ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

It's not up to Pixar's high standards, but it still delivers an enjoyable story for the fans of imaginative fantasy in the mold of Toy Story and Cars.

Screenwriters David Lindsay-Abaire, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel snuck in occasional humor for adults that sail over the kids' heads, so you won't feel like you outgrew this movie several decades before it was made.

The familiar voices of Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Drew Carey, and he late Robin Williams give it a subtle appeal for grownups too.

All that said, the focus does seem to lean much more towards the younger viewers, so be sure you're in the right mood before you watch it. The trailer below will help you decide if this is a film you might enjoy.


___________________ Robots (2005) - trailer


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production.
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~ The filmmakers wanted the music score to sound like it was recorded by the "Robot Philharmonic". To that effect, they hired performance artists Blue Man Group, known for performing on musical instruments made from industrial piping and other found objects, to do special percussion effects.

Note from me: A very clever idea.

~ Chris Wedge reports on the DVD commentary, that Robin Williams performed the scene with Fender and Rodney attempting to get past Tim eight times in eight different accents, including as a Polish valet.

Note from me: Robin was a master at inventing voices and accents, so apparently they just told him to have fun and they'd pick which one to use.

~ In the UK, Aunt Fanny had to be renamed "Fan", as "fanny" is a common UK slang word for "vagina".

Note from me: Wait, so what's their word for ass . . . snatch? ?:

~ Rodney Copperbottom's design is inspired by an old Evinrude outboard engine in Chris Wedge's garage, as well as on a Volkswagen van. An early version of Rodney makes a cameo, as the green robot with the jet pack, waiting in line during Bigweld's television show.

An internet search will reveal dozens of outboard motors from the 1940-50s, all of which serve as beautiful examples of the "mid-century modern" style of designs. Many of the elements of these motors pop up in this film in various guises.

Note from me: I didn't know this, but it's not surprising, since many of the designs in the film remind the viewer of past-or-present day machinery.

~ On the "Map of the Stars' Homes" that Fender tries to sell Rodney, the names of the stars are: Jeremy Irons, Orson Wheels (Orson Welles), Axle Rose (Axl Rose), Britney Gears (Britney Spears), Farrah Faucet (Farrah Fawcett), and M.C. Hammer.

Note from me: This goes along with the previous item; the heavy influence of basic machinery.

~ In the chase sequence, while Big Weld is rebooting, he briefly sings the song "Daisy Bell," also known as "A Bicycle Built For Two". This was the first song ever voiced by a computer, when in 1961, IBM programmed their 704 computer to sing it, to demonstrate their voice synthesis system.

This is also the song sung in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by the Hal-9000 computer.

Note from me: Nice use of an iconic science fiction reference.

~ This was the first movie to feature the official trailer to Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) (also starring Ewan McGregor), where it was reported that Star Wars fans payed tickets to see the movie, only to leave when the trailer was over.

Note from me: Boy oh Boy, the Star Wars fan boys were chomping at the bit to see the three prequels!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel,]

[Bud Brewster]

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The Oxford dictionary defines "fanny" as "a person's buttocks". I think this IMDB item is totally bogus.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[tmlindsey]

Fanny is, indeed, slang for female genitalia in the UK.

UK slang for "butt" is bum and arse.

I like this film a lot but will NEVER understand why studios insist on casting big name star to do voices, when literally no one will care who does the voice as long as they're good in the role.
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"Have you never wondered what it would be like to walk between the ticks and tocks of Time?"

[Bud Brewster]

[tmlindsey]