Five Great Movie Robots

Did you know that the word “robot” was invented by Czech writer Karl Capek for a play produced in 1920 called R.U.R?

In honor of today’s release of “Pacific Rim,” take a look at some of the other great movie robots:

Metropolis (1927)  Fritz Lang’s classic dystopian tale (it inspired a memorable Apple commercial) is the story of a revolt against the 1%.  It has been beautifully restored to included scenes originally cut by censors.

Forbidden Planet (1956)

The first major studio sci-fi feature film was inspired in part by Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”  The scientist played by Walter Pigeon has a sidekick, Robby the Robot.

Robots (2005)

This adorable animated film stars Ewan McGregor in a story of (literally) scrappy outsiders in an entire civilization of robots.

The Iron Giant  (1999)

This animated story about a boy who befriends a weaponized robot is a heartwarming gem, inspired by the work of poet Ted Hughes.

Wall•E (2008)

This love story between an analog trash-collecting robot with a fondness for “Hello Dolly” and a sleek digital robot designed to seek out signs of new life is one of Pixar’s best.