This show is adorable. There isn't too much to it, but the original voice acting with MacinTalk voice "Junior" adds a lot of charm. There are various video game references throughout the show, and the music is excellent. The storyline is nothing special, just a typical "slice of life" cartoon like many were at its time of release. I'd give it a watch if you just want something chill with a unique art & music style.
15 Reviews
It Works, But It Can Be Improved
a34trgv17 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Whatever Happened to Robot Jones is an obscure cartoon released during the early 2000s on Cartoon Network. Yet despite it's familiar premise, the show executes it in an exceptional and unique way. That said, it has a major flaw that holds it back from being one of Cartoon Network's best shows.
Created by Greg Miller, the show's premise is nothing we haven't seen from television/film before. A sentient being with a boyish personality living in a small town was a popular premise even when this show came out. The most obvious example being Short Circuit as it both follow a robot trying to understand human standards and practices. However Robot Jones takes its premise and turns it into a fun slice of life show that surprisingly teaches good lessons.
Set in a world where humans and sentient robots exist, Robot Jones follows story of a young robot who goes to school, hangs out with friends, struggles with human standards and faces off against an array of villains. Each episode follows a familiar plot line involving the life of a child and has Robot experience them in his naive robotic way. This often leads to some funny moments, genuine moments of character development and impressive visuals.
Speaking of which the animation in this show is exceptionally well crafted, going for a neat throwback to Schoolhouse Rock and Peanuts with rough colors and popping onomonopia. The character designs are all unique with the humans having more rounded shapes and the robots being more blocky and sharp. The backgrounds also look very detailed and the school itself feels big and lived in.
The characters themselves are all relatable and entertaining in their own right. Starting with the title character, Robot Jones is a naive little machine, but maintains a childlike innocence and by the end we root for him to succeed in his adventures. Cubey, Socks and Mitch are all fun boys and good friends to Robot, helping him understand human practices through their juvenile lenses. Mr. Madman definitely lives up to his name as he hates Robot so much he'll go insane just to get him in trouble. Then theirs the Yogman brothers who realish in being downright evil little devils. They come up with very creative and dastartly schemes to beat Robot and even win in one episode (which is unfortunate for our hero).
I also really like the voice acting in this show. Robot's text-to-speech voice was very unique and it's too bad the network didn't like it. Though Bobby Block still gives a good performance to Robot, bringing in a childlike innocence to this machine. Kyle Sullivan, Myles Jeffrey and Gary LeRoi Gray all give solid performances as Socks, Cubey and Mitch respectively, making them all sound like the types of friends I had in middle school. The veteran voice actors, such as Jeff Bennet, Grey DeLisle and Rip Taylor all bring their A game and provide memorable performances as the adults of the shows. But the true standouts of the cast are Josh Peck and Austin Stout as the Yogman brothers. These two sound like they were having a blast playing these dastardly devils and Josh Peck in particular sounds unrecognizable with his more raspy voice here.
The one character in the entire show I don't like though is Shannon, the love interest Robot falls for because she has braces and a prosthetic leg. She is rude, selfish, ungrateful and uncaring. She chastises him for being nervous when he tries to ask her to the dance in Embarrassment, she frequently calls him a dork and a weirdo every time he tries being nice to her and she made him self-destruct in Rules of Dating. But the worst thing she did was say he got her shirt dirty after he saved her life from a bear in Summer Camp. *inhales* HE JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE!!! I don't care how much you don't like him, the fact that he went out of his way to save you from becoming a wild animal's dinner should at least be worthy of some freaking gratitude! Oh boo hoo! Your shirt got a little dirt on it. GET OVER IT!! I wholeheartedly believe Robot deserves better than you, you stupid, miserable, ungrateful brat!
All and all, Whatever Happened to Robot Jones is a good show with a major flaw that holds it back from being great. It's good creative visuals, fun characters, solid voice acting and clever writing, plus some genuinely funny moments. And yet, Shannon single handly brings this show down with her very unlikable personality. Since Cartoon Network has no plans to release this on home media, let alone HBO Max, the best way to watch it is on a Google Drive backed up by BigFatRobot2002. Look it up on Lost Media Wiki.
