Rise of the Friendly Machines
Our Favorite Robots

By: Jared blaut *

“Wall-E” does take home the statuette as Best Animated Film, Partly it’s the sheer excellence of the film, which is one of the best ever in what is shaping up as the Golden Age of Computer Animation. But partly it’s the subject matter: Everyone loves a friendly robot.
Not all robots are friendly, of course. The “Terminator” series, set to be renewed in May with “Terminator: Salvation,” is only the latest embodiment of man’s fear of technology run amok, which dates back to Mary Shelley’s seminal “Frankenstein” (1818) -- which isn’t technically about a robot, but even so.
But the friendly-robot tradition is equally long, and not all movie bots are cold-circuited killers. Some of them may be useless in a fight, but almost all share an unwavering admiration of, and an undying loyalty to, us mere humans.
Here are 12 of our favorites.

Robby the Robot ‘Forbidden Planet’ (1956)
Robby is the undisputed mechanical king of the gee-whiz future as seen from the 1950s, a magical place of limitless energy, flying cars and robot servants. Debuting in “Forbidden Planet,” Robby was 7-foot-plus of whirling, twirling, mechanized, gentle robot giant. His man-in-suit design, both ridiculous and beautiful when viewed with modern eyes, was such a hit that Robby went on to appear in a number of other films and television shows, cementing his place as one of the most recognizable movie robots in history.
In an early example of robot self-sacrifice, Robby short-circuits when his master asks him to kill another man -- it goes against his programming, you see. With this action Robby becomes a bridge between the movie robots of the first half of the 20th century, which almost always represented the evils of technology, and the more thoughtful creations to come.

R2-D2/C-3po ‘Star Wars’ (1977).
Yes, yes, you saw that one coming. But who could argue? There were many movie robots before 1977, but George Lucas’ dynamic duo, one part Swiss Army trash can and one part fey English butler, set the standard by which all others, past and future, would be judged.
But why do we love them so? It goes well beyond gadget geekery. Their loyalty is absolute, like your dog’s. Their quirks are frustrating yet familiar, like your mom’s. And, no matter how many times sith lords and their minions try to blow them up, they can always be fixed and will never, ever leave you.
Friends, servants, companions and comedy-team partners for life, Artoo and Threepio are as lovable as two hunks of walking, rolling, flying space metal can be.

Johnny 5 ‘Short Circuit’ (1986)
As originally designed by Nova Laboratories, the robot who comes to be known as Johnny 5 is a killing machine, mindlessly blowing up whatever his military masters put in his way. But a lightning strike gives him, well, the spark of life, and a modern robo-classic is born.
Essentially a toddler in pneumatic clothing, Johnny 5’s insatiable curiosity and clumsy ways instantly endeared him to audiences. You’ll often hear talk of an actor being superior to the movie he’s in, but rarely can the same be said of a completely artificial creation. Not so here: Johnny 5 stands head and servos above his human companions, so much so that the producers jettisoned the majority of the cast when it came time to make “Short Circuit 2” (1988).
A remake is in the works, so fear not, folks. No. 5 is alive!

Edward ‘Edward Scissorhands’ (1990)
It’s easy to forget that Edward, a fetishized doppelganger of writer/director Tim Burton, is an artificial being, perhaps because he is blessed with Johnny Depp’s “21 Jump Street”-era baby face, complete with an “I just need a hug” pout.
But artificial he is, although to what degree is unknown. His creator, The Inventor (Vincent Price), dies before we can get details. But the film’s fairy-tale setup -- a “perfect” suburban family adopts a man with blades for fingers whom they find in the mysterious castle overlooking their town -- makes hard, sci-fi-style logic irrelevant.
Edward is a walking, talking, hairstyling and hedge-clipping metaphor, the Lonely Outsider That No One Understands. Adored and then feared, he becomes a victim of the xenophobic mob mentality displayed most frequently in old horror films. But the always-powerful team of Burton and Depp ensures that audiences feel every ounce of Edward’s desperation, which is very real and very human.

Data ‘Star Trek: Generations’ (1994)
Originally seen on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987-1994), Data is the ultimate embodiment of the “What does it mean to be human?” subgenre of cinematic robotics, primarily because the writers had seven television seasons and four films to explore almost every aspect of his being.
Unerringly logical, Data the android (Brent Spiner) was originally accused of being nothing more than Spock 2.0. As the series went on, however, Data’s determination to learn everything about the human experience clearly set his character apart from any who had come before. Every obstacle thrown in his path, from an evil twin and an android Borg offering skin grafts to Lt. Tasha Yar got him closer to his goal of becoming as human as was physically possible.
After working so hard to have Data escape Spock’s shadow, the makers of “Star Trek: Nemesis” (2002) inexplicably chose to have Data pull the very same move that Spock had in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982), proving his humanity by sacrificing himself to save his crewmates. Yes, it’s a classic movie-robot thing to do, but it felt a bit obvious.
This misstep aside, though, Data’s journey through the “Star Trek” universe was a constant reminder that we should never take for granted the many simple pleasures of being human.

