Parents Television Council Reviews

PTC reviews aim to provide you with advance information about an entertainment offering so that you can be the final arbiter of what you and your family see.

Meet the Robinsons

By Andrew Bowser

Release date: March 30, 2007

MPAA Rated: G

Starring: Laurie Metcalf, Jordan Fry, Angela Bassett

Genre: Animated, Sci-Fi, Adventure

Recommended age: 6 and up

The Parents Television Council is pleased to award its Seal of Approval to Walt Disney Pictures' thrilling new picture Meet the Robinsons.  In addition to its spectacular 3D effects and spirit of high adventure, Meet the Robinsons is the heart-warming story of an orphaned boy who seeks, and finally finds, a loving home and family. The film may be too intense for very young children, but those six and older will enjoy the roller-coaster excitement of Disney's latest triumph.

Lewis is a brilliant boy inventor with an ambitious project: the Memory Scanner, a machine that will help him find his birth mother. But Lewis' invention is stolen by the dastardly Bowler Hat Guy and his diabolical hat Doris. Lewis has all but given up hope when a mysterious stranger named Wilbur Robinson whisks him away in a time machine. Together, Lewis and Wilbur track down Bowler Hat Guy, a showdown that ends with an unexpected twist of fate.

Meet the Robinsons is the story of Lewis' desire for family and a feeling of belonging. Lewis is an orphan who constantly wishes he knew what his birth mother looked like. The film also deals with issues of fate and living up to one's own destiny. Lewis is talented, but worries that his inventions will never see the light of day or change the way people live their daily lives. Will Lewis' genius ever be recognized?

The movie also deals with feelings of failure and falling short. Many characters in the film tell Lewis that failing isn't the end, but rather is the sign of a new beginning and a chance to try again. This is a good message for children, who often feel they are judged harshly by parents and friends. It is refreshing to see a film that encourages children not to be hard on themselves and lets them know that their worth is not dependent on success. The film tells them, "Just keep trying, and that's success enough!"

Visually the film is stunning, and is presented in 3-D at numerous theaters. The 3-D effects and the booming sound throughout the film's many action sequences may be too intense for younger children. The villain in the film, "Bowler Hat Guy," lurches out at the audience in startling 3-D fashion on many occasions. (The character's jagged smile and haunting eyes frightened a 4-year-old girl into tears at the showing I attended.) There is also a sequence in which a dinosaur puts the main characters in its jaws, nearly chewing them to death before spitting them out unharmed. Children six and older should not find the film as frightening. The colorful character palette and zip-zooming effects may not be enough to entertain the parents in the crowd, but the film's message of love and belonging will. Meet the Robinsons is filled with wit and whimsy which will wow audiences from the present all the way to the distant future!

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