Meet the Robinsons; A Preview

A light–hearted movie bonanza with a perfect timing with the children enthused 'Meet the Robinsons' has so much more in store than just a popcorn fare and it certainly qualifies without much an effort as an animated movie which young and the 'young–at–heart' can relish alike.

With a very strong moral worldview with some great moral and redemptive comments like "the truth shall set you free," forgive and forget the past, keep going forward and other positive, uplifting, redemptive messages this is one movie every parent should take their kids out for. There are ambiguous factors just suggestive in nature and no traces of ill references. Smoking, breaking promises and villainous intent have been rebuked in the course of the movie.

The movie revolves around a boy genius, Lewis, who escapes from a villain into the future, where he has to rebuild a time travel ship before a mysterious, eccentric family from the future disappears. And in his quest the boy gives the audience with giggles and emotional moments.

The story opens with a little baby being left at an orphanage. Mildred, who runs the orphanage, calls the little boy Lewis. Cut to a young Lewis and his roommate, called "Goob," building a fantastic contraption to put peanut butter and jelly on bread in equal portions. Mildred tells Lewis he has to meet with a couple looking to adopt someone. Lewis has been through this time after time and never gets adopted, because he is almost 13 and past the age of adoption. Needless to say, the couple doe not want a young genius. Rather, they want a typical boy who plays sports and does boy things. Lewis turns off the couple when his peanut butter and jelly machine explodes and hits the man, who has a peanut allergy.

Lewis decides he'll never have a family. In desperation, he builds a machine to explore his own memories so he can remember what his mother looks like and possibly find her.

At this moment, Wilbur Robinson shows up from the future to tell Lewis that the villainous Bowler Hat Guy has come from the future to steal his machine. Bowler Hat Guy does just that.

Lewis and Wilbur go into the future and wreck one of the two only time travel ships. Lewis has to rebuild it before Wilbur and the whole Robinson family disappears. The Robinson family do not make his task any easier, because they are so eccentric. And, Bowler Hat Guy pursues Lewis through time and space to capture him.

There's a lot of good in MEET THE ROBINESONS. Most of the movie is very exciting and humorous and tugs at the heartstrings. In the middle, the movie loses its way while introducing us to the Robinsons, so the whole middle section becomes a series of slapstick comic routines before the plot engages the audience again.

The movie has some very poignant, positive statements, such as the biblical reference that the truth will set you free, and the Walt Disney reference that you have to learn from your mistakes and keep going forward. Curiosity, teamwork and kindness are extolled. Even the villain has heart, and the goal is to convert the villain to the good, not condemn him.

The scary moments in MEET THE ROBINSONS are lightweight. Tiny the Dinosaur has some funny reflections on the villain's ineptitude. The music is very good in this movie. And, the 3D is the best that I have seen so far. Disney has improved upon the 3D process so that the 3D does not lose its focus when you turn your head, so you don't get a headache watching the movie. The visual architecture in the story supports the 3D.

There's very little scatological, negative content in the movie. The slapstick violence is less than you would find in an Abbott & Costello movie. There is a food fight which might set a bad impression, but otherwise MEET THE ROBINSONS is a positive experience, and anyone who meets them here will have a better life.