wrong... maybe people are getting bored with animated films in generaly. If that's true, I guess it's their loss (at least, sometimes; a lot of cartoons these days are awful; although most live-action films are awful nowadays, too, lol).

Sure, I'd like it if Disney still produced traditional animation as well... ideally, they'd choose between CG and cel based on what worked best for each particular movie.

Now to the movie. It started out well. I didn't like the design of some of the characters, but, that's beside the point. It started with an emotional flair, and I thought, "Finally, I might actually enjoy this." It went along well, until they went into the future. From there, the film fell apart. Terrible! Too much going on, and it was all coming too fast. It was also very ridiculous. At one point, during dinner, when everyone was asking Lewis to take off his hat, then it went into that whole weird fight, my friend and I looked at each other and were like, "What the hell is this?" It didn't actually start improving until after the dinosaur fight. Then, it improved, and actually got back on track. It ended well enough, but, that middle act just didn't work. I was so disappointed, because I had high hopes that this would be the film to bring Disney Animation back. Sadly, that's not the case.

This is what I don't get. Pretty much all the criticism I've seen of this film has to do with the middle sections... and mostly due to the fact the film moves so quickly and the family is so crazy. What I have to wonder when I read that is are the minds of these people working at 10mph, or what? Is it really that difficult to keep up with... or is it just laziness, and not wanting to deal with it? What's so "wrong" about a movie using more than one type of atmosphere when telling the story... and that includes a zany, manic style if necessary. The Robinsons are supposed to be a crazy family... what tone did you expect the movie to take on while focusing on them?

I'm as much for the emotional parts of this movie as anyone else here (and I quite enjoyed them; and even got a littley misty-eyed around the end), but I for one didn't mind the whacked-out section in the middle. I hardly stopped laughing and/or chuckling at all throughout that entire section... and that's not something I've been able to say about any movie (animated, or otherwise) for quite a long time. Certainly the aforementioned Will Ferrell movies have never made me laugh.

I thought the food fight was hilarious, personally. Haven't you ever seen a Bruce Lee movie? I'd love to be married to a woman who didn't mind jumping up on the table during dinner every once in a while, and for no reason and starting a cheesy, "dubbed" martial arts food fight. If nothing else, it would keep life interesting, lol.