THE CAST MEETS THE ROBINSONS: 
CRAFTING THE CHARACTERS

The heart of MEET THE ROBINSONS is the orphan boy who is whisked from a world in which he has just about given up hope to a world where anything and everything is not only possible, but expected to happen!  This is 12 year-old Lewis, the film’s time-traveling young hero, who Steve Anderson describes as “someone who thinks differently than the rest of the world.”
Lewis’ main goal in life is to find his family, which is why he invents the Memory Scanner, a remarkable machine that allows a person to see into the past – although Lewis will later realize he needs to switch directions and head towards the future to resolve his quest.  The director explains:  “Lewis wants to make a better world through inventions, but his inventions are a little bit odd, and it’s not what families who come to the orphanage are looking for.  Lewis’ hopes of ever finding a family, or his real mother, are just about dashed until he meets Wilbur Robinson, who restores his hope in the future by bringing him into it!”         
As outcast as Lewis might feel at the outset of his story, he might ultimately be one of the least eccentric characters in MEET THE ROBINSONS – because he is about to be surrounded by a group of people who definitely who put the “free” in free spirited.  To bring the film’s remarkably diverse characters to life, the filmmakers recruited a group of actors from all walks of life – ranging from Oscar® nominees to behind-the-scenes animators who are rarely heard on screen. Comments Steve Anderson:  “I’m so excited about the cast that we have.  We have people from all kinds of backgrounds, who are experienced in comedy, in television, in theatre, in cartoons and especially improv and because of that, they were able to create characters in a truly bigger-than-life sense.  They have taken these wonderful characters even beyond what we imagined.” 
The cast includes Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett, who portrays Mildred, the sweet and patient caretaker at the 6th Street Orphanage that has always been home to Lewis, ever since Mildred first found him on her doorstep as an infant.  Bassett loved the story’s comic-tinged take on the wonders of family.  “I really appreciated this story about a little boy who’s looking for a family and about how there’s many ways to make family,” she says.  “As a new mom, I found it especially appealing.”                                                                                                                     Bassett got to exercise all her maternal instincts as Mildred.  “Mildred’s ambition, her dream, her occupation and her greatest commitment is to finding each and every one of her orphanage kids a loving family, one who will see them for who they are and love and appreciate their own special uniqueness,” the actress explains.  In the case of Lewis, however, that search has hit a dead-end, much to Mildred’s chagrin.  After all, Mildred loves all her kids, but she has a special place in her heart for Lewis.  “She understands how different Lewis is, how he marches to beat of his own drummer,” says Bassett.  “I think she sees a little Albert Einstein in the making.”                                  As much as Bassett enjoyed creating Mildred’s voice, one of the biggest thrills for her was seeing the character come to life in all her animated glory. “She has a fantastic look, so endearing and cute.  With her little eyeglasses and hairdo, I loved it.  To me it’s amazing what the animators have come up with on this film,” she sums up. 
Another major star who lends his voice to MEET THE ROBINSONS is Golden Globe® and Emmy® Award winner Tom Selleck, whose tough-guy charisma was a perfect match for the vast optimism and fearless genius of Cornelius Robinson, the accomplished inventor and beloved head of Robinson Enterprises, which turns out world-altering gadgets by the score. 
“He might be animated but Cornelius Robinson is just a great character – a brilliant, optimistic family man who has proved that just about anything is possible if you put your mind to it,” says Selleck.  “I admire that he’s someone who knows what counts and believes wholeheartedly in his family, no matter how unusual they are.  It was a very fun challenge for me as an actor to imagine being in his world.” 
Says Steve Anderson of the casting:  “Tom is just incredible as the founder of our future.” 
Also joining in on the fun is popular comedian, trained animator and children’s book author Harland Williams who has been seen in numerous hit film comedies of the last decade and is also known for playing the beloved character of Lug in the animated feature hit “Robots.”  Williams plays one of the Robinsons’ most complicated – and not just mechanically complicated – family members: the household robot Carl.  “Carl is this zany robot, who is kind of insecure, yet also over-confident at the same time.  He creates a lot of drama and excitement in everybody’s life,” Williams explains.  “He’s not human, so that makes him a bit of an outsider but he also has a real bond with Wilbur.” 

Williams had tons of fun figuring out how to portray Carl.  “For my voice, I was inspired by the idea that Carl is always excited and ready to go.  He doesn’t drink coffee, but he’s been dipping into the high-grade oil, man, and that makes him a little hyper!” 
Speaking of hyper, more of the film’s hilarious hijinx come from Dr. Lucille Krunklehorn, an inventor whose latest gizmo is a caffeine patch that gives her the jolt of twelve cups of coffee.  Needless to say, she hasn’t slept in days!  Playing Dr. Krunklehorn is multiple Emmy® Award winner and Golden Globe® nominee Laurie Metcalf, who has recently been seen in a recurring role on the popular TV hit “Desperate Housewives” and whose animated work includes playing Andy’s mom in the classic “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2.” 
Metcalf was drawn to MEET THE ROBINSONS after she fell in love with the family.  “One of the things I loved about the script is the idea of a family that celebrates failure,” she comments.  “The whole family rallies around anyone who fails at something and even welcomes it – because they realize that without failure you can never have success.  I also loved how they each express who they are in their own unique way and every single one is so different.  I wanted to get to know this family for real because they are so welcoming and wonderful.” 
Like many of the cast members, Metcalf was astonished to see Dr. Krunklehorn in her full animated incarnation.  “I was just ecstatic because I couldn’t take my eyes off her,” she says.  “I love her facial expressions and I thought she was an amazing actor thanks to the work of the animators.” 
Meanwhile, the literally whiz-bang role of intergalactic pizza man Uncle Art went to Adam West, the veteran star of screen and television best known for his long-running role as television’s Bruce Wayne/Batman.  West was knocked out by the screenplay’s humor.  “I thought it was so witty and a wonderful family story,” he says.  “The Robinsons are quirky but they also have a lot of the qualities and characteristics of real families.”  As for playing a man who promises to deliver a pie anywhere in the galaxy in a half an hour, West says:  “These characters are so inventive and interesting, they’re going to be loved by a lot of people.” 
Ethan Sandler, a writer and actor renowned for his incredible versatility with voices –- most recently seen starring as ADA Jeffrey Brandau on “Crossing Jordan” – takes on a whopping eight characters in MEET THE ROBINSONS, including the evil bowler hat Doris who hatches a secret plot against Lewis, as well as Uncle Fritz, Aunt Petunia, Cousin Laszlo, Uncle Dmitri, Uncle Spike and The CEO.  In coming up with an outrageous range of strange sounds, surprising noises and magnificent manners of speech, Sandler developed his own method of figuring out whether each of his different voices was working:  “With each different voice, I would just try to make Steve Anderson laugh – if he was laughing, then I knew I should just keep doing that!” he remarks. 
Sandler adds:  “I look at the Robinsons as sort of a big jazz band so it was a matter of trying to figure out what instrument each person should play.  It was pretty much trial-and-error until everyone was in hysterics.  The drawings of the characters made me want to raise the bar even higher, and match those incredibly funny faces.” 
As for his depiction of the film’s true villain – diabolical Doris, the “hench hat” that sits on the otherwise bumbling Bowler Hat Guy’s head – Sandler says:  “Doris’s voice is pretty much as many squeaks and sounds as I could come up with in one combination!” 
To play Wilbur Robinson, the kid from the future who changes Lewis’ life forever, the filmmakers cast teenaged Wesley Singerman, who has previously voiced the iconic Charlie Brown for several television productions.  Singerman could not resist having the chance to meet the Robinsons once he read the screenplay.  “Their story is non-stop hilarious.  It’s got action, it’s got love, it’s got comedy.  It’s awesome,” he sums up. 
Wilbur is so jazzed by life, he tends to talk at least a mile a minute, which was a lot of fun for Singerman.  “I think Wilbur is one of those guys who just wants to get a lot of things done right here and now,” he observes.  “I used my natural voice but speeded it way up.” 
When it came to Wilbur’s family, Singerman was in constant awe.  “They are just extremely quirky yet each fantastic in their own way,” he laughs.  “I loved seeing their life in the future and they are so funny – but I think they also show how if you have a lot of trust and belief in yourself and other people, you can achieve anything.” 
Finally, also joining the cast was director Steve Anderson himself, who took on the pivotal role of the pathetic bad guy, the appropriately named Bowler Hat Guy, who nearly disrupts the entire future.  Anderson decided to tackle the role on screen when the voice he developed during the storyboarding process took on a life of its own.  “I’m not sure where that voice comes from,” Anderson admits. “I think some of it comes from the anger and frustration I feel during morning commutes in traffic!  I’ve always found anger and frustration funny, as I think the root of a lot of comedy is angst.  Originally, I gave Bowler Hat Guy a British accent, but as the character evolved, I started pulling back on that, although that same kind of bravado remained.”
Anderson also came to the part with a lot of sympathy for the man who is more nincompoop than scoundrel.  “I’ve always loved the mix of villainy and comedy and this guy’s got it in spades,” he says.  “But while the world sees the black cape and the twirled mustache and the evil poses, that’s not really who he is.  Inside, I think he’s really just an excitable kid,” says Anderson.  “I think of him as almost like a bad theatre actor who is over-acting with all these big gestures and yet nobody is really buying it, because you know it’s not coming from inside.  He really can’t quite pull off that evil persona, which is left in the hands of the film’s real bad guy:  Doris!” 
            To Anderson, Bowler Hat Guy even shares some similarities with Lewis. “Usually the hero and villain of a movie have opposite lessons to learn, but both Lewis and Bowler Hat Guy come to see that they have to let go of the things that didn’t go right in the past, the things they wish could have been different, and move on – to keep moving forward,” he observes.  “I think that’s really unique.” 
Switching gears back to director, Anderson enjoyed evoking that same kind of bigger-than-life quality he sought in Bowler Hat Guy from the entire voice cast.  “There was no fear in our cast,” he summarizes.  “And that is so necessary for animation, because it’s not about subtlety, it’s about big, grand gestures. I was thrilled that our voice talent were all so creative and with all their ad-libs and energy they added so much to the world of Lewis and the Robinsons.”