By Steve Biodrowski

This amusing computer-generated science-fiction fantasy from Disney may not equal the best of their work with Pixar (TOY STORY, A BUG’S LIFE, etc.), but it is much better than other recent efforts to cash in on the lucrative craze (such as THE WILD and MADAGASCAR). The film offers up likable characters, good sight gags, and clever jokes aimed at adults as well as kids; even the potentially mawkish message - having a wonderful family is the key to happiness - is handled in a palatable way. It's not enough to add up to classic status, but it is happy diversion.

Story focuses on Lewis, a young orphan whose wild scientific enthusiasm and malfunctioning inventions prevent him from being adopted. One day at a science fair, his latest invention (a memory scanner) is sabotaged by a mysterious man in a bowler hat, who wants to steal the invention and patent it as his own. A black-haired boy named Wilbur shows up to help Lewis out; eventually it emerges that Wilbur is from the future and through his carelessness the "Bowler Hat Guy" was able to steal one of two working time machines and return to the past to pull of his heist. Wilbur takes Lewis to the future in pursuit of the villain, where Lewis meets Wilbur's family and decides he wants to remain with them; unfortunately, his continued presence in the future would disrupt the time stream, which is already threatened with catastrophic consequences because of the action of the Man in the Bowler Hat. It's up to Lewis to repair Wilbur's broken time machine and put a stop to the villain before it's too late, while also resolving his family issues and his desire to go back in time and find the mother who anonymously abandoned him at the orphanage.

In one of the script's nice touches, the villain turns out not be a criminal mastermind but a vengeful bumbler who relies on a robot sidekick (his ubiquitous bowler hat) for inspiration. Viewers will not require Einstein's I.Q. to figure out the reason the villain is not named is that he will turn out to be someone Lewis knows from his past, but the revelation fits smoothly in with the whole story, which also does a nice job of tying together suspenseful plot mechanics (defeating the villain) with Lewis's own personal goals, which are focused on finding a family to call his own. Although there is plenty of visual flash, MEET THE ROBINSONS does not fall prey to the potential for excess too often seen in computer-generated animation. There is a nice contrast between the architecture of the present and the future, which intentionally resembles a children's theme park (in a nod to Disneyland, there's even a "Today Land" attraction on view). In fact, one of the film's highlights is the extended middle section in which Lewis gets a whirlwind tour not only of the future but also of the Robinson family, who somewhat resemble a can of mixed nuts, complete with a purple squid for a butler, a jazz band of frogs, and one man who seems to be married to a hand-puppet.

The animation is nicely done, although occasionally in long shots the animators seem to be struggling to give everybody something to do. Generally, computer-generated animation has previously worked best with non-human characters: toys, monsters, animals. However, MEET THE ROBINSONS does a credible job with its cast of people (for a point of comparison, check out the ghastly humans in TMNT, which came out a week before ROBINSONS). Still, some of the best and funniest work involves Frankie the Singing Frog (obviously modeled on Frank Sinatra) and a lovable T-Rex.

Unfortunately, the best of these sight gags are available in the film's trailer, which leaves the actually movie-going experience somewhat muted by familiarity. MEET THE ROBINSONS is a good effort, but it does not have so much up its sleeve that it can afford to show its best cards in the trailer. Despite these slight shortcomings, it is a delightful family film that really can entertain the whole family.

TRIVIA

Although Pixar, the computer animation company behind TOY STORY and other blockbuster hits, is not listed on the film's credits, Pixar founder John Lasseter is listed as Executive Producer.

Director Stephen J. Anderson provides the voice for "Bowler Hat Guy" and two other characters.