Meet the Robinsons

[Jules]

Yaaay dvd junkie!! I'm glad you like it!

On page 3 of this thread, after reading your post, where you told us of the VERY negative review MTR got in your local newspaper...

dvdjunkie, I am ORDERING you to grab that review, stuff it, along with all this week's garbage, down that critic's throat, and hold his head inside the toilet, until he swallows it! Boring indeed! Why doesn't he go chop his toes off? I bet he'll think that's more fun!

To the critic:

HOW THE HELL CAN MEET THE ROBINSONS BE BORING YOU MORON!! GO AND BURY YOURSELF WITH BARBIE IN THE NUTCRACKER!

So... are you gonna do it?

EDIT: goofystitch, you said that there was nothing that wowed you in particular in MTR. In my case, it was the total opposite. I was dazzled! I had never seen such lovely animation! Also, bear in mind that I saw the standard 2D version, as we have no 3D theatres in Malta.

Oh well ... I suppose it all boils down to opinion.

Wait a sec ... it's true that Pixar raise the bar with every release. Wouldn't it be fair if we simply say that MTR lives up to Pixar's standards (and beats a lot of the competition by miles)?

[Luke]

Incidentally I am finally happy with my user name. When I first came to the forum a year or so ago I was a bit envious of some of the cool user names people have (Ichabod being a prime example!). The best I could come up with was to pay homage to my favourite chimpanzee from the classic Planet of the Apes! Now I have a connection not just with a Disney character but with Tom Selleck! How cool is that?!!!

[goofystitch]

Julian Carter wrote:

Wait a sec ... it's true that Pixar raise the bar with every release. Wouldn't it be fair if we simply say that MTR lives up to Pixar's standards (and beats a lot of the competition by miles)?

Sounds fair to me.

[akhenaten]

as a whole the animation of MTR may be not be groundbreaking but disney always have the best character animation in the business. just look at lewis and the BOWLER HAT GUY!! (god i seriously need this guy's action figure). he moves with such speed and fluidity.

and ive watched this like 4 times now, maybe going on a 5th one. the last movie i watched 10 times in the cinema was mulan. this will be the latest in that list of honor.

[ichabod]

When I first came to the forum a year or so ago I was a bit envious of some of the cool user names people have (Ichabod being a prime example!).

I been trying to avoid this thread to avoid spoilers and have just been skimming the posts, so I've only just noticed this!

I have a cool name!

[rs_milo_whatever]

i saw it on 3-D it is amazing!!! i have never seen 3-D so perfect before!!!

i don't live in any of the listed cities, some thatres my carry it you never know.

[gardener14]

I just saw Meet the Robinsons for the second time...this time in 3D. Upon the second viewing, I was more comfortable with the pace of the story. It still is too random and jumbled in the middle, especially the scenes with the dinosaur and when the bowler hats attack the city, but I enjoyed it much more than the first time. I think it helped a great deal knowing what to expect. In that regard, I think the marketing campaign was horrible.

As for the 3D version...I enjoyed the movie's presentation more in its standard format. Sure, the 3D aspect added depth, but it wasn't different enough to really make a difference after I got used to it. It didn't affect my appreciation for the movie at all. This is exactly what I thought after seeing Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. It's simply not worth the increased ticket price.

Also, the lenses of the 3D glasses are too small. I could see the frame at all times. They are also too heavy. Disney should employ 3D glasses like those at its theme parks. The theme park glasses are lighter, more comfortable, and have larger lenses so the frames are completely out of my sight while wearing them. The theme park glasses also fit over my regular glasses much more comfortably.

There was a slight problem with the digital projection at my theatre. The picture looked blotchy compared to the standard film projection which was crisp and clean. The blotchiness was most apparent on color gradients, light radiations, curves, and shadings....especially on skin tones. It almost looked like a digital picture looks when it is enlarged more than the pixel size allows. Is this an individual projector problem or an aspect of the 3D digital format in theaters? I notified the theater's customer service desk, and they said they would look into it, but that they only had a few people trained on the digital projector.

I would definitely say that MTR disappointed me on the first viewing but impressed me greatly the second time around. I felt an emotional attatchment that I didn't feel the first time, and I nearly cried at the end. I even learned to tolerate and forgive the random and chaotic parts. I hope the film finds its audience. Perhaps Disney will modify the marketing campaign and get more people interested.

[goofystitch]

I'm glad you liked it better the second time, gardner14.

I'm going again this weekend on a normal screen so I can see "Boat Builders" I'm trying to encourage a big group of my friends to come.

Also, on it's first weekday of release, it earned $2,102,461, only $300,000 behind "Blades of Glory." I predict that on Wednesday and Thursday, MTR will make more than BOG.

[gardener14]

I'm going again this weekend on a normal screen so I can see "Boat Builders" I'm trying to encourage a big group of my friends to come.

Yeah, I forgot to mention the short. Working For Peanuts was cute, but Boat Builders was so much funnier and more entertaining in my opinion. I hope you like it. I sure did.

[Jules]

HEARTBREAKING NEWS!!

