Meet the Robinsons

Meet the Robinsons is a 2007 American animated science-fiction comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is loosely based on the 1990 children's book A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce. The film was directed by Stephen J. Anderson (in his feature directorial debut) and produced by Dorothy McKim, from a screenplay that Anderson co-wrote with Don Hall, Nathan Greno, Joe Mateo, Jon Bernstein, Michelle Spitz, and Aurian Redson. The film stars the voices of Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry, Wesley Singerman, Angela Bassett, Tom Selleck, Harland Williams, Laurie Metcalf, Nicole Sullivan, Adam West, Ethan Sandler, Tom Kenny, and Anderson. It follows an orphaned 12-year-old inventor, Lewis, who is desperate to be adopted. He meets Wilbur Robinson, a young time-traveler who takes him to the year 2037 to visit his eccentric family. They must prevent a mysterious bowler-hatted man from changing Lewis's fate, and, by proxy, the future.

Development began in 2002, with production underway starting in 2004, under the working title A Day with Wilbur Robinson, with a release initially slated for 2006. Anderson developed a personal connection to the main character Lewis, as he himself grew up an orphan and was later adopted. Disney originally planned to adapt Joyce's style, before it was decided to slightly rework the style due to his involvement stylistically in Blue Sky Studios' Robots. The animation crew had the challenge to animate CG humans, being inspired by Pixar's The Incredibles, while the inspiration for the film came from Disney animated classics, such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, and Peter Pan, as well as Warner Brothers cartoons, to capture a 1950s aesthetic. Disney's acquisition of Pixar in early 2006 led to nearly 60% of the film, including the villain and the ending, being scrapped and reworked. Danny Elfman provided the film's score, while artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Rob Thomas, The All-American Rejects and They Might Be Giants contributed to the film's soundtrack.

Meet the Robinsons premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 25, 2007, and was released in standard and Disney Digital 3-D formats in the United States on March 30. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards the animation and story. However, it was a box office failure, grossing $170.5 million against a budget of $150 million.

Plot
Lewis is an aspiring 12-year-old inventor living in an orphanage. His energy, eccentricity, and malfunctioning inventions have been scaring off potential parents, so he works all night on a machine to scan his memory to locate his birth mother, who left him at the orphanage when he was a baby. While taking the scanner to his school's science fair, Lewis meets 13-year-old Wilbur Robinson, a mysterious boy claiming to be a time cop from the future. Wilbur needs to recover a time machine that a man wearing a bowler hat has stolen. Lewis tries to demonstrate the scanner, but it has been sabotaged by the Bowler Hat Guy and falls apart, throwing the science fair into chaos. Lewis leaves while the Bowler Hat Guy, with the help of his robotic bowler hat named Doris, steals the scanner. He plans to pitch it as his own to an invention company, but fails when he cannot figure out how to turn it on.

Wilbur meets Lewis at the orphanage and asks him to repair the scanner. Lewis demands proof that Wilbur is telling the truth. Wilbur does so by taking them in a second time machine to the year 2037, which is highly advanced technologically. When they arrive, Lewis realizes he can simply use the time machine to meet his mother; the resulting argument makes them crash. Wilbur asks Lewis to fix the time machine, and Lewis agrees on the condition that Wilbur has to take him to visit his mother afterwards. Reluctantly, Wilbur agrees and hides Lewis in the garage. Lewis accidentally ends up meeting the rest of the Robinson family except for Cornelius, Wilbur's father and the inventor of the time's technologies, who is away on a business trip. Having followed Lewis, the Bowler Hat Guy tries to kidnap him by bringing a Tyrannosaurus from the past, but the Robinsons incapacitate it. The Robinsons offer to adopt Lewis, but change their mind when they learn that he is from the past. Wilbur admits to lying to Lewis about taking him back to see his mom, causing Lewis to run off in disgust.

The Bowler Hat Guy approaches Lewis, and offers to take him to his mother if he fixes the memory scanner. Once he does, the Bowler Hat Guy reveals that Cornelius Robinson is Lewis's future self, and that the Bowler Hat Guy is an adult version of Lewis's roommate, Michael "Goob" Yagoobian. Because he was kept awake by Lewis's work on the scanner, Goob fell asleep during a Little League baseball game and failed to make an important catch, costing his team the championship. Goob became so withdrawn and bitter that he was never adopted and remained in the orphanage long after it closed. Doris is a prototype "Helping Hat", a failed and abandoned Robinson invention. They both blamed Lewis for their misfortunes and decided to ruin his life. Leaving Lewis in the future, they return to the past and enact their plan, successfully pitching the memory scanner and subsequently mass-producing Helping Hats. However, it is revealed that Doris tricked Goob, using the Helping Hats to dispose of him and enslave humanity, turning the future around Lewis dystopian. Lewis repairs the second time machine, confronts Doris in the past, and destroys her by vowing to never invent her, restoring the future to its utopian state.

