![]() But he's also broken, what with having been accidentally dropped, although that initially doesn't matter to Barney (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer), a lonely boy who lives with his work-distracted dad (Ed Helms) and grandma (Olivia Coleman) who's full of old-country advice. Here, the titular mechanical being is decidedly much smaller, more compact, and connected to the web. You know, like in the absolutely terrific "The Iron Giant." Sometimes that's with imaginary beings, while at others those are pets or other animals, extraterrestrials, and yes, sometimes robots. And that's where a lonely, isolated, bullied, and/or friendless kid finds friendship in some sort of non-human form. Holy privacy issues, Batman! Such matters are front and center in the screenplay by Peter Baynham & Sarah Smith, but the central story is as old as the ages. They've been designed by Bubble's chief programmer and CEO Marc (Justice Smith) not only to be kids' friends, but also to find more of them with like minds and similar interests, what with using online profiles, search history and such to find such pairings. ![]() That trend continues in "Ron's Gone Wrong," a computer-animated action-comedy where the title character is a little personal companion robot known as a B-bot. To no one's surprise, Hollywood has noticed, and such cinematic storytellers are no stranger to playing off the potential dangers of advanced technology - having done so since nearly the dawn of moviemaking. Not to mention that such interactions are less fulfilling and enriching than old-fashioned, face-to-face hanging out. But for those who grew up before both of those things had everyone staring at screens all day - constantly refreshing to see new content or how friends and the rest of the world might have reacted to a post - at least we know what the world was like before them.įor many kids, this is all they've ever experienced and it's unhealthy to grow up in such a heightened reality of never-ending comparisons with others and the desire to be noticed or liked. Of course, the same can probably be said for adults. ![]() Both have led to less in-person interaction, while the latter has increased bullying and "how do I compare" psychological issues. There's been a lot of talk in the news recently about how electronic devices and, even more so, social media aren't great if not downright bad for children's mental health and overall well-being. Despite initially being more frustrated with Ron than enjoying his company, Barney begins to accept the B-bot as his friend and thus does what he can to protect him. But that's what Graham unknowingly ends up buying Barney for his birthday and at first, the boy is delighted to turn on Ron (voice of ZACH GALIFIANAKIS).īut the robot doesn't work properly from the get-go, and when it ends up going after Rich and two other bullies, Andrew decides to take over the company and have the B-bot destroyed. The B-bots have been flawless companions as long as they haven't been damaged in any way. ![]() They're manufactured by tech company Bubble and are designed by programmer and CEO Marc (voice of JUSTICE SMITH) who's grown the company to a massive success from what Andrew (voice of ROB DELANEY) started in his garage years ago. Unlike every other kid at his school - including social media star Savannah (voice of KYLIE CANTRALL) and class bully Rich (voice of RICARDO HURTADO) - Barney doesn't own a personal assistant robot known as a B-bot. QUICK TAKE: Computer-Animated Comedy: A friendless boy must contend with receiving a defective, personal assistant robot.īarney Pudowski (voice of JACK DYLAN GRAZER) is a friendless boy who lives with his dad, Graham (voice of ED HELMS), and grandma, Donka (voice of OLIVIA COLEMAN). (2021) (voices of Jack Dylan Grazer, Zach Galifianakis) (PG) ![]()
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