Created by Greg Miller, the show's premise is nothing we haven't seen from television/film before. A sentient being with a boyish personality living in a small town was a popular premise even when this show came out. The most obvious example being Short Circuit as it both follow a robot trying to understand human standards and practices. However Robot Jones takes its premise and turns it into a fun slice of life show that surprisingly teaches good lessons.
Set in a world where humans and sentient robots exist, Robot Jones follows story of a young robot who goes to school, hangs out with friends, struggles with human standards and faces off against an array of villains. Each episode follows a familiar plot line involving the life of a child and has Robot experience them in his naive robotic way. This often leads to some funny moments, genuine moments of character development and impressive visuals.
Speaking of which the animation in this show is exceptionally well crafted, going for a neat throwback to Schoolhouse Rock and Peanuts with rough colors and popping onomonopia. The character designs are all unique with the humans having more rounded shapes and the robots being more blocky and sharp. The backgrounds also look very detailed and the school itself feels big and lived in.
The characters themselves are all relatable and entertaining in their own right. Starting with the title character, Robot Jones is a naive little machine, but maintains a childlike innocence and by the end we root for him to succeed in his adventures. Cubey, Socks and Mitch are all fun boys and good friends to Robot, helping him understand human practices through their juvenile lenses. Mr. Madman definitely lives up to his name as he hates Robot so much he'll go insane just to get him in trouble. Then theirs the Yogman brothers who realish in being downright evil little devils. They come up with very creative and dastartly schemes to beat Robot and even win in one episode (which is unfortunate for our hero).
I also really like the voice acting in this show. Robot's text-to-speech voice was very unique and it's too bad the network didn't like it. Though Bobby Block still gives a good performance to Robot, bringing in a childlike innocence to this machine. Kyle Sullivan, Myles Jeffrey and Gary LeRoi Gray all give solid performances as Socks, Cubey and Mitch respectively, making them all sound like the types of friends I had in middle school. The veteran voice actors, such as Jeff Bennet, Grey DeLisle and Rip Taylor all bring their A game and provide memorable performances as the adults of the shows. But the true standouts of the cast are Josh Peck and Austin Stout as the Yogman brothers. These two sound like they were having a blast playing these dastardly devils and Josh Peck in particular sounds unrecognizable with his more raspy voice here.
The one character in the entire show I don't like though is Shannon, the love interest Robot falls for because she has braces and a prosthetic leg. She is rude, selfish, ungrateful and uncaring. She chastises him for being nervous when he tries to ask her to the dance in Embarrassment, she frequently calls him a dork and a weirdo every time he tries being nice to her and she made him self-destruct in Rules of Dating. But the worst thing she did was say he got her shirt dirty after he saved her life from a bear in Summer Camp. *inhales* HE JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE!!! I don't care how much you don't like him, the fact that he went out of his way to save you from becoming a wild animal's dinner should at least be worthy of some freaking gratitude! Oh boo hoo! Your shirt got a little dirt on it. GET OVER IT!! I wholeheartedly believe Robot deserves better than you, you stupid, miserable, ungrateful brat!
All and all, Whatever Happened to Robot Jones is a good show with a major flaw that holds it back from being great. It's good creative visuals, fun characters, solid voice acting and clever writing, plus some genuinely funny moments. And yet, Shannon single handly brings this show down with her very unlikable personality. Since Cartoon Network has no plans to release this on home media, let alone HBO Max, the best way to watch it is on a Google Drive backed up by BigFatRobot2002. Look it up on Lost Media Wiki.
I'm afraid some of these reviewers don't know what they're talking about.
brownshoes-124 July 2006
This was & is probably one of my favorite cartoons ever to air on CN. Robot Jones is an incredibly visually exciting show to watch. The animation is interesting and quite well done, obviously paying homage to 'Schoolhouse Rock.' When reviewers here complain of "awful animation," they are obviously speaking of the art style employed. It's an intentionally shoddy look - things are supposed to look sketchy and scratchy. It's a shame that some potential viewers could be thrown off by these inaccurate reviews. I found it to be a very fun, amusing, & engaging program. Certainly a lot better than the Americanized-anime action programs they've got running now.
