Meet the Robinsons

Behind the scenes and on the red carpet

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Kid Reporter Rachel Tucker at the Los Angeles premiere of Meet the Robinsons. (Photo: Dayna Frank)

March 30, 2007

This week, Meet the Robinsons—a new animated 3D movie from Walt Disney Pictures—hits movie screens across the country. I recently got to go behind the scenes to learn about the making of the movie. Then, it was off to the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere!

Meet the Robinsons is based on A Day with Wilbur Robinson, a book by William Joyce. The movie follows Lewis, a brilliant young inventor who gets swept up in an exciting adventure. Soon after meeting the mysterious Wilbur Robinson, Lewis is whisked away in a time machine!

During my behind-the-scenes visit, I learned about the technology that was used in making Meet the Robinsons. A seven-minute demonstration film showed scenes from the movie.

It was exciting to see how the 3D worked. After the demonstration, I got to interview the 3D Supervisor, Phil McNalley. I asked him about the difficulty of making a 3D movie.

“The way 3D works is that there are 2 images on the same screen," he explained. "So it's like making 2 movies, with slightly different angles. You wear special glasses so that one sees one image and the other sees the other image. So it’s like seeing real-life things.”

McNalley didn't want to give away the whole movie, but he did talk about one of the movie's themes.

"I think of it as an adventure into the future," he said.

The film has a great message—never give up! It also reminds people not to dwell on the past.

From the Red Carpet

I also went to the Meet the Robinsons premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Across the street from the theater, the sidewalk was filled with people dressed as characters from the movie. It was pretty fun to watch.

I got to talk with the movie's director, Steve Anderson. He remembered me from my visit to the animation studio. I asked him if he was excited about opening day.

"Yes," he said. "My wife and my son are going to see the movie in 3D for the first time, so I’m very excited.”

Meet the Robinsons just opened in theaters across the country.

Rachel Tucker is a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.

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