Meet the Robinsons (G, 2007)

In MEET THE ROBINSONS, Lewis (voiced by Daniel Hansen) isn't just an orphan -- he's a child genius. He invents practical gadgets, like a peanut-butter-and-jelly gun that makes sandwich preparation a cinch. He has scared off, by his count, 124 sets of potential parents. In hopes of finally seeing the mother who left him at the orphanage's doorstep, Lewis works tirelessly on a memory machine that projects specific recollections onto a TV monitor. After a mix up at the school science fair, he winds up having to zoom to the future with a mysterious young boy. Trying to explain the movie's time-traveling plot is as confusing as Terminator, but the point of the future is to show young Lewis that he fits nicely into a zany family: the Robinsons, who have more wacky relatives than the Addamses, the Fockers, and the Tenenbaums. After Lewis fails to fix a PB&J device, the Robinsons celebrate his failure as a path to success. And when the film's villain -- a mustachioed man with a robotic bowler hat -- unleashes a T-Rex on the family, the clan joins forces to defend the young inventor. At last, he has a home -- at least in the future.

Plucky orphans are perfect protagonists in children's adventures. Whether human (Annie, Oliver Twist) or animal (Stuart Little, Wilbur), they're the ultimate underdogs, and only the most hardened heart could root against them. Luckily, Lewis is not the typical orphan suffering under the rule of cruel-hearted adults. He's surrounded by compassionate grown ups who genuinely want to foster his brilliance -- from the orphanage's director (Angela Bassett) to his encouraging science teacher, and of course, the Robinsons, who all believe that mistakes and failures only make you better.

The multi-generational relationships, especially in the future, are endearing. The Robinson clan seems loony at first, but as the future continues, they quickly grow on you as exactly the kind of brood Lewis would naturally be drawn to (and with good reason, but you have to see it to understand). It may not be as touching as Finding Nemo, as technically brilliant as Cars, or as parent-appealing as The Incredibles,, but Meet the Robinsons is an entertaining step in the right direction for Disney's non-Pixar offerings. And who doesn't love an orphan hero?