Meet the Robinsons (DVD)

First things first, Meet the Robinsons is a solid flick. It's well worth renting and well worth buying, if you have a child this is an easy call. If you don't... well I doubt you'll listen to me but this could be an effective date movie as well. Meet the Robinsons is funny but has a ton of depth too. I'd say this is exactly the sort of movie we should be foisting upon our kids.

The film was adapted from a book by William Joyce. Based partly in the future it originally started as a live action film and it's been in development for quite a bit (I want to say ten years but that might be a smidge long). Meet the Robinsons was also screened completely with storyboards before any animation was done - that's the first time I've ever heard of that.

The DVD features include three deleted scenes, a small game, two music videos, a commentary and a few featurettes. Let's knock them down one by one. The deleted scenes aren't anything special though the presentation is interesting. Most deleted scenes I've watched include an option for commentary but on this DVD director Stephen J. Anderson explains the scene beforehand, why it was cut, and then the scene plays with a bit or art mixed in. Anderson is a dry sort, but informative too. The small game is just that; it won't take up more than 30 minutes of your kid's time. One of the music videos is from that guy who is the lead singer for Matchbox 20 and the other is from new boy band sensation The Jonas Brothers. What can one say about a music video on a DVD for an animation? Not much. It won't make you mad; it's just not worth watching.

The first featurette is a 17 minute deal called "Inventing the Robinsons." It details the pre-production and has an interview with William Joyce on his real life inspirations for the wacky Robinson family. The next feature is called "Keep Moving Forward: Inventions that Shaped the World." They lead off with the wheel around 7,000 years ago and bring it up to modern times in the six minutes afterwards. I'd call it an adequate learning experience though I don't know how you'd ever watch it more than once.

The commentary by Stephen Anderson is the most interesting aspect of the DVD but I'd call him an acquired taste. He actually voiced one of the main characters, Bowler Hat Guy, and he does a small portion of the commentary in character. Though I mentioned he's an acquired taste I found him interesting. Lewis, the main character in Meet the Robinsons is an orphan and director Anderson himself was adopted so it's clear he carries a particular passion for the film.

The main theme of Meet the Robinsons is "Keep Moving Forward!" This is a good lesson, and it's clear that every part in the development of this film cried out for that. Though this DVD is underwhelming I hope the film gets in front of plenty of younglings. We need a future generation of filmmakers that embrace complexity of story – I'd like to think Meet the Robinsons could be the first step for many a young mind.