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| “ | Yo! I'll tell you, the things that fall on me... it's embarrassing! | „ |
| ~ Fender to Rodney after his eye fall off. |
| “ | We've come to rescue our friend, you evil bag of bolts, and you shall be defeated by the very outmodes that you scorn and detest! | „ |
| ~ Fender confronting Madame Gasket in a Scottish accent. |
Fender Pinwheeler (neé "Bumper Pinwheeler") is the deuteragonist of Blue Sky Studios's 2nd full-length animated feature fim Robots.
He is Piper Pinwheeler's older brother, the best friend of Rodney Copperbottom, and acts as the comedic relief.
He was voiced by the late Robin Williams, who also portrayed John Keating in Dead Poets Society, Batty Koda in FernGully, Genie in Aladdin, Peter Banning in Hook, Alan Parrish in Jumanji, Phillip Brainard in Flubber, Jack Powell in Jack, Daniel Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire, Mork in Mork & Mindy, Lance Clayton in World's Greatest Dad, Popeye in Popeye, Ramón and Lovelace in Happy Feet 2 and Happy Feet, Dan Rayburn in Old Dogs, Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting, Rainbow Randolph in Death to Smoochy, and Theodore Roosevelt in the Night at the Museum franchise.
Physical Appearance
Fender is a rusty red robot a cylindrical head with a hand crank on top, hazel eyes, light yellow scelera, a big nose, a pointy chin, a thin waist, thin limbs that are prone to falling apart flat-bottomed feet.
However, since Bigweld and Rodney are put in charge of Bigweld Industries and spare parts are placed back into production, it is very likely Fender got his former legs back, which is further supported in the last picture inside the Robots Movie storybook.
Personality
Fender is quirky, whimsical upbeat, and sometimes melodramatic. He often serves as a comic relief during otherwise serious or dreary scenes. However, he is also very loyal. After his head falls off and Jack Hammer cannot supply him with the proper pieces to get it reattached, Rodney is able to fix his neck. In return, Fender takes him in to live with him and his friends at Aunt Fanny's boarding house. During this time, he offers a sympathetic ear for Rodney to tell his troubles to, and tries to cheer him up afterwards. He also helps Rodney crash a party to meet Bigweld, and later attacks Cappy, believing she is trying to arrest Rodney. Fender cares very much about the well-being of his sister, Piper, as he tries to keep her out of trouble and away from danger. However, the two still often squabble, as any siblings would. During the movie, Fender meets a girl named Loretta Geargrinder and falls in love with her. The two are seen reuniting with each other at the end of the movie, and she apparently does not mind his new, female lower-half.
At the beginning of the movie, Fender is depicted as somewhat of a scammer. When he first meets Rodney, he takes his picture and tries to charge him $50 for it (it is later revealed that there wasn't any film in the camera). He also attempts to sell him a map to the stars' homes. Later, when Rodney is unconscious and stuck in a garbage can, Fender steals his foot. However, this side of Fender disappears as he gets to know Rodney better and becomes his best friend.
Biography
Fender first appears when he takes some pictures of Rodney Copperbottom's first moments in Robot City, whereupon he tries to scam Rodney by saying that he must buy the photo for $50.
He later meets Rodney again in Robot City and the two become friends. Throughout his role, Fender is whimsical and sometimes melodramatic. Fender has a "sister" named Piper Pinwheeler with whom he has a sometimes one-sided sibling rivalry.
At the Bigweld Ball later in the film, he meets a female robot named Loretta Geargrinder and has a crush on her. During a moment of carelessness, Fender is taken to the chop shop, where he loses his legs.
He puts on a replacement, only to find out his new waist once belonged to a female robot. With no time to find another replacement, he uses the new legs to escape the chop shop.