Crow T. Robot/Tom Servo ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie’ (1996)
Finally all of the robot, none of the angst. Crow and Tom may be more famous for their wisecracking on the television version of “MST3K,” but the 1996 feature film gives us the excuse we need to include them on this list.
Both the show and the movie concern an aloof janitor whose “bosses didn’t like him so they shot him into space,” where he and his robot friends are forced to endlessly watch cheesy movies. Sounds ridiculous, but we pause at this point to remind you that “MST3K” won a Peabody Award.
Crow is shiny and gold and has a bisected bowling pin for a mouth. Tom is a talking gumball machine. Along with their human host, they mock some of the worst movies ever made, taking the occasional break to sing songs about Canada, celebrate a Patrick Swayze Christmas or to ponder how Michael Feinstein might interpret the theme song to “Gamera” (1965).
Crow and Tom may be robots in appearance, but they are the heart of the delightfully silly “MST3K,” and the cinematic universe is better off for it.

The Iron Giant ‘The Iron Giant’ (1999)
Before the twin Pixar triumphs of “The Incredibles” (2004) and “Ratatouille” (2007), Brad Bird directed this overlooked animated tale of a boy and his giant war machine -- or is it a giant war machine and his boy? Regardless, a pre-fame Vin Diesel gives what is probably his best performance to date as the voice of the title character, a strange and massive robot from maker-knows-where who sometime in the 1950s crashes in a strange land called Maine.
He is discovered by a kid with the unfortunate name of Hogarth, and the two quickly bond over comic books and accidental mayhem. It’s the heart of the Cold War, and a paranoid government agent bent on eliminating the robot “threat” sets in motion a series of actions that ultimately allows the Giant to display two of the classic friendly-robot attributes: a deep devotion to a human friend and a willingness to sacrifice itself to save humanity.
Fierce when angered, noble in nature and sadly misunderstood until it is too late, the Iron Giant is Optimus Prime by way of Frankenstein’s monster. But, you know, for kids.

Teddy, ‘A.I.: Artificial Intelligence’ (2001)
There are oodles of humanoid robots -- or “mechas,” to use the film’s lingo -- inhabiting this Stanley Kubrick-Steven Spielberg mash-up, but the anthropomorphic Teddy the Supertoy is clearly the bot to beat.
A walking, talking teddy bear, Teddy bonds to his family almost as strongly as does David (Haley Joel Osment), but without the massive creepiness factor that makes us want to keep David at arm’s length. Gigolo Joe (Jude Law) may be flashier and more philosophical, but ultimately he’s one more Hollywood hooker with a heart of gold, possibly literally.
Teddy may be a toy, but he can reason, engage in conversation, play games and even stage a rescue attempt, should he see that a friend is in danger. Worst-case scenario, he’ll quietly keep you company at the bottom of the ocean for 2,000 years.
You think Gigolo Joe would ever shut up about women and mecha-human relations for that long? We think not.

Bumblebee, ‘Transformers’ (2007)
Autobot leader Optimus Prime is usually the focus of fanboy adoration, and it’s easy to understand why: He’s the star quarterback at Transformers High, the Big Rig on Campus, the one everybody loves because he’s the baddest good-guy robot around.
But how often is the quarterback the most interesting character in a teen movie? Humble Bumblebee, initially mocked by the inflexible for not conforming to the cartoon’s VW Beetle design, is the real star of the film.
Consider his many accomplishments: Who bravely scouts Earth all by his lonesome, knowing that nasty Decepticons are already there in force? Who figures out how to communicate via snippets of Top 40 radio after losing the ability to speak? Who changes his design simply to please his fickle human charges? Who is tortured by unfeeling government agents and turns the other cheek-like facial structure? Who is strapped to a tow truck and continues to fight after being severely injured during the climactic battle? And who, in a display of the doglike devotion so common on this list, wants nothing more than to live with Sam (Shia LaBeouf) at movie’s end?
In short, who won the battle for our hearts? Bumblebee, that’s who.

Wall-E, ‘Wall-E’ (2008)
He may not have the most glamorous job a robot ever had -- let’s face it, being a garbage robot doesn’t have nearly the perks of a gig as a protocol droid -- but he’s sweet, sincere, hardworking and, oh yes, funny as heck.
And the bloodlines are great: Ben Burtt, the sound designer who anonymously gave voice to R2-D2, gets an actual acting credit for his work in bringing WALL-E to life.

* Jared Blaut is a contributing writer for Premiere.com.