Back in Wilbur's time, Wilbur attempts to ask the adult Goob to join the family, but he flees in shame. Lewis finally meets Cornelius face to face. Cornelius explains how the memory scanner started their successful career, and persuades Lewis to return to the science fair. Wilbur takes Lewis in the time machine, but surprises him by stopping at the night when his mother left him at the orphanage. Lewis decides not to interact with her, content with the knowledge of his future family.

Wilbur drops Lewis off in his own time and leaves. Lewis heads to the fair, pausing en route to wake Goob up at the baseball field just in time for him to make the winning catch, averting his future. Back at the fair, Lewis asks for one more chance to demonstrate his scanner, which this time succeeds. He is adopted by Lucille, one of the science fair judges, and her husband Bud, who nicknames him "Cornelius" and takes him to a new house.

The film ends with a quote from Walt Disney, stating on how we should "keep moving forward", meaning that we should not look back on the past, and on how we must pursue our dreams.

Cast and characters

 * Jordan Fry and Daniel Hansen as Lewis, a 12-year-old boy genius who struggles to be adopted.
 * Tom Selleck as Cornelius Robinson, Franny's husband and Wilbur's father who is Lewis's future self.
 * Wesley Singerman as Wilbur Robinson, the 13-year-old son of Franny and Cornelius Robinson who is a young time-traveler.
 * Stephen Anderson as:
 * Bowler Hat Guy, a man with a personal vendetta against Cornelius.
 * Matthew Josten as Mike "Goob" Yagoobian, the Bowler Hat Guy's younger self and Lewis' roommate.
 * Bud Robinson, Lewis' adoptive father, Fritz and Joe's older brother, and Wilbur's grandfather.
 * Cousin Tallulah, Fritz and Petunia Robinson's daughter and Laszlo's sister.
 * Harland Williams as Carl, the Robinson family's robot.
 * Nicole Sullivan as Franny Robinson, Cornelius's wife, Wilbur's mother, and Gaston and Art Robinson's sister. She trains her frogs to sing and is in charge of the family when Cornelius is not around.
 * Michaela Jill Murphy as young Franny
 * Angela Bassett as Mildred, the head of the Sixth Street Orphanage.
 * Adam West as Art, a pizza delivery man with a superhero persona. He is Gaston and Franny's brother and Wilbur's uncle.
 * Laurie Metcalf as Lucille Krunklehorn-Robinson, a scientist at InventCo. Labs. She is Lewis' adoptive mother, Bud's wife, and Wilbur's grandmother.
 * Ethan Sandler as:
 * Doris, a bowler hat designed by Cornelius Robinson to be a helping hat, but expanded beyond its intelligence and now seeks revenge.
 * Fritz Robinson, Petunia Robinson's husband, Bud and Joe Robinson's brother, and Laszlo and Tallulah Robinson's father.
 * Aunt Petunia, a hand puppet who is Fritz Robinson's wife and Laszlo and Tallulah Robinson's mother.
 * Uncle Spike and Uncle Dimitri, twins who sit in potted plants in front of the Robinson household. It is unknown who they are related to.
 * Cousin Laszlo, Fritz and Petunia Robinson's son and Tallulah's brother.
 * The unnamed CEO of InventCo
 * Don Hall as:
 * Gaston, a stunt performer who is Franny and Art Robinson's brother and Wilbur's uncle.
 * Gym Coach
 * Tom Kenny as Mr. Willerstein, Lewis' teacher.
 * Kelly Hoover as Aunt Billie, Joe Robinson's wife who likes trains.
 * Tracey Miller-Zarneke as Lizzy, a student from Lewis’ school who presents her fire ants at the science fair.
 * Joe Mateo as Tiny, a Tyrannosaurus brought to the future by the Bowler Hat Guy who later becomes the Robinson family's pet dinosaur.
 * Aurian Redson as Frankie the Frog, the lead singer of Franny's musical band of frogs.
 * Jamie Cullum as the singing voice of Frankie the Frog
 * Paul Butcher as Stanley, a student from Lewis’ school who presents a volcano at the science fair.
 * Dara McGarry as:
 * InventCo Receptionist
 * Mrs. Harrington
 * John H. H. Ford as Mr. Harrington
 * Nathan Greno as Lefty, a one-eyed octopus and the Robinson family's butler.
 * Joe Whyte as a reporter who interviews Lewis.

In addition, Joe Robinson is Wilbur's obese uncle, Billie's wife, and Bud and Fritz' brother who rides in an easy chair, his whimpers are provided by an uncredited actor. Also in the Robinson family is their dog, Buster, who wears glasses.

†Note: Lewis was voiced by both Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry. Daniel Hansen voiced Lewis at the beginning of the film's production, and when the studio needed Lewis' lines changed, they had Jordan Fry re-dub many segments.

Production


Originally titled A Day with Wilbur Robinson, production began in June 2004, and was scheduled for a 2006 release. During the film's production, Walt Disney Animation Studios' storyboard artist Stephen Anderson decided to direct the film due to his personal connection to Lewis, since they both grew up adopted.

