Robots are often used in animated movies to cast light on uniquely human quirks, which helps explain why they are central to so many classic movies. Some of the best animated movies ever focus on robotic characters, often as companions to humans.
Robots in animated movies are usually sweet and funny, which is a notable difference to how they appear in most live-action movies. With some notable exceptions, like the droids in Star Wars, live-action movie robots are mostly killers like 2001: A Space Odyssey's HAL or The Terminator. Animation doesn't have to be so serious, meaning that most robots act like clueless children or comic relief.
10 Ron
Ron's Gone Wrong (2021)
Ron's Gone Wrong takes place in a near future society where people are obsessed with new personal robots. Although Barney is initially overjoyed to get his own robot, meaning that he can socialize with the other kids at his school, Ron's defective quirks prove to be a huge challenge.
Ron mirrors Barney's awkward inability to conform to the crowd.
Voiced by Zach Galifianakis, Ron doesn't fit in with other robots, and he lacks crucial elements of his code. This means that he also struggles to understand the basics of human civilization. In a way, Ron mirrors Barney's awkward inability to conform to the crowd, but this is what makes both characters interesting.
9 Eric & Deborahbot 5000
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
With its bright, punchy visuals and its rapid-fire humor, The Mitchells vs. the Machines was an immediate hit. Although there are already plenty of laughs throughout the movie, the pair of comic relief characters known as Eric and Deborahbot 5000 are another great touch.
Eric and Deborahbot 5000 should be ice-cold killing machines like the rest of the robots in The Mitchells vs. the Machines, but their damage turns them into some surprisingly human characters. Since the story revolves around one unusual family, it's nice to see Eric and Deborahbot 5000 also forming their own connections.
8 Rodney Copperbottom
Robots (2005)
Robots has been all but forgotten about, but it was a critical and commercial success at the time. There are plenty of great robotic characters to pick from, since the story takes place in a world inhabited entirely by machines. Rodney Copperbottom is the hero, a somewhat shoddy-looking robot who makes his way to the big city to become an inventor.
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Rodney's journey takes him from his humble, rustic origins to the highest echelons of power in the city, but his desire to look out for old, outdated robots conflicts with the prevailing corporate ideology to force robots into expensive upgrades. Rodney is easy to love, and his simple charms work well in Robots' culture-clash comedy.
7 Norbot
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)
Many Wallace and Gromit movies introduce an important new character who becomes the focus of the narrative. Although Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl brings back Feathers McGraw from The Wrong Tros, it also welcomes Norbot, Wallace's helpful gardening robot.
Although Norbots are initially a productive - but overzealous - workforce, Feathers reprograms Wallace's gardening gnomes into a robotic army he can use to exact his revenge. This means that Vengeance Most Fowl can have Norbots as both comedic characters and frightening villains.
6 B.E.N.
Treasure Planet (2002)
Treasure Planet is one of Disney's most underrated movies, partly because it came out during a strange transitional phase for the studio. The sci-fi update of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure novel Treasure Planet captures the same sense of wonder for a new generation, with aliens and robots replacing many of Stevenson's pirates.
B.E.N. is creaky, dysfunctional, and he talks too much, but he's Jim's only hope. Although he needs some rewiring, his heart is in the right place, and he ultimately proves himself to be a worthy hero. Martin Short's performance helps make B.E.N. one of Treasure Planet's funniest and most endearing characters.
5 Robot
Robot Dreams (2023)
Robot Dreams is a masterclass in visual storytelling, since it plays out without any dialogue. This means that the two central characters don't have proper names, but their connection is obvious, and the way that they interact with one another is endlessly endearing. However, Robot Dreams isn't all sunshine and roses.
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Robot barely gets to enjoy his first summer of wild freedom before he is rusted by seawater and unable to move from an isolated spot on the beach. A long winter and a trip to the scrapyard give him a new sense of humanity, as he comes to understand sorrow and sacrifice, quite unlike his summer with Dog. There's more depth to Robot than there first appears to be.
4 Baymax
Big Hero 6 (2014)
Big Hero 6 could have become an entire franchise for Disney, but there still hasn't been any news of a sequel. Fortunately, the original movie is easy to enjoy without needing a sequel, since its unique blend of eastern and western influences sets up some great action.
Baymax is the lovable inflatable robot at the heart of Big Hero 6. Although the story goes to some dark places, especially when Tadashi is killed in an explosion, Baymax's presence keeps things light. Just as he ends up being the perfect gift to heal Hiro's broken heart, he lifts the tone of the story. Baymax's heroism is balanced by his humor, a lot of which is derived from his spongy, rotund physicality.
3 Roz
The Wild Robot (2024)
The Wild Robot has all the ingredients to become the next big DreamWorks franchise, with a lovable cast of characters and a unique artistic style. The story follows Roz, a lost robot who creates a sense of community among woodland critters who are otherwise happy to eat one another.
Roz's unorthodox character design is key to her appeal. Despite her humanoid appearance, she can mimic any animal she comes across, using her long, springy limbs for some surprising physical comedy. She's also curious and kind-hearted, two traits which make her easy to root for, even if she's completely oblivious to the realities of the world around her.
2 The Iron Giant
The Iron Giant
The Iron Giant barely says a word, but this gives him a mysterious allure that makes him an even more compelling hero. It also means that the movie can treat him like a pet, a machine or an alien, depending on the scene. In a way, he is all these things and more, but his silent, stoic heroics make him appear incredibly wise too.
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The Iron Giant was a box office disappointment at the time, but it has since been recognized as one of the best animated movies of the 1990s. It's no surprise that director Brad Bird continued leading the way forward in the animation industry at Pixar, although The Iron Giant is just as compelling and iconic as any of his other characters.
1 WALL-E
WALL-E (2008)
WALL-E is one of Pixar's best movies, but it also stands out as one of the studio's riskiest projects. Since long stretches of the story play out with very little dialogue, the visual storytelling and music take on much more importance. It helps that WALL-E is a wonderful character, and one who's very easy to spend time with.
He may be a little rough around the edges, especially when compared to the sleek, futuristic design of EVE, but WALL-E has heart.
WALL-E's cute, clunky design reflects his curious naivety. He may be a little rough around the edges, especially when compared to the sleek, futuristic design of EVE, but WALL-E has heart. His loneliness is heartbreaking, so audiences get on board when he gets the chance to have a romantic adventure acorss the cosmos.