7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
Lewis is an orphan who dreams of finding a family. His journey takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious stranger named Wilbur Robinson whisks him away to a world where anything is possible: the future. There, he meets an incredible assortment of characters and a family beyond his wildest imagination, The Robinsons, who help lead him on an amazing and hilarious adventure with heartfelt results. Based upon the book A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce.
Starring: Daniel Hansen, Jordan Fry, Wesley Singerman, Angela Bassett, Tom SelleckFamily | 100% |
Animation | 84% |
Adventure | 68% |
Comedy | 46% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Plus English Dolby Digital 5.1 Isolated Score (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Common filmmaking practice would dictate that producing a film in a haphazard patchwork is not
prudent. It's expensive, creates continuity issues, reduces morale in the crew - all manner of problems can
come cropping up if you don't have solid preproduction material.
The Disney animation studios of the Michael Eisner era were particularly notorious for their major film
production overhauls, oftentimes for the worse. But with the ousting of Eisner, and the insertion of creative
heads like John Lasseter and Ed Catmull - men who possess a real appreciation of the art and the studio's
legacy - a change in business has been swift and immediate. Meet the Robinsons is a direct result of
that corporate "changing of the guard." In production at the time, the film was a mess, micromanaged beyond
a semblance of a good story. Lasseter reined Robinsons in and performed a good deal of damage
control in order to salvage the film and convert it into something a pinch more intelligent.
Thus, a Tyrannosaur was added, the Bowler Hat Guy was significantly tweaked, and a hat was bolstered as a
villainous character, among other changes. Such piecemeal treatment would have palpably degraded the flow
of most other films, but not so with Meet the Robinsons. From its literary source material on upwards,
the titular characters are so exceedingly insouciant, random, and offbeat, that any whacky additions or
omissions thereof fit perfectly within the film's whimsical boundaries.
To... the future! *whoosh*
Being a Disney Blu-ray Disc, Meet the Robinsons boasts incredible picture. With an AVC encode that ranges between 15 and 35 Mbps, the attention to detail and shot composition is astounding. The utilization of lighting and color palettes is especially noticeable. The muted earth tones of present day, the golden glow of the sunlight in a hallway, the steely harsh reds of a grim alternate future. Wilbur Robinson's Technicolor future pops off the screen, exuding bright optimism at every corner. Environment and prop textures stay unflinchingly true to the digital source; every scale on the Tyrannosaur or leaves of the topiaries can be singled out. Even the Bowler Hat Guy's long grimy teeth and oily, receding hairline induce winces upon sight!
Meet the Robinsons' multiple language tracks do not disappoint. The disc features both English uncompressed PCM 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. French and Spanish tracks are provided in Dolby Digital 5.1, in addition. The PCM track does an excellent job featuring the playful Looney Tune-esque score, commenting on the onscreen action as composer Danny Elfman emulates Carl Stalling. The sound mixes are fantastic, as well; from the high mechanical bleeps of DOR15 the disgruntled Helping Hat to the low rumblings of Tiny the Tyrannosaur. The French and Spanish Dolby Digital mixes are just as well-produced, and a well-appreciated addition, besides. Disney has a generally good track record of including equal French and Spanish tracks on their DVD releases, when one or the other is often omitted from many other discs. That these Blu-ray tracks are both 5.1 mixes makes the film experience even more enjoyable, and a suitable compromise betwixt uncompressed and 2.0 stereo.
The extra features are rather standard fare for a Disney Blu-ray; nothing too extravagant and in-depth, but not
barebones either. Deleted scenes show a glimpse the former iteration of Robinsons, like an alternate
ending that was less than gimpy. A standard definition feature titled "Inventions That Shaped the World" looks at
a few broad-reaching devices that have influenced human culture, like Gutenberg's printing press, Edison's light
bulb, and television. Two music videos from Rob Thomas and the Jonas Brothers are included, though it would
have been more of a point of interest if they were included in high definition. Rather, both are presented in 480i
standard. The Bowler Hat Barrage, a target shot game, and Family Function 5000, which relies on your
memorization abilities, are mildly amusing, but of course I am not the intended audience for said trivialities, so I am
rather impartial to that whole affair.
Among the best extras are the Inventing the Robinsons featurette, filmed in 1080p, and the director's
commentary. The former is an informative and concise look at the film's production, yet given the facelift the film
had undergone rather late in production, it's a bit disappointing that the crew did not discuss that aspect more
candidly. Director Stephen Anderson gives a fairly good commentary, keeping the "it was a privilege to work with
so-and-so" anecdotes to a tolerable level. When DOR15 and the Bowler Hat Guy "pirate" Anderson's audio signal
three times during the course of the commentary, it's fairly amusing, but little more than a novel joke. The director
also discusses at length his connection to the film's story and its protagonist, as Anderson was an adopted child
as well; he shared Lewis' desire to search for his birth mother from a young age. He also sheds a bit of light on
the film's ultimate message, "keep moving forward," its connection with the Disney studios' past and its optimistic
motto for the things to come.
As a Blu-ray Disc, Meet the Robinsons is top-notch; an entertaining film, superb picture and sound, and
well-rounded extras. But Robinsons is a special film to me because, as a fan of animation and of Disney
history, the film acts as a symbolic gateway to the wonderful things to come at a studio awakening from a painful
creative dormancy. Small details that accompany the film's major production overhaul are testament to this. The
film is bookended with loving touches - a new "Walt Disney Animation Studios" logo at the start depicting a Mickey
Mouse moving from drawn pencil images to full animation in the classic short Steamboat Willie, and a
quote from Walt himself shown at film's end before the credits roll. During Robinsons' theatrical release,
the film was preceded by classic Disney shorts - Boat Builders for the normal screenings, and Working
for Peanuts for the digital 3D screenings. This small touch demonstrates a respect even for the animated
shorts program of yesteryear, when new animators could flex their artistic muscles; many new shorts are soon to
come from the studio for upcoming theatrical releases.
Small changes - little things to shape the future. Regarding the past with respect, learning from it, but not
dwelling in it. No, we must keep moving forward. These are the lessons learned from Meet the
Robinsons, embraced by the present day Disney Studios, and projected as a philosophy for all to abide in the
lifetime ahead of us. I, for one, will gladly be part of it.
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