Disney Archives


rofessor Brainard is a brilliant inventor, who toils in his laboratory with his flying robot assistant, Weebo. However, he's also absent-minded enough to forget about his own wedding -- twice! And when he makes a remarkable accidental discovery, a goo that can make objects fly, on the day of his re-scheduled wedding, he's so excited that he forgets it again, alienating his would-be wife. Worse still, his smooth-talking nemesis Wilson Croft, who has stolen most of Brainard's inventions in the past, is trying to woo away Brainard's fiancee, Sara Jane, as well. Can the professor's amazing new invention, Flubber (short for "flying rubber") save his school from bankruptcy and win back Sara's affections? Flubber must take matters into its own, er, hands, to save the day.

"Flubber" is based on Disney's 1961 release "The Absent Minded Professor." This time around, though, the mysterious goo called Flubber has taken on a personality of its own. Digital special effects technology developed since the release of the first film made it possible for Flubber to share the spotlight as a "character" in its own right. While "flying rubber" in the original merely allowed objects to bounce and fly, the new Flubber can form conga lines, menace bad guys and dance the mambo.
Another special effects achievement in "Flubber" is Weebo, the professor's hovering, feminine robot assistant. Weebo uses clips from classic films and Disney cartoons to express her emotions -- everything from the Cheshire Cat's grin from "Alice in Wonderland" to bits of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" can be seen flitting across the robot's video display screen.