Interesting new cartoon, though it may not be for everyone.
plok25320 July 2002
Whatever Happened to Robot Jones? originally appeared as one of the contestants for Cartoon Network's summer 2000 contest on deciding who what the next Cartoon Cartoon would be. It lost to Billy and Mandy, and ended up tagging along in second place. Apparently, that didn't stop the producers from giving Robot Jones a series anyway! The show follows the misadventures of our hero Robot Jones, who, like the rest of his robotic family, must study the human race. Jones has the objective of investigating the younger generation, namely the 6th grade. At the same time, however, his environment gives him another problem to conquer: the pressures of a typical teenager. The concept of the show truly shines. Being a robot makes Jones a total outsider in a human-infested school, making his educational process a little harder than it should be. While his mechanical brain and limbs give him an advantage on school work, socialization is a different issue. For example, when one kid invites Jones over to a pool party as a friendly gesture, he must decline in fear that his circuits would electrocute everybody in the water. Jones is the kind of robot who feels more comfortable talking to electrical appliances, until he figures out that they have no way of responding. The art style of the show is weird, to say in the least. The characters are fairly simplistic looking, almost as if they've been taken out of a School House Rock cartoon. Even more notable is the stitched in backgrounds, which tends to muddle the colors a bit. It can be viewed as either a unique new approach, or a horrible attempt that some critics probably won't be able to tolerate. However, it does suit the setting of the unexplainably well. What stands out even more is the audio. Jones sounds a lot like Stephen Hawking's voicebox, which makes him a little hard to understand. If you live in a house that's never quiet like I do, then it's especially difficult. The other characters have typicial cartoon voices, in which the character's tone of voice depends on his or her personality traits. The music is an odd mix. Most scenes have a touch of rock n' roll guitar playing in the background, which is the typical standard of today's cartoons. On top of that, however, are the bleepy Game Boy-like tunes used to cope with the fact of having a robot as the main character. I'd say it gives the show a lot of personality, and helps it stand out of the crowd. In short, Robot Jones introduces a lot of new ideas, making it a fresh and very original cartoon. While it might be too much for some critics to handle, those who are looking for something different have no excuse not to watch.
Great Show!
lejeunedonnie16 May 2019
As you can see by my username, i AM IN LOVE WITH THIS SHOW. It is funny, imaginative, and intresting. I mostly like the 80's feel, which is what it takes place in. Also some the character development is CRISP as bacon. Tbh, i have never really liked shows about school except maybe Doug and a few others but it's just kinda boring to me. But this one takes it! I actually don't really know why i love this show so much besides the 3 reasons i first said. I also really like Robot Jones's computer generated voice, and i actually didn't mind the Bobby Block human voice as other people easily get irritated with it. Overall it is a nice and fun show and i am practically ADDICTED to this. And if they reboot this show. ATLEAST MAKE IT GOOD! Because there have been some OTHER cartoon reboots and... yeah they were terrible, anyways overall i love this show and yeah. Plot: A, Jokes: A-. Character Development: A+, Storylines: B+, Overall: A.
One of the best underrated 2000's Cartoon Network shows I've seen...
aydincc27 September 2019
DAILY LOG ENTRY:
Even though it may be one of the short-lived shows on Cartoon Network, "Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?" is actually one of the best cartoon from the 2000's I've seen in my opinion.
The voice acting for the characters were pretty great, but the most particular praise has to go to the Word 98 text-to-speech performance of the title character, Robot Jones. It's cute, funny, and pretty much fits Robot's character design so well. Another fact that makes the show so unique and nostalgic is that both the rough animation and the art style are love letters to the 80's animated series, "Schoolhouse Rock".