The studio planned to adapt Joyce's style to the film, but due to his involvement stylistically in Blue Sky Studios' Robots, the style was slightly reworked. While still taking cues from his retro style, influenced by everything from Technicolor movies to '40s architectural design, the crew also took inspiration from the company Apple. Unlike their previous film Chicken Little, a film starring CG animals, the animation crew had the challenge to animate CG humans. They took inspiration from Pixar's The Incredibles when animating the characters. They also took inspiration from Disney animated classics, such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, and Peter Pan, and from Warner Brothers cartoons to capture the 1950s aesthetic.

While the film was in production, The Walt Disney Company announced on January 24, 2006, that it would be acquiring Pixar, and as a result, John Lasseter became the chief creative officer of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. When he saw an early screening for the movie, he told Anderson that he did not find the villain scary or threatening enough, and suggested that he make some changes. Ten months later, almost 60% of the film had been scrapped and redone. The villain had improved and was given a new sidekick, a dinosaur chase had been added, and the ending was changed.

Jim Carrey was originally offered the role of Bowler Hat Guy, but he turned it down to star in The Number 23.

Release
Over 600 REAL D Cinema digital 3D-equipped theaters presented Disney Digital 3-D version of the film. In all theatrical showings, the standard version of the film was preceded by the 1938 Mickey Mouse short film Boat Builders and the 3D version was preceded by the 1953 Chip 'n Dale 3D short Working for Peanuts. The final credits of the 3D version were left two-dimensional, except for the names of those who converted the film to 3D.

Home media
The DVD and Blu-ray versions were both released on October 23, 2007. Both versions feature 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, plus music videos, the "Family Function 5000" game, deleted scenes, and other bonus features. The DVD's audio commentary contains Anderson's narration, occasionally interrupted by himself as the Bowler Hat Guy. The Blu-ray also includes uncompressed 5.1 audio and a BD-J game, Bowler Hat Barrage!. A 3D Blu-ray was released on November 8, 2011.

As of January 2008, the DVD had sold approximately 4 million copies.

Critical reception
Metacritic reported the film had a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 27 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.

Realmovienews stated that it has "a snappy plot that demands close attention as it whizzes back and forth in the space-time continuum, touching on serious ideas and proposing some rather disturbing alternate realities. And the witty story twists are handled with rare subtlety and intelligence. In the end it may get a little weepy and inspirational. But it's so charming that we don't mind at all". Danny Minton of the Beaumont Journal said that "The Robinsons might not be a family you want to hang out with, but they sure were fun to meet in this imaginative and beautiful 3-D experience". Andrew L. Urban of Australian Urban Cinefile said that "Walt Disney stood for fantasy on screen and this is a loving tribute to his legacy". Kyle Smith of the New York Post named it the 10th best film of 2007.

Conversely, A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: "Meet the Robinsons is surely one of the worst theatrically released animated features issued under the Disney label in quite some time", while Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "C" and said "This is one bumpy ride".

Box office
Meet the Robinsons grossed $25,123,781 on its opening weekend, ranking in second place behind Blades of Glory. Over its theatrical run, it grossed $97,822,171 in the United States of America and $72,730,548 in other territories, grossing $170,552,719 worldwide.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack album was released by Walt Disney Records on March 27, 2007. It includes four original songs written for the film, performed by Rufus Wainwright, Jamie Cullum, and Rob Thomas. Contributors to the album beyond the Danny Elfman score include another track by Wainwright ("The Motion Waltz (Emotional Commotion)"), The All-American Rejects ("The Future Has Arrived"), They Might Be Giants ("There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow"), and the Jonas Brothers ("Kids of the Future", a parody of "Kids in America"). The track "Little Wonders", recorded by Thomas, reached number 5 on the Billboard AC chart and the top 20 in Australia and Canada.

The song "This Much Fun" by Cowboy Mouth, which was featured in the trailer, was not featured in the film or on the soundtrack. The song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" was originally from the Disneyland attraction General Electric's Carousel of Progress which was located in Tomorrowland.

The Japanese version uses "Hitomi Hiraite" by Mitsuki as the theme song.

Video games
A Meet the Robinsons video game was published by Buena Vista Games for PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, GameCube, Nintendo DS, and Microsoft Windows. England-based Climax Group developed their own adaption for the Game Boy Advance.

Bowler Hat Guy appears as a playable character in the mobile game Disney Heroes Battle Mode.

Cancelled sequel
Disneytoon Studios originally planned to make a direct-to-video sequel to the film, tentatively titled Meet the Robinsons 2: First Date. However, when Lasseter became Walt Disney Animation Studios' new chief creative officer, he cancelled all sequels in development at Disneytoon, including Meet the Robinsons 2, and ordered the studio to shift its focus towards spin-off films and original productions.

Legacy
A limited edition MagicBand bracelet was also released by the company to commemorate the 15th anniversary.

The characters of Lewis, Wilbur, Bowler Hat Guy, Carl, and Lucille (in her young scientist judge appearance) appeared in Disney's 2023 short film Once Upon a Studio, in which they were recreated using new CGI models. This was due to the original models not being animated for over a decade, as well as updates made to animation technology since the original film's release, with rigging and rendering being reworked so they could be used with modern technology.