Quotes
| “ | Fender Pinwheeler: Perfect! That'll be 50 bucks. Rodney Copperbottom: 50 bucks? For what?! Fender Pinwheeler: A beautiful picture of your first moment in Robot City. There, I've captured your second moment. That's another $50 (To Diesel) Are you keeping track? Come on, work with me, work with me. Less pose, more pout. That's great-- inside of you is a fashion model just waiting to throw up. Give me those eyes, big eyes, big eyes. Give me big, anime eyes, Yeah, loving it, loving it, loving it! Rodney Copperbottom: I don't want any pictures! Fender Pinwheeler: You don't? Rodney Copperbottom: No! Fender Pinwheeler: Well, that's all right, there's no film in the camera. Would you like to buy a map to the stars' homes? Where he'd go? |
„ |
| ~ Fender's first lines of the film, meeting Rodney for the first time and taking pictures of him in Robot City, whereupon he tries to scam Rodney for $50 for a photo. |
| “ | Fender Pinwheeler: Whazzit...? Oh. Say, are you following me? Rodney Copperbottom: No. Fender Pinwheeler: First time on the Crosstown Express? Rodney Copperbottom: Well, actually, I... Fender Pinwheeler: Oh, boy! Well, good luck in the big city. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. And if you can't make it here, welcome to the club. |
„ |
| ~ Fender meet Rodney again in the ride of Robot City. |
| “ | Fender Pinwheeler: Oh, no. Rodney Copperbottom: What is it? Fender Pinwheeler: We're going to crash! We're going off the track! Rodney Copperbottom: What?! Fender Pinwheeler: I don't want to die! |
„ |
| ~ Fender "panicking" tells Rodney that their off the tracks which falls down to make him think is the end. |
| “ | Fender Pinwheeler: (laughs) I was just kidding. Rodney Copperbottom: Whoo! Fender Pinwheeler: Just... put your head between your legs. Rodney Copperbottom: Huh? |
„ |
| ~ Fender pranked Rodney for thinking their falling to their doomed. |
| “ | Whoops! There goes my stop. | „ |
| ~ Fender passing his stop while riding with Rodney. |
| “ | Fender Pinwheeler: You know what? It used to be a lot worse. They had this giant hammer... Rodney Copperbottom: Ah! Fender Pinwheeler: Oh, they brought it back. |
„ |
| ~ Fender to Rodney about the giant hammer. |
| “ | Just stick with me, kid. I know this town like the back of my hand. Hey, that's new. | „ |
| ~ Fender to Rodney before the giant hammer hits him away flying. |
| “ | Home sweet home. What's mine is yours. (his arms fall off) Oh, dear. | „ |
| ~ Fender to Rodney |
| “ | Rodney! We're here to save you. | „ |
| ~ Fender to Rodney |
| “ | WILL YOU ALL STOP MOVIN' AROUND?! IT'S SO FRUSTRATING! I think I counted one of you twice! | „ |
Trivia
- He is implied to be a foreigner, as he states he legally changed his name when he "moved into the country". But his country of origin and reason for his name change is unspecified.
- Robin Williams' first animated voice since Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996).
- After Fender steals Rodney Copperbottom's foot, Robin Williams delivers the line "Foot, don't fail me now!", which is similar to the phrase "Feet, don't fail me now!", made famous by "Stepin Fetchit".
- Steve Martin Eddie Murphy, John Goodman, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Billy Crystal, Tim Allen, Bruce Willis, Martin Short, Samuel E. Wright, Larry the Cable Guy, Chris Rock, Jason Alexander, Randy Quaid, Hugh Laurie, Josh Gad, Ben Stiller, Stephen Fry, Steve Carrell, Ricky Gervais and Danny DeVito were considered the role of Fender before the late Robin Williams was cast.
- Dan Castellaneta (who also voiced Homer Simpson, Abraham Simpson, and Groundskeeper Willie in The Simpsons, and who replaced Williams as the voice of Genie in The Return of Jafar and Ramón in the Happy Feet video game) was considered to voice Fender in the PlayStation video game, but when it was released, he becomes mute.
External Links
- Fender Pinwheeler on the 20th Century Studios Wiki
- Fender Pinwheeler on the Blue Sky Wiki
- Fender Pinwheeler on the Robots Wiki
- Fender Pinwheeler on the Heroic Benchmark Wiki
- Fender Pinwheeler on the Protagonists Wiki
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Bigweld Industries Pinwheeler Family Others | ||