50 Fun Facts About Meet the Robinsons

What is the name of the orphaned young inventor at the center of the film?

Two actors, Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry, voiced him after the studio needed lines changed mid-production.

How old is the young inventor?

Wilbur, by contrast, is 13.

What invention does he bring to the science fair?

He built it to locate the birth mother who left him at the orphanage.

What is the name of the Bowler Hat Guy's sentient hat?

She was designed by Cornelius as a Helping Hat and went rogue.

What company does the Bowler Hat Guy try to pitch the stolen invention to?

He fails because he does not know how it works.

What is the Robinson family motto?

Lewis is adopted at the end and takes the motto into his inventing career.

What do the Robinsons name the T-Rex they adopt?

The Bowler Hat Guy brought it from the past to kidnap Lewis.

Who is the Bowler Hat Guy revealed to be?

Mike Yagoobian blamed Lewis for a lost Little League game after falling asleep in the outfield.

Who does Lewis turn out to be in the future?

Bud Robinson gives him the nickname after adopting him.

How does Lewis defeat Doris?

That erases her existence and restores the future, including Wilbur.

Who voices the adult future version of Lewis?

Tom Kenny voices Mr. Willerstein, the science teacher.

Who voices the Bowler Hat Guy?

Anderson also voices Bud, Fritz, Laszlo, Tallulah and Aunt Petunia.

Which actor was originally offered the Bowler Hat Guy role?

He had signed on to star in The Number 23 instead.

Who voices Mildred, head of the Sixth Street Orphanage?

Laurie Metcalf voices Dr. Lucille Krunklehorn, who adopts Lewis.

Which Batman actor voices Uncle Art, the pizza delivery superhero?

Art is Franny and Gaston's brother.

What is the name of the Robinsons' neurotic robot?

Harland Williams voices him; Lefty is the octopus butler.

What does Franny Robinson train to sing in a band?

Jamie Cullum provides the singing voice of the lead frog, Frankie.

What is Lefty, the family butler?

He is voiced by Nathan Greno, one of the film's writers.

Why does Buster the dog wear glasses?

Uncle Joe, meanwhile, rides an easy chair and only whimpers.

Where do Uncles Spike and Dimitri sit?

They argue over whose doorbell visitors should ring.

What is Aunt Billie's hobby?

In the original book she owns a life-size train set.

What does the student Lizzy present at the science fair?

Stanley presents a Mount Vesuvius project.

What is Uncle Gaston's occupation?

In the book he is a human cannonball.

Which 1990 children's book is the film based on?

William Joyce wrote and illustrated it; Disney first optioned it as a live-action film.

In the book, what is the household searching for?

Grandfather Robinson is always missing parts like his false teeth and glass eye.

Which real jazz legends inspired two of Grandfather Robinson's friends in the book?

They appear as Mr. Ellington and Mr. Armstrong.

Who directed Meet the Robinsons?

He connected with Lewis because he, too, grew up adopted.

In which Louisiana city did producer Bill Borden meet William Joyce in 1990?

Borden was shooting The Man in the Moon there and saw proofs of the book.

A character resembling Lewis appeared in which 2001 tech demo?

It was shown at SIGGRAPH 2001.

Why was William Joyce's visual style reworked for the film?

The crew also drew on Technicolor films, 1940s architecture and Apple.

Which Pixar film inspired the crew's approach to animating CG humans?

Their previous film, Chicken Little, had starred CG animals.

Roughly what share of the film was scrapped and redone after John Lasseter's notes?

Lasseter found the villain not scary enough; the dinosaur chase and new ending came from the rework.

Who composed the film's score?

Rufus Wainwright, Jamie Cullum and Rob Thomas performed the original songs.

Which Rob Thomas song from the film reached No. 5 on the Billboard AC chart?

It also reached the top 20 in Australia and Canada.

"There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" originally came from which Disneyland attraction?

They Might Be Giants covered it for the soundtrack.

Which band's "Kids of the Future" reworked "Kids in America"?

The All-American Rejects contributed "The Future Has Arrived".

Which 1938 Mickey Mouse short preceded standard screenings?

3D showings instead got the 1953 Donald Duck short Working for Peanuts.

What did the film display first among the studio's animated features?

Earlier films had only shown the Walt Disney Pictures logo.

Roughly how many REAL D theaters showed the 3D version?

The 3D credits were left two-dimensional except for the conversion crew's names.

Where did the film premiere on March 25, 2007?

It opened wide five days later.

Which film beat it to No. 1 on its opening weekend?

It opened to about $25.1 million in second place.

What was the film's reported production budget?

It grossed about $170.5 million worldwide, making it a disappointment.

What grade did CinemaScore audiences give the film?

Rotten Tomatoes sits at 68% with a 6.4/10 average.

What was the cancelled direct-to-video sequel tentatively called?

Lasseter cancelled all Disneytoon sequels in development when he took over.

Which 2023 short recreated Lewis, Wilbur and the Bowler Hat Guy with new CG models?

The old models had not been used in over a decade, so rigging and rendering were rebuilt.

What Disney item was released for the film's 15th anniversary in 2022?

Cast and crew also reunited for a two-hour YouTube livestream.

What was the BD-J game included on the Blu-ray called?

Family Function 5000 was a separate game on both the DVD and Blu-ray.

In the DVD commentary, who occasionally interrupts the director?

By January 2008 the DVD had sold about 4 million copies.

Which three characters are playable in the mobile game Disney Heroes: Battle Mode?

Carl is referred to in-game as Carl the Robot.

Which England-based studio made the Game Boy Advance adaptation?

Disney Interactive published the console versions.