Meet the Robinsons

This frenetic, gadget-packed, animated sci-fi comedy may leave viewers reeling but merits praise for its incredible 3-D computer effects, which raise the bar considerably. In adapting William Joyce's 1990 picture book A Day with Wilbur Robinson, a story about a family of eccentric inventors, director Stephen J. Anderson and his animators have embraced a retro look that incorporates the streamlined, plasticized designs of 1950s architecture, consumer products, and illustrations from sci-fi mags. In the reworked story, a new character from the present, 12-year-old Lewis (voiced by Daniel Hansen), is whisked to the future by mischievous young Wilbur Robinson (Wesley Singerman), who has “borrowed” the time-travel machine invented by his dad Cornelius Robinson (Tom Selleck). Budding genius Lewis, it turns out, has developed a memory-scanner for a science fair project that may be useful to villain-from-the-future Bowler Hat Guy (director Anderson himself), whose nastiness is matched only by that of his talking hat, Doris. The gags are fast, furious, and noisy, though not especially good—especially once Lewis arrives in the future and meets the other Robinsons (voiced, with varying degrees of overacting, by Adam West, Harland Williams, and Nicole Sullivan, among others). Danny Elfman's playful musical score reinforces the over-caffeinated, hyperkinetic action. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Stephen Anderson, an “Inventing the Robinsons” production featurette (18 min.), “Keep Moving Forward: Inventions that Shaped the World” (7 min.), three deleted scenes with commentary (7 min.), the music videos “Little Wonders” performed by Rob Thomas and “Kids of the Future” performed by the Jonas Brothers, the “Family Function 5000 Game” and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a so-so animated film.] (E. Hulse)