The Invisible Boy

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The Invisible Boy

Theatrical poster to The Invisible Boy (1958)
Directed by Herman Hoffman
Produced by Nicholas Nayfack
Written by Edmund Cooper (story)
Cyril Hume
Starring Richard Eyer
Philip Abbott
Diane Brewster
Harold J. Stone
Music by Les Baxter
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer
Release date(s) North America October 1957
Asia January 1, 1958
Europe November 24, 1958
Europe June 1, 1959
Running time 90 minutes
Country United States USA
Language English

The Invisible Boy (1957) is a science fiction film, directed by Herman Hoffman, and starring Richard Eyer and Philip Abbott. It is the second film appearance of Robby the Robot, a famous science fiction character, who first appeared in Forbidden Planet (1956), which is set in the 23rd century. Released by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, this film's earlier title was S.O.S Spaceship. According to a subtle backstory, the robot in The Invisible Boy is the same character as that in Forbidden Planet, brought back to the era of the film through time travel. However, that fact appears to play no other role in The Invisible Boy.

[edit] Plot

The Invisible Boy is a curious mixture of lighthearted playfulness and menacing evil. As it begins, ten-year-old Timmie Merinoe (Eyer) seems only to want a playmate. After he is mysteriously invested with superior intelligence, he reassembles a robot that his father and other scientists have been ready to discard as unrepairable junk. No one pays much attention to the robot after Timmie gets it going, until Timmie's mother becomes angry when Timmie is taken aloft by a huge kite that the robot builds.

When Timmie expresses a wish to be able to play without being observed by his parents, the robot – with the aid of an evil supercomputer – makes him invisible. At first Timmie uses his invisibility to play simple pranks on his parents and others, but the mood of the film soon changes, when it becomes clear that the super computer intends to take over the world through a military satellite.

[edit] Home video

The entire feature film appears as an extra on the Forbidden Planet 50th Anniversary DVD released in 2006 and on the Blu-ray released in 2010.

[edit] External links

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