From the first time I viewed the trailer I was quite anxious to see this film from Disney, Meet the Robinsons. It turns out that I was not disappointed either.


The Plot

The film starts off with a young 13 year-old Lewis, an egghead wannabe inventor who lives in an orphanage and shares a room with his best friend Michael, (or as he's better known as -Goob). In-between his inventive inventions he is interviewing for potential parents to take him into his new family.

At a science-fair at school, he is encountered by a strange new character Wilbur who claims to have a time machine. Lewis agrees to travel with Wilbur to the future if only Wilbur agrees to take Lewis back to the past so that he can learn who his mother is.

Meanwhile, the villain - Bowler Hat Guy is trying to destroy everything Wilbur is trying to accomplish by taking Lewis to the future. Bowler Hat Guy also has a time machine (there were only two made in the world, both by Wilbur's father).

In the future (2037), Lewis meets a kooky family, The Robinsons. Are they odd? You bet, yet very lovable and the only family Lewis has had the chance to live with. Very quickly, he warms up to them as they do to him. He wishes to stay with them, but once they realize his destiny, they tearfully must urge him to go back to his own time to fulfill said destiny.


Analysis

It sounds a little confusing, and there are many characters to take in - but if you invest the 95 minutes, you will not be disappointed. The big cast of characters, especially within the Robinson clan has their own adorable unique quirks and the more you get to know them, then the more you'll be coming back. The characters are lovable, and you'll be missing them enough so that you'll be putting the DVD or Blu-Ray in time after time. In fact, in my opinion - the animated movie only gets better with more viewings.

The movie deals with time travel, alternate realities and the laws of time, and yet Disney was able to illustrate these complex ideas even to the young ones watching, and that's no easy feat. I love these concepts, and I've been trying to explain them to my six-year-old son with films like Back to the Future, but he couldn't comprehend it. Now, with Meet the Robinsons, he understands enough to enjoy the film very much.

Since the fact that Lewis is an orphan remains, and he does terribly with each meeting with a new set of perspective parents - it made him yearn for his biological mother all the more. He doesn't feel loved or needed in the way only a mother or family could do. When he learned of Wilbur's time machine, he sought an opportunity to discover his mother's tru identity in order to reunite with her. There are some very touching scenes on this subject, especially one of the last scenes.

Along with the inclusion of time travel, there is also humor aimed at both young and old, as Disney will usually infuse in their films. One of the main sprinkles of Disney Magic that make sure that the whole family gathers together to watch their movies.

When he meets The Robinsons, he discovers the family mantra - "Always movie forward". It annoys him at first, because each and every time he makes a mistake they recite the mantra as a way to remind him to keep trying and have faith. It turns out that this saying is also one of Walt Disney's quotes as well, and within this context it makes it all the more poignant.


The Blu-Ray Difference

This Blu-Ray is one of the more exceptional ones I own. The video is breathtaking, the audio is living-room rattling and the extra features are so much fun. There is a video game, a trivia game, music videos and some other technical features, and all in stunning 1080p. I wholly recommend that you invest in Blu-Ray and experience what Disney has to offer in this format as a rule.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV