The Art of Robots

The team behind the blockbuster animated hit Ice Age—Twentieth Century Fox, Blue Sky Studios, and Academy Award-winning director Chris Wedge—joined forces with acclaimed children's author William Joyce to create another visually magnificent, animated classic in Robots. Published by the premium art preservation masterminds at Chronicle Books, The Art of Robots is a highly sought-after, out-of-print (OOP) deluxe hardcover production chronicle. This magnificent studio archive serves as an exclusive backstage pass to the hidden animation artistry behind the film, bringing together the definitive character turnaround blueprints, mechanical prop concepts, and whimsical mid-century retro-futuristic city layouts.

Spanning a monumental 144 pages of vivid, high-contrast visual layouts and full-color heavyweight archival stock, this comprehensive chronicle presents an unmatched look into Blue Sky's creative production pipelines. Get an inside look at the structural modeling process packed with a wealth of production extras, including insight on initial pencil sketches, character model sheets, and expressive storyboard arrays. Conceptualized by a stellar creative team and voiced by stars such as Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Mel Brooks, Stanley Tucci, Greg Kinnear, and Amanda Bynes, Robots is a magical contribution to the art of animation. Follow Rodney Copperbottom, Fender, Cappy, and the rest of the Rusties as they journey through the gears of Rivet Town to the towering horizons of Robot City, exploring how visual designers engineered the movie's signature mechanical watercolor textures, polished metal finishes, and stylized industrial horizons. Every reference page is packed with professional-grade concept art lines, fine production pencils, digital inks, and insightful creator commentary.

Individual chapters compile spectacular visual layouts, character designs, and worldbuilding portfolios:

Masterfully written by veteran animation historian Amid Amidi, featuring an illuminating preface by Academy Award-winning production designer William Joyce and a heartwarming foreword by director Chris Wedge, this volume stands as a monument to digital filmmaking. This essential reference manual is an absolute crown jewel addition for digital painters, storyboard artists, comic illustrators, industrial designers, and dedicated collectors of premium movie art books.