"Robots"

I am just watching "Robots", the computer-animated feature film with Robin Williams as one of the voices. I find myself saying what I say about many films these days: I love the visuals, but the story is a bit pedestrian.

This highlights what is so great about Pixar movies. (Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, Toy Story.) "Robots" is literal and obvious all the time. Take the title: "Robots". It is literal. The story mainly consists of "robot jokes". Jokes just based on the fact that the characters are robots. Pixar would have made far less obvious jokes. And they would have made the characters much more interesting, not cardboard. Sorry, tin plate.

Finally, "Robots" signals all its messages in huge, shining letters. When the characters have a "touching" moment, their face lights up in close-up, and "uplifting" movie music plays. Pixar movies don't hit the audience over the head.

Maybe I'll finish the film yet, since the visuals are so wonderful, and it does have the occasional amusing moment. And then maybe I'll rewatch The Incredibles.

Update: OK, half an hour into it: the "dance on the ballbearings"... it is absolutly priceless, and almost worth it by itself, even if it is only 20 seconds. Two robots slipping and sliding on a ton of ballbearings, set to music.
Also interestingly: this scene could only have been done in CG. It could certainly not have been done in live action. And not in claymation. And it would be very difficult indeed to do in 2D animation, with thousands of ballbearings zipping around, etc. I think this new medium is coming into its own.
There is another inspired clip, a ten second scene were a bunch of fighting robots spontaneously turn into a music video, complete with Oops I Did It Again by Britney Spears playing. Marvellous.
But GAWD, some scenes are syrupy! I think if I ever watch it again, I'll get diabetes.