Meet the Robinsons

Pixar really screwed Disney animation up. Somehow, the success of Pixar's films, coupled with some really mediocre Disney offerings, convinced the powers that be that traditional animation was dead, and all you needed to ensure a hit was to make it computer animated. Um... no. Pixar films succeed because of story and character, with the form being a pretty (but incidental) tool. Computer animation is no substitute for quality. Disney's first effort, Dinosaur was a stunningly mediocre remake of The Land Before Time. It was very pretty, but everyone'd seen it before. The next real effort, Chicken Little was a jokey mess of pop-culture references with little heart or substance. I'm glad to report that Meet the Robinsons is a vast improvement on all fronts for Disney.

Now, for any of you out there that have read any kind of science fiction involving time travel--or heck, anyone who's ever watched even one of the Back to the Future films--you can pretty much figure out the big twists well before they happen. But there's an unbridled exuberance running throughout this film, a manic enthusiasm, plenty of genuine laughs along with some heartfelt character development that make it a winner. No, the animation isn't Pixar quality, and neither is the story, but it is better than the stream of digital films Dreamworks has churned out since the original Shreck. The villain of the piece, "Bowler Hat Guy," steals the show as the most incompetent "Snidely Whiplash" type ever to grace the silver screen. He's great, almost as great as the fact that the movie isn't chok full of pop-culture references. Also, while there are a handful of recognizable celebrity voices in the mix, the marketing isn't hyping them as if they were the only reason to see the movie. I remember back when all Disney films were treated this way--a good sign that John Lassiter's influence on the studio is already bearing fruit.

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