Sometimes it takes a little while for you to come across those real gems on Vimeo, Robbie just happens to be one of them. This short, uploaded about 4 months ago, paints an entirely different picture of NASA’S first sentient robot, affectionately named Robbie after the robot in the 1956 science fiction classic Forbidden Planet. The film, comprised of actual NASA footage, was painstakingly edited by cinematographer Neil Harvey and tells the story of Robbie from simple program to full on robot. I’ll warn you now, it does have a slight H.A.L from 2001: A Space Odyssey vibe to it, but Neil manages to go places with it that are original and very unexpected. I can’t tell for sure if this short was meant to uplift or be a downer, it’s approach is one that gears the viewer to empathize with this lonely and seemingly neglected space traveler. Everyone knows what it feels like to be alone, I for one love my solitude, but when I was younger it sucked and for this newly created robot you get that sense of youthful want to belong. It’s a brilliant idea through and through and begs the question “what if”. Let us know what you think about it.
Robbie – A Short Film By Neil Harvey from Neil Harvey on Vimeo.