In a robot world, a young idealistic inventor travels to the big city to join his inspiration's company, only to find himself opposing its sinister new management.
A young male robot travels to the city to try to work in an inventing company to work with his idol. With a group of new friends, he discovers that a conspiracy is ruining the company. The group must find a way to defeat the evil that threatens the city and give the company back to its rightful owner.—RECB3
Life hasn't been too kind for the Copperbottom family. They had to build their only son Rodney out of spare parts and can only give him so little as he grows up. When Rodney sets out to the metropolis Robot City, he intends to show his inventions to his hero Bigweld, who hosted his own reality show. But when he reaches Robot City, he discovers that Bigweld is nowhere in sight and the latter's company is run by the snotty new manager Ratchet. While investigating Bigweld's disappearance, Rodney uncovers an evil plot by Ratchet who intends to sell new upgrades instead of spare parts, leaving all the citizens of Robot City to rust. Now with help from a misfit gang of friends, Rodney must work against time and foil Ratchet's plans before it's too late.
Even in a world populated entirely by mechanical beings Rodney Copperbottom is considered a genius inventor. Rodney dreams of two things, making the world a better place and meeting his idol, the master inventor Bigweld. On his journey he encounters Cappy, a beautiful executive 'bot with whom Rodney is instantly smitten, the nefarious corporate tyrant Ratchet who locks horns with Rodney, and a group of misfit 'bots known as the Rusties, led by Fender and Piper Pinwheeler.—IMDb Editors
In a world of robots, the young Rodney decides to move to the metropolis of Robot City, to meet the powerful inventor and his idol Bigweld, trying to get a position in his corporation. However, the new president Ratchet manages the company for profit with new parts only, leaving the old robots fated to become scrap in the mill of Ratchet's mother. Rodney, with the support of his old robots friends, convinces Bigweld to fight for his position back.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The film opens in a world of anthropomorphic robots, with Herb Copperbottom (Stanley Tucci), a dishwasher at Gunk's Greasy Spoon diner, racing through the streets of Rivet Town, elated that he is going to be a father. He and his wife, Lydia (Dianne Wiest), after 12 hours of "labor," finally manage to construct the baby. He is named Rodney (Ewan McGregor), and he becomes a young inventor who dreams of making the world a better place for everyone. Rodney idolizes Bigweld (Mel Brooks), a master inventor and owner of Bigweld Industries. During Rodney's adolescence, he invents a gadget, "Wonderbot", intended to help his father clean the dishes at the restaurant.
When Herb's boss, Mr. Gunk (Dan Hedaya), unexpectedly confronts them, Wonderbot breaks dishes, causing Herb to go into debt and to be fired. Rodney decides to take his invention to Robot City to see Bigweld and get a job as an inventor so that he can help his family. He is encouraged by his father, who confides that he has always regretted not becoming a musician. Rodney arrives in Robot City and meets Fender (Robin Williams), a ramshackle robot scraping by through taking souvenir photos and selling maps to the stars' homes. After a harrowing ride on the crosstown express, Rodney arrives at the gate of Bigweld Industries.
There he learns that Phineas T. Ratchet (Greg Kinnear) has taken over Bigweld Industries and is about to discontinue the manufacture of spare parts. Ratchet believes the company can make more profit if it stops making spare parts for older robots and focuses on selling more expensive upgrades. If any older robots protest, they are sent to the underground Chop Shop, where they are shredded and melted down by Ratchet's imposing mother, Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent).
Rodney is thrown out and finds a place to stay, with Fender, at Aunt Fanny's (Jennifer Coolidge) boarding house, along with an assortment of other "Rusties", older robots threatened with the Chop Shop. When the news gets out that spare parts have been discontinued by Bigweld industries, Rodney remembers Bigweld's slogan, "See a need, fill a need", and begins fixing old robots on his own. Upon learning of this financial threat, Gasket orders Ratchet to stop Rodney's work and kill Bigweld.
Rodney finds that Herb has fallen ill and cannot find replacement parts. Rodney decides to try to contact Bigweld directly, so he can beg him to make spare parts again. Wonderbot reminds him that the annual Bigweld Ball takes place that night. Rodney and Fender go to the ball in disguise, only to hear Ratchet announce that Bigweld was unable to attend. Rodney tries to confront Ratchet but is stopped by security robots. He is saved by Cappy (Halle Berry), a beautiful robot-executive of the company who dislikes Ratchet's scheme, and together with Fender and his new girlfriend, Loretta Geargrinder (Natasha Lyonne), they escape from the ball.
Fender walks Loretta home, but he is kidnapped and taken to the Chop Shop. He struggles to escape, losing his lower half in the process. Fender eventually escapes by reluctantly attaching a new pair of female legs. Meanwhile, Rodney and Cappy fly to Bigweld's home. When Rodney inadvertently knocks over a domino, Bigweld appears. Rodney tries to convince Bigweld to return to the helm of his company and once again make spare parts available, but Bigweld refuses.
Rodney calls his parents, intending to give up his ambition of becoming an inventor and return to Rivet Town, but his father once again encourages Rodney to pursue his dreams. Rodney rallies the Rusties into fighting back against Ratchet. Fender reveals that Gasket has built a fleet of super-sweepers with the intention of rounding up and destroying all older robots. Bigweld eventually decides to come with the group, having realized what he meant to Rodney.
The group heads for Bigweld Industries, where Bigweld fires Ratchet. Ratchet manages to beat Bigweld senseless, but Rodney and Bigweld flee. Bigweld is repaired during their escape from Ratchet. Ratchet and Cappy are in two Magnetizer vehicles and in between the Magnetizers are the Rusties, Rodney and Bigweld. Cappy manages to get all of them on her Magnetizer but accidentally Bigweld is thrown into the Chop Shop while they are rotating and is captured.
A desperate battle ensues between Gasket's employees and Rodney's repaired robots. During the chaos, Bigweld is rescued by Rodney, the choppers and sweepers are destroyed, and Wonderbot kills Gasket by tossing her into the Melter, while Ratchet loses his upgrades and gets stuck on the ceiling with his father. Bigweld goes to Rivet Town to tell Rodney's parents that their son is now his right-hand inventor and eventual successor. Rodney makes his father's dream come true by giving him a three-bell trumpet, playing by sheer improvisation that prompts the others to help add other musical tunes; Fender finds the new music to be a mix of Jazz and Funk - "Junk".
The audience dances to James Brown's "Get Up Offa That Thing" as a victory celebration. Before the rolling of credits Wonderbot picks Timmy (the gatekeeper at Bigweld Industries who refused to let Rodney in) and throws him in the air as Timmy says "I was on this list!"
