Robosapien: Rebooted

Plot

At Kinetech Labs, an inventor named Allan Topher designs a robot for search and rescue, but when he finds out that the robot will be used for military purposes, he programs the robot to flee. The robot escapes but is damaged in the process. It is discovered by 12-year-old Henry Keller, who fixes it and names it Cody. The robot does not remember its past, and Henry and Cody develop a friendship. Eventually, Cody regains his memory and Henry gives Cody back. The inventor feels guilty for taking Cody away, so he returns the robot to Henry. Allan meets Henry's mother, Joanna, and they get along really well. Kinetech finds and corners Cody and Henry. Cody activates another function of his, and takes off with Henry, flying high up into the sky. They reunite with Meagan but when they call their mother, they find out that Kinetech has kidnapped both their mother and Allan so that they can get the robot back. Meagan, Henry and Cody embark to save them and to bring down Kinetech.

Cast

The film's cast includes:

Production

In March 2007, WowWee, the company that makes the toy Robosapien, announced that it planned to produce a feature film about the toy that would combine live-action and computer-generated elements. WowWee entered a partnership with Arad Productions, run by producer Avi Arad, who was interested in Robosapien since the toy debuted. Time reported the planned film as part of a growing trend to make films based on toys, citing the 2007 releases Transformers and Bratz: The Movie. Arad took an active roll in developing the lead character for the film. He worked very closely with Art Director Shane Nakamura and the design team at WowWee. In August 2008, feature film rights were officially sold by WowWee to producer duo Arad and Steven Paul, the latter producing films under Crystal Sky Pictures. The film was revealed to be titled Robosapien: Rebooted, and in the negotiation, WowWee reserved the worldwide right to market toys related to the film and to receive a portion of returns for other merchandise related to the film. Sean McNamara was hired to direct the film. Filming took place in New Orleans in 2008 from March 24-April 25. The city was chosen because Arad became familiar with it when he attended National Association of Television Program Executives conventions there in the 1980s and 1990s. He also chose the city to take advantage of tax breaks and its scenery; the story was also rewritten so it would recognizably take place in New Orleans. In September 2010, Arc Productions (formerly Starz Animation) joined the project with Crystal Sky and Arad Productions.

Release

Robosapien: Rebooted was originally scheduled to be released in 2009. The film was released in the US on May 28, 2013. A Facebook page and new trailer were posted online in early April 2013.