In my country, MTR is performing very weakly. It is currently in the no.5 spot.

28 March - 1 April 2007

1. Norbit
2. Ghost Rider
3. Notes on a Scandal
4. Hot Fuzz
5. Meet the Robinsons
6. Blood Diamond
7. Babel
8. The Number 23
9. Goal 2 - Living the Dream
10. It's A Boy Girl Thing

This is the weakest opening I have ever seen for an animated film in my country. Last year, Over the Hedge, Ice Age, and Cars all claimed the no. 1 spot immediately. Chicken Little took the no. 2 spot on release on 11th February 2006, being beaten by Munich.

[akhenaten]

herm audience here wonder why there's a mickey short. they thought they got into the wrong hall..they never question when pixar plays a short bfr movies.

the 5th viewing, got 'another believer' in my classmate. she said its touching. and i saw the washed out jungle book but didnt see the toy story one. in the illustrated storybook they also have the jungle book poster at the fence.

Malaysia Box Office Top Ten:
29 March 2007 - 1 April 2007
1. Mr. Bean's Holiday
2. Meet The Robinsons
3. Forest Of Death
4. 300
5. Chermin
6. Stomp The Yard
7. Just Follow Law
8. 9:56
9. Shooter
10. Manikanda

[Jules]

Malaysia Box Office Top Ten:
29 March 2007 - 1 April 2007
1. Mr. Bean's Holiday
2. Meet The Robinsons
3. Forest Of Death
4. 300
5. Chermin
6. Stomp The Yard
7. Just Follow Law
8. 9:56
9. Shooter
10. Manikanda

Hey! It's performing well in good ol' Malaysia (Truly Asia )!! It least moviegoers there have the sense to dump Norbit. I haven't seen that movie; not even a trailer - but I can tell it's a crappy one. It's been in the no. 1 spot in Malta for 3 weeks now, and MTR has only been here for 5 days and it's in the no. 5 spot. Grrr...

[akhenaten]

good for the weekend but the cinema halls are half full unlike other animated films before..TMNT is opening this week here, plus a local horror movie. so..not really a good sign.

[Luke]

herm audience here wonder why there's a mickey short. they thought they got into the wrong hall..they never question when pixar plays a short bfr movies.

That probably indicates that while people can easily link a Pixar movie to a Pixar short, it's more of a stretch for them to connect a vintage Disney toon with this new computer-animated feature. In that case, it's good that an effort is being made to tie together the enduring Disney legacy.

[Jules]

good for the weekend but the cinema halls are half full unlike other animated films before..TMNT is opening this week here, plus a local horror movie. so..not really a good sign.

When I went to watch MTR last Friday, I went to Embassy Cinemas, in Valletta (capital city).

I was the only one in the theatre. That's right. Empty. It was really lonely to watch a movie on my own. I mean, part of the joy of going to the theatre (and not watching a movie at home) is sharing the film with the rest of the audience (provided they do not munch popcorn noisily and constantly interrupt). Three cheers for a void theatre!

[Mushu]

Someone on this board (I forgot who) had seen the rough version and liked it very much even in that state, so perhaps he can pop in again and give us a comparison of both versions.

Your wish is my command. That's right, about 22 1/2 months ago I was able to see this movie as a storyboard type thing at Walt Disney Feature Animation (Or what ever it is called now). Back then, I was pretty new to forums in general and didn't really know how to give non-spoilerish reviews of movies (Like the one posted on this site for Meet the Robinsons), so I didn't really talk about it much. I'm still not so great at giving any type of review, but sometime later this week (Since I’m out of school right now) I'll try and do my best at giving a comparison of both versions of the movie. (Or at least what I remember of the older version) I’ll be willing to answer any questions that anyone has on anything that I don’t include in my comparison. (And there is bound to be A LOT that I leave out)

P.S. I saw the movie in theaters today and I loved it more than I did before.

Okay, here is a mini comparison of the rough version and current version of the movie. As I said before, I’m not very good at doing this so this is really short and possibly unclear. But if anyone has any questions, I’ll do my best to answer all of them.
So for starters, I am pretty sure the opening scene that is currently in the movie is different than the one that I saw. I seem to remember the opening scene with Lewis flying through city or something. Or maybe I’m getting that confused with something else. Oh, I wish I could have that memory thing from the movie right now. But yeah, like the opening scene, there wasn’t that much with Lewis dealing with his mother, or at least not as much as there is in the current movie. I remember that dinner scene being pretty confusing as a rough version, as was some other parts with the family, but all of that was cleared up now. The thing about the bowler hat guy having a lot less screen time is not exactly true. For the most part, I remembered him having about as much screen time as he has now. And I’m pretty sure that the character of Doris was in the movie before.
That’s really all that can say without someone asking me a question. I’m sorry. But as I said before, just ask me a question and I’ll try and answer it. The next time that I see a Disney movie before it comes out, I’ll be sure to try and give a review after I come home from the movie. I do get chances to see screenings often, though it is rare for me to be able to attend.
You can now get back to your discussion of Meet the Robinsons.

