ROAD BOTS

Live Action Film with Puppetry & Television series

A show about a road trip across America to see the sights of the nation? Lots of 13-year-olds would find this one great big yawn. But they haven’t met Dan Kennedy yet.

Dan’s just your ordinary teen-age genius from Tenafly, New Jersey. He’s got a thirst for adventure and a gift for invention. He’s used his talents to build robots out of scrap heap odds and ends. One robot is taking his place at home so he can hit the road in a big red ’56 Pontiac convertible. (His parents haven’t noticed yet, since Robot Dan is a great student and wonderful son who loves to do his homework.)

Three robots have joined Dan for this wild ride that takes a peek and a poke at American popular culture and geography. Hibachi’s a fast-talking radio on wheels whose dials are always turning. Bunny, part fridge, part plunger, is a tomboy, the spunky robot next door. Stan’s the innocent one, with a mailbox for a head and a soft spot for souvenir T-shirts. And Dan? He’s a free spirit with the fearlessness of Huck Finn, the braininess of Doogie Howser and the resourcefulness of MacGyver.

Live action characters mix with animated ones as well as puppets in this creative television series with a wacky flavor reminiscent of Mystery Science Theater 2000. Americana provides an endless stream of rich material for different episodes as Dan, Hibachi, Bunny and Stan zip from Graceland to Hollywood, from state park to tourist trap.

Road Bots has a subversive educational side to it as well. With maps, trivia and kitsch thrown in, viewers may just learn that our nation is huge, diverse and exciting.

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