‘Meet the Robinsons’ teaches important lessons in learning from mistakes, never giving up

By Josh McFadden and Jess Cook

As an artist, there’s nothing more daunting to me than starting a project with a blank slate. I find myself worried about how I’m going to start and that my ideas won’t pan out. At times, the fear of failing has held me back and killed a lot of projects before they even began. 

Overcoming these fears has been critical in my work. Over time, I’ve started to understand that it’s OK to fail—as long as you learn from your shortcomings and move forward with the confidence to try again. 

One of my biggest influences in conquering these worries has been the movie, “Meet the Robinsons,” a Disney film that came out in 2007. The main character in the film deals with some of the same challenges I face as I try to create. It teaches valuable lessons on persistence and believing in yourself, even if you aren’t successful at first. 

The Premise

In “Meet the Robinsons,” 12-year-old Lewis lives in an orphanage. Curious, bright and creative, Lewis loves to invent, but prospective parents lose interest in adopting him once they see his inventions. One of Lewis’ inventions is a machine that can scan minds to see people’s memories. Lewis wants to use the machine to get a glimpse of what his mother looked like.

On his way to demonstrate the machine as the school’s science fair, Lewis encounters a peculiar 13-year-old named Wilbur Robinson, who claims he’s from the future. Wilbur warns Lewis about a man in a bowler hat, who has stolen a time machine. After Lewis’ scanner malfunctions, the man in the bowler hat appears, take the scanner and repairs it. 

Discouraged about his failed invention, Lewis is convinced he’s a lousy inventor and also that no one will want to adopt him. Lewis then asks Wilbur to take him to the future to prove he’s not lying about where he’s from. Wilbur uses a time machine to transport the two of them to the year 2037 where they meet some of Wilbur’s family. Lewis also demands that Wilbur take him to see his mother. Bowler Hat Man has followed them to the future, and he tries to take Lewis. The Robinsons intervene and keep Lewis safe, but Lewis and Wilbur have an argument when Wilbur says he won’t take Lewis to see his mother.

Later, Lewis meets Cornelius Robinson, Wilbur’s father. It doesn’t take Lewis long to figure out Cornelius is actually his future self and that Wilbur is his eventual son. Meanwhile, the time machine is not working, trapping Lewis in the past. Lewis makes the most of his time, getting to know his family and working to repair the machine. 

Bowler Hat Man is in fact “Goob” Yagoobian, the grown-up version Lewis’ roommate at the orphanage. He blames Lewis for running his life by keeping him up all the night the day before an important baseball game while Lewis worked on his scanner invention. During the game, Goob dropped a fly ball, keeping his team from winning. This was the first in a series of misfortunes and failures, including never being adopted and remaining in the orphanage. To get revenge, Goob steals Lewis’ scanner and alters the future with disastrous results. However, Lewis successfully repairs the time machine and restores the future timeline.

The film ends with Cornelius encouraging Lewis by explaining that the scanner was the catalyst for a successful career as an inventor. This inspires Lewis by showing him that his inventions will work and that he has a great future ahead. Wilbur then shows Lewis the moment his mother abandoned him at the orphanage. After the emotional moment, Lewis goes back to his own time, helps Goob make the winning catch at the baseball game and heads to the science fair with his mind scanner. The scanner performs perfectly, impressing the judges. One of the judges even adopts him. 

The Message

It would have been easy for Lewis to give up—many times. Throughout his life, he dealt with discouragement and failure. Even though he knew his scanner had failed during his first science fair demonstration, he learned from the disappointment and came through on his second chance. 

Don’t be afraid to fail. Look at that blank page or that blank canvas as an opportunity to create whatever you want. You’ve got what it takes to succeed. Even if your first or second attempt comes up short, pick up that pen or that brush and try again.