[Jules]

Hmmm...

Mushu, it is said that John Lasseter scrapped about 60% of the original film upon becoming creative director of WDFA. Do you feel the finished film really is at least 60% different to the rough version you saw?

BTW, did the rough version consist of just storyboards (like a story reel), or did also include completed or work-in-progress animation?

Thanks!

-------------------------------

Guys, I think it's about time that we highlight the stuff we saw in the MTR trailers that didn't turn up in the movie.

Theatrical Trailer:

1. After the paper flies from Lewis' hand (on the rooftop), we see Wilbur appear from behind a wall, from a blue haze. The blue haze is not present in the finished film.

2. "Desperate times call for desperate measures!", says Wilbur as he flings Lewis off the rooftop in the trailer. He never says it in the film.

3. When Wilbur says "To the future!" in the trailer, his voice seems to be different to the one in the finished film ... to me at least. I noticed the same thing when Wilbur says "Dude, I can't take you seriously in that hat.

4. Narrator: "...will discover a strange new world, and a family..." At this point, the Robinson family scuttle towards the screen. I never noticed this in the film.

5. There's a scene in the trailer of Lewis and Grandpa Bud near those sucking glass tubes, unable to walk properly. I don't remember that!

6. A second later, Uncle Art says "We'll help you kid!". I don't remember that either!

Teaser Trailer

I don't have this trailer on my PC, so I don't remember it all, but there are a few things which come to mind aswell.

1. In the teaser, we see the lovely woman who owns the orphanage saying that "this family is a little different". I don't remember that in the finished film.

2. Also, there's a scene with the Bowler Hat Guy saying "I invented it! Me! Me! Me!!" That never turned up in the movie!

----------------------

I'm assuming that these missing pieces were animated before the film was overhauled, and had to be scrapped. I hope the DVD will contain a LOT of deleted scenes.

[reyquila]

Hmmm...

Mushu, it is said that John Lasseter scrapped about 60% of the original film upon becoming creative director of WDFA. Do you feel the finished film really is at least 60% different to the rough version you saw?

BTW, did the rough version consist of just storyboards (like a story reel), or did also include completed or work-in-progress animation?

Thanks!

-------------------------------

Guys, I think it's about time that we highlight the stuff we saw in the MTR trailers that didn't turn up in the movie.

Theatrical Trailer:

1. After the paper flies from Lewis' hand (on the rooftop), we see Wilbur appear from behind a wall, from a blue haze. The blue haze is not present in the finished film.

2. "Desperate times call for desperate measures!", says Wilbur as he flings Lewis off the rooftop in the trailer. He never says it in the film.

3. When Wilbur says "To the future!" in the trailer, his voice seems to be different to the one in the finished film ... to me at least. I noticed the same thing when Wilbur says "Dude, I can't take you seriously in that hat.

4. Narrator: "...will discover a strange new world, and a family..." At this point, the Robinson family scuttle towards the screen. I never noticed this in the film.

5. There's a scene in the trailer of Lewis and Grandpa Bud near those sucking glass tubes, unable to walk properly. I don't remember that!

6. A second later, Uncle Art says "We'll help you kid!". I don't remember that either!

Teaser Trailer

I don't have this trailer on my PC, so I don't remember it all, but there are a few things which come to mind aswell.

1. In the teaser, we see the lovely woman who owns the orphanage saying that "this family is a little different". I don't remember that in the finished film.

2. Also, there's a scene with the Bowler Hat Guy saying "I invented it! Me! Me! Me!!" That never turned up in the movie!

----------------------

I'm assuming that these missing pieces were animated before the film was overhauled, and had to be scrapped. I hope the DVD will contain a LOT of deleted scenes.

I noted some of those differences too, but sometimes teasers are just scenes that will not end up in the movie!! Remember the The Incredibles teaser with the button flying when Mr. Incredible was trying to close his pants, that never ended in the movie.
Anyway I absolutely, positively and defitively loved MTR!!!

[Mushu]

Hmmm...

Mushu, it is said that John Lasseter scrapped about 60% of the original film upon becoming creative director of WDFA. Do you feel the finished film really is at least 60% different to the rough version you saw?

BTW, did the rough version consist of just storyboards (like a story reel), or did also include completed or work-in-progress animation?

Thanks!

Yeah! Questions! To answer the first one, I'm pretty sure that I had seen more than 40% of the movie before. Then again, after I came out of the theater a few days ago, my dad was saying that he thought that the movie was changed a lot. So my mind might just be playing tricks on me or something. With that said, I'm still pretty sure that the estimate of 60% is off.

And to answer the second question, when I went to see the rough version, all that I saw was the storyboard up on a screen, playing like an actual movie, but without any actual animation. The only way that I knew how Lewis was actually going to look was by looking out in the hall of the studio. They had a picture of a fully animated Lewis.

Thanks again for asking the questions! Do you or anyone else have any more questions? Feel free to ask!

[Flanger-Hanger]

How will I know which theater will have Working for Peanuts or Boat Builders before it? (I'd rather see Peanuts because it was shown at Disney World in 3D)