| Meet the Robinsons | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Stephen Anderson |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce |
| Produced by | Dorothy McKim |
| Starring |
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| Edited by | Ellen Keneshea |
| Music by | Danny Elfman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release dates |
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Running time | 95 minutes[1][2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150 million[3] |
| Box office | $170.5 million[4] |
Meet the Robinsons is a 2007 American animated science-fiction comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is loosely based on the 1990 children's book A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce. The film was directed by Stephen J. Anderson (in his feature directorial debut) and produced by Dorothy McKim, from a screenplay that Anderson co-wrote with Don Hall, Nathan Greno, Joe Mateo, Jon Bernstein, Michelle Spitz, and Aurian Redson. The film stars the voices of Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry, Wesley Singerman, Angela Bassett, Tom Selleck, Harland Williams, Laurie Metcalf, Nicole Sullivan, Adam West, Ethan Sandler, Tom Kenny, and Anderson. It follows an orphaned 12-year-old inventor, Lewis, who is desperate to be adopted. He meets Wilbur Robinson, a young time-traveler who takes him to the year 2037 to visit his eccentric family. They must prevent a mysterious bowler-hatted man from changing Lewis's fate, and, by proxy, the future.
Development began in 2002,[5] with production underway starting in 2004, under the working title A Day with Wilbur Robinson, with a release initially slated for 2006. Anderson developed a personal connection to the main character Lewis, as he himself grew up an orphan and was later adopted. Disney originally planned to adapt Joyce's style, before it was decided to slightly rework the style due to his involvement stylistically in Blue Sky Studios' Robots. The animation crew had the challenge to animate CG humans, being inspired by Pixar's The Incredibles, while the inspiration for the film came from Disney animated classics, such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, and Peter Pan, as well as Warner Brothers cartoons, to capture a 1950s aesthetic. Disney's acquisition of Pixar in early 2006 led to nearly 60% of the film, including the villain and the ending, being scrapped and reworked. Danny Elfman provided the film's score, while artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Rob Thomas, The All-American Rejects and They Might Be Giants contributed to the film's soundtrack.
Meet the Robinsons premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 25, 2007, and was released in standard and Disney Digital 3-D formats in the United States on March 30. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards the animation and story.[6] However, it was a box office failure, grossing $170.5 million against a budget of $150 million.[7]
- ^ "Meet the Robinsons". Australian Classification. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ Simon, Ben (October 24, 2007). "Meet The Robinsons". Animated Views. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ^ "Meet the Robinsons: 60% of the Movie was Redone".
- ^ "Meet the Robinsons". The Numbers. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ^ "Interview: Meet the Robinsons Director Stephen J. Anderson". ComingSoon.net. August 23, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The 10 Best Disney Movies That Bombed at the Box Office". Observer. May 23, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2022.