And suprisingly, while sticking with its sci-fi humor, it's one of the Cartoon Network shows that uniquely teaches us heartwarming life lessons or leaves us on an often satisfying note in form of Robot's "Daily Log Entries" at the end of almost each episode, particuarly about friendship, having growth spurts and parents that aren't perfect.
FINAL ANYALISIS: If Cartoon Network respects and greenlights Greg Miller's wishes for doing a quality reboot, that'll be awesome, because "Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?" is one of these cult-favorite cartoons like "Invader Zim" and "My Life As A Teenage Robot" that at least deserve either another season or a proper satisfying ending at least.
The voice acting for the characters were pretty great, but the most particular praise has to go to the Word 98 text-to-speech performance of the title character, Robot Jones. It's cute, funny, and pretty much fits Robot's character design so well. Another fact that makes the show so unique and nostalgic is that both the rough animation and the art style are love letters to the 80's animated series, "Schoolhouse Rock".
And suprisingly, while sticking with its sci-fi humor, it's one of the Cartoon Network shows that uniquely teaches us heartwarming life lessons or leaves us on an often satisfying note in form of Robot's "Daily Log Entries" at the end of almost each episode, particuarly about friendship, having growth spurts and parents that aren't perfect.
FINAL ANYALISIS: If Cartoon Network respects and greenlights Greg Miller's wishes for doing a quality reboot, that'll be awesome, because "Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?" is one of these cult-favorite cartoons like "Invader Zim" and "My Life As A Teenage Robot" that at least deserve either another season or a proper satisfying ending at least.
This Show Is Great. Period.
steviesly15 April 2005
Once again Cartoon Network blew it with a hilarious show. Yes, jokes were aimed at adults, but so is Spongebob. This could have been the next Spongebob, but Cartoon Network dropped the ball and a big $ opportunity. They are such morons. The episode where Robot refuses to shower is the funniest 15 min of animation outside of the Simpsons. Robot Jones had much potential but wasn't really given a chance for some reason and in a classic moment of TV exec idiocy, they kept running the same 4 episodes for so long, people lose interest - I even gave up on it after telling many people how funny this little show I discovered was. really a major disappointment that soured me to Cartoon Network ever since. Man, are they that stupid?
Awesome show from Cartoon Network
arielsiere30 May 2022
Whatever Happened To Robot Jones was a great show and it even reminds me of Wall.e, My Life As A Teenage Robot, Blue Sky Studios: Robots, Little Robots and Robotboy and even way better than Robotomy and Rob The Robot.
Best Children's Cartoon of past 10 years
winston8415 November 2005
The style was fantastic.
Usually when something is a "throwback" or "retro" it misses the point of the aesthetic of the era it is throwing back to.
It was a beautifully dirty looking cartoon (By dirty I mean dirty, not sexual or anything) but to look so intentionally is a brilliant choice... brilliantly executed.
Sometimes surreal, sometimes expressionistic, it's a cartoon that uses it's medium to its potential. The animation itself becomes part of the overall look of the show.
Obviously intended to recall the style of Shool House Rock Animation, Robot Jones is still sorely missed.
Not being a kid anymore, I wasn't an avid watcher of Saturday morning Cartoons, but I found this one irresistible. Sorry to see that it has gone.
Usually when something is a "throwback" or "retro" it misses the point of the aesthetic of the era it is throwing back to.
It was a beautifully dirty looking cartoon (By dirty I mean dirty, not sexual or anything) but to look so intentionally is a brilliant choice... brilliantly executed.
Sometimes surreal, sometimes expressionistic, it's a cartoon that uses it's medium to its potential. The animation itself becomes part of the overall look of the show.
Obviously intended to recall the style of Shool House Rock Animation, Robot Jones is still sorely missed.
Not being a kid anymore, I wasn't an avid watcher of Saturday morning Cartoons, but I found this one irresistible. Sorry to see that it has gone.
Such a cool show!!!!!!
cure_glo8830 December 2002
This is a really cool show. The best aspect of it is the macintosh computer voice. I wish they had it on more often (I'm pretty sure Cartoon Network took it off their schedule). I guess some people might not understand everything, but I think it is a fun show nonetheless.
Funny, but more for adults
mines198520 July 2002
I just watched the premier of this show on Cartoon Network last night. I didn't really know what to expect when I turned it on. From what I'd seen in the previews, it looked like the type of cartoon that Nickelodeon is producing right now, many of which (I'll draw a lot of flame for this, I'm sure) are pretty lousy at the moment.
Either way, the show wasn't as bad as I anticipated, but it wasn't as good as I thought it could be. The worst part was probably Robot Jones' monotone synthesized voice, which was funny at first but got really irritating later on. It seemed a bit forced, as if it were a factor that would make or break the cartoon, and it tended to bog things down.
Another problem with the cartoon is the animation, which wasn't anything really great and actually seemed to distract from the rest of the cartoon. It didn't really seem to help the flow of the cartoon or satirize anything. This effect is achieved in the Powerpuff Girls, which makes fun of anime, and in Dexter's Lab, which often shows huge, overexaggerated lab equipment. These "bad backgrounds" in those shows made them funny, but in Robot Jones it looks bad and overdone, especially in "dark" panels (e.g. a lot of hash marks are used for darkness and texture.)
The humor of the cartoon was better than I expected, so I wasn't too disappointed; however, it wasn't nearly as good as it could have been. I had a few chuckles, but it was nothing compared to the hilarious stuff I've seen on other Cartoon Network shows. One other point: at times, the humor almost seemed aimed directly at adults, or at least kids over the age of 7. Since it's a show about kids in middle school, I'm assuming it's intended for that age group anyway. I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a show for very young children to watch. There is some humor in the show that some parents might not even consider appropriate for very young children. There is also the "attention span" factor which should come into play. There are times in the cartoon when there is little or no action to speak of. Additionally, the humor might be funny for adults, but for a kid it might seem like a lot of nonsense that isn't really all that funny.
In conclusion, Robot Jones is neither great nor totally terrible. It's an OK show for one weekend, but it's one I certainly wouldn't recommend watching regularly.
Either way, the show wasn't as bad as I anticipated, but it wasn't as good as I thought it could be. The worst part was probably Robot Jones' monotone synthesized voice, which was funny at first but got really irritating later on. It seemed a bit forced, as if it were a factor that would make or break the cartoon, and it tended to bog things down.
Another problem with the cartoon is the animation, which wasn't anything really great and actually seemed to distract from the rest of the cartoon. It didn't really seem to help the flow of the cartoon or satirize anything. This effect is achieved in the Powerpuff Girls, which makes fun of anime, and in Dexter's Lab, which often shows huge, overexaggerated lab equipment. These "bad backgrounds" in those shows made them funny, but in Robot Jones it looks bad and overdone, especially in "dark" panels (e.g. a lot of hash marks are used for darkness and texture.)
The humor of the cartoon was better than I expected, so I wasn't too disappointed; however, it wasn't nearly as good as it could have been. I had a few chuckles, but it was nothing compared to the hilarious stuff I've seen on other Cartoon Network shows. One other point: at times, the humor almost seemed aimed directly at adults, or at least kids over the age of 7. Since it's a show about kids in middle school, I'm assuming it's intended for that age group anyway. I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a show for very young children to watch. There is some humor in the show that some parents might not even consider appropriate for very young children. There is also the "attention span" factor which should come into play. There are times in the cartoon when there is little or no action to speak of. Additionally, the humor might be funny for adults, but for a kid it might seem like a lot of nonsense that isn't really all that funny.
In conclusion, Robot Jones is neither great nor totally terrible. It's an OK show for one weekend, but it's one I certainly wouldn't recommend watching regularly.
Good cartoon, but not for everyone.
dootuss8 November 2002
"Whatever Happened to Robot Jones?" is a pretty good show. Robot Jones is a pretty interesting character, but the monotone voice does get quite irritating quickly after a while. The animation style is pretty cool