Robots (2005)

Robots is a real delight, with a mishmash of animation styles (from Art Deco to '50s Aero) and a Rube Goldberg-themed city (not to mention its transportation system). Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan Macgregor) is a young small-town robot inventor who wants to be mentored under the avuncular Bigweld (Mel Brooks), who has meanwhile been deposed by the corporate villain Ratchet (Greg Kinnear), who has nefarious plans for the free citizens of Robot City. Rodney's right hand 'bot is Fender (Robin Williams in a classic Robin Williams performance). Rodney also attracts the interest and aid of Cappy (Halle Berry), shucks-y'all Piper (Amanda Bynes), and his gang of friends. Aside from the delightful characters, every scene in Robots is packed with humorous details about life as robots would live it -- for example, every shop name, customer, and activity as well as sidewalk passer-by as a scene sweeps manically down the street. (Watch Robots again and again or in slow-mo to catch all the details and chuckle if you like.) I chuckled at the scenes where Rodney's mom (Diane Wiest) and dad (Stanley Tucci) are "making a baby" (from a do-it-yourself assembly kit of nuts and bolts). The message of the story is to never give up on your dream -- and for Rodney and his father, their dreams are realized after a fair measure of sacrifice to a great hullabaloo. (It's a fine feel-good ending.) Enjoy! 5 stars.