Blue Sky is quickly becoming a force in the animated film genre with superb titles like Ice Age and Robots. They also handled the criminally ignored Titan A.E. While a vastly different film than Titan, the studio keeps that streak alive with the inventive Robots.
The film is immediately gripping thanks to its look. This is easily some of the best computer animation to date, and the lighting is nothing short of incredible. The rendered world is flawlessly depicted and at times a little too close to reality. You have to remind yourself this isn't live action.
A simple story sets the backdrop for this rousing little adventure. Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) is trying to get a little more out of life and leaves home to showcase his inventions. As expected, things are a bit off from his expectations and his determination becomes the focus.
As with most animated films, the lead character is surrounded by equally entertaining sidekicks. The cast here is packed, and the DVD case has trouble keeping them on the top for marketing purposes. Every time a new robot appears, the voice is instantly recognizable, from the always-on Mel Brooks to the over-the-top Robin Williams.
The brisk pace means Rodney moves on quickly, as do the jokes. This film requires multiple viewings to catch it all, and even then you might not see everything this has to offer. Backgrounds are littered with references or sight gags. That's what Robots is adept at; tossing tons of information at the viewer to keep anyone glued to their seats to appreciate the work involved here.
Problems creep in with a heavily forced moral message. The writers could have opened each viewer's mouth and shoved a piece of paper stating "never give up" down their throats and it would still be less invasive than the dialogue. Even the target audience of this message will grow weary. Robots also loses its imaginative and comedy hook during the final 20 minutes, replacing it with energetic action to bring the story to a close. It's nice to watch, but not as entertaining.
Finally, with the world as beautifully created as it is, there's not much information given to the audience about it. You can clearly see aging robots, yet this is a world where new parts are always available. Why would any of them age? There's little explanation for many of the gadgets or purpose of objects. Giant factories seem to exist, though they don't seem to serve much of a purpose. This is definitely a world audiences need to revisit with a sequel. 
A rare occurrence for a computer-generated movie on DVD, Robots is littered with video problems. Compression artifacts are abnormally high, a downside to the bright colors. Reds bleed out regularly. Aliasing is excessive because of the format's resolution, and can be distracting. In close, details on the robots are stunning. When things start moving and a lot of detail is being pushed, the noticeable issues begin rearing their heads. 
Article comments
1 - Garret
Is this DVD ALL commercials? We just got it from netflix and have been trying to get to the menu to watch the movie... Can't select the menu - it only gives me the hand, I skipped through 6 chapters of previews/ads only to have it cycle back to the beginning of the disk. How do I get to watch the movie itself? We decided to just start the dvd, mute the sound, and watch some broadcast TV while we waited for the player to eventually get around to displaying the menu.