Robots, and dark unintended meanings...

Robots was created by Blue Sky productions (the same people who made Ice Age and Horton Hears a Who) in 2005. It was well received critically, and was #1 at the box office at one point. It has a somewhat predictable plot, but it actually has some very good gags that don't overstay their welcome (like a couple gags in Pixar's Brave). It also has some good adult humor to entertain parents as well as children. Robots is a very good film, and I find few faults with it, and recommend it for families and fans of animation.



... However, there is one thing I find somewhat amusing and a little disturbing about some of the jokes and gags in the film...

The Parts

First off, all the character's are humanoid robots. That is understandable, and the connections between them and humans make sense as well. The robots grow, age, procreate, and die. They have different ways of going about it, but the parallels are there.
But, there are a few things that force you to break those parallels off. For starters, after Mr and Mrs Copperbottom build their son (like ya do) the father mentions that their son has his grandmother's eyes, and his grandfather's nose. Alright, if they follow the same model of bots, that'd make sense (and we do see in one gag that the robots are models)... However, the father then says "I knew we were smart to save those parts!"
... The disturbing part isn't that the grandparents are dead, it's that they took pieces of them, kept those pieces (I assume in a jar or something, if they were on display that'd just make it even creepier) and then put those pieces onto their baby. I'm not even sure what kind of wrong that is. It isn't exactly necromancy, but it is messing around with dead organs and bringing them back to life for use.
But okay, suspension of disbelief, they are robots, maybe their parents gave those pieces to them in their will, requesting that their child use them.
Next, after a montage of the Copperbottom's raising Rodney, Mr. Copperbottom brings in a box for Rodney which he proclaims to be "his big boy parts." Okay, robots grow up by replacing parts. Not sure why they don't just skip to full height on the first growth, save money and parts, but fine, keeping the human parallel. Then we learn that the parts are hand-me downs from his cousin.
Granted, that isn't as creepy as dismantling the dead to keep parts form them, but still... Rodney is essentially equipping someone else's body. But it's from his cousin, probably the same model, upheld by how Rodney keeps the same aesthetic throughout the film despite different parts.
But then this turns for another kind of weird when Rodney gets his next on-screen set of hand-me downs... From his cousin Veronica. They are pink, they have "breasts," and he wears them throughout high school as we see in his school photo and at his graduation. While it could be understandable with the hand-me downs from his male cousins being used to upgrade Rodney, since it is possible that those parts are of his model... Veronica's parts are clearly of a different model type, and of course another gender. At that point it can't be ignored: He is wearing another person's body. One would think it would be incompatible with his model, or something along those lines, but as it turns out, all parts are completely interchangeable, and work pretty much like modding a PC. You can change the parts at will, and pretty much anything is compatible.
What's the point of gender in this universe if it can be changed on a whim and if procreation doesn't actually involve sex? I know it's difficult to think how we would refer to people without he she him her, but on more than one occasion the characters are wearing parts that are contrary to their "gender." They end up treating the parts more like clothes in these instances, like they are crossdressing, instead of like their body has changed.
They treat the parts like clothes, except when it comes to Upgrades and Spare Parts (capitals because they are the names of products, not unspecific nouns). Upgrades change the character's body, making them go from frail old man to body builder. The Spare Parts are what the robots use to keep themselves together instead of upgrading. These have visible effects on the robots, and they acknowledge the changes they make as affecting their body.
So we have a small idea of what parts are in this world:

• Parts obey the head of the robot they are attached to, and don't ever "belong" to one robot. 
• Parts are completely interchangeable.
• Upgrades can extend a robot's lifespan and have a visible effect on their strength.
• Different gender parts are compatible, and don't change the wearer's gender

... Then we have Fender who mucks about with the first rule. At one point in the movie, his head becomes detached from his body. And instead of his body collapsing since the head is detached, Fender remains in control of his body, even bickering with it.

Well, maybe this could be rewriting the rule as "Parts obey the head and torso of the Robot they are attached to."

...Except that later Fender's arms fall off, and they move on their own...

There are two options for how this is possible:

1. Fender is a zombie/skeleton, and functions just like one of them in cartoons.
2. Fender's model has AI installed into every part, and it is that AI that controls the limbs. This is proven by how the parts move on their own, and how when detached they don't obey Fender entirely. But also disproved since Fender attaches new legs later in the film, and is in control of them.

But, I suppose all of this is just suspension of disbelief. It is believable in the movie, and not really needing to be questioned. It is just strange when you think about it.

Sucks to be them

There is one thing in the movie however that does bring up issues... The main characters are robots that are like humans, but they still have a lot of the same technology we do, like watches, telephones, and fire hydrants.
The problem is, a lot of things in the world are alive. They aren't like plants, where they are alive but have no mind... Objects in the world have sentience. The fire hydrant is alive, fake watches will tell you they are fake, the telephone will try to sell you a phone plan, the street lamps can die and give last words... Were they all born into a family like Rodney? Did they go to school too?
I think another possibility is more likely.
In the film, Rodney builds a little dish washing robot. It is simple, but smart, and also easily startled and made nervous. Now, Rodney didn't get this robot in a kit, he didn't make it with a wife/husband/whathaveyou...
Rodney made it from teacups and silverware. Rodney is playing in the realm of gods, and he succeeded in creating life.
Actually a lot of people played in god's domain and succeeded, considering the fake watches have sentience just the same as the street lamp.
But it brings up a problem with them...
Rodney invented the little robot to help his father out in dish washing. Rodney basically created a slave.
But that robot Rodney made got off lightly, it can still move around freely and possibly do as it wishes when it's job is done. The same can't be said for the fire hydrant, street lamp, telephone, watches... They were all made to be stuck in one spot forever.
Sucks to be them...

The ACTUAL death panel

Early on in the introduction to robot city, we are shown the sweepers... Giant robots that collect out-mode (old and out of date) robots to be taken to the chop-shop.
The problem with this is this: The sweepers collect LIVING out-modes, and take them to be killed.
First off, how did this get approved by whatever government the robots have? They say numerous times that Ratchet (the movie's villain, who craves money) is out-moding millions of bots by cutting off Spare Parts, so we have to assume there are millions of bots that are at risk of being swept up and murdered to make upgrades for other bots.
Second, why do they need to do this at all? The robots have the ability to die, so just take them when they are dead. Conversely, robots seem to be able to extend their life by replacing parts, so it begs the question... Why does anyone need to die?

So, why did I call this section "The Actual death panel?" Because all the out-modes don't have insurance. The sweepers are murdering the poor, at the behest of a company that wishes to make money. That's a step up in villainy from building oil derricks and killing ducks named Becky. (Saved by the Bell Oil episode reference)





But besides the murder, the slavery, and the necromancy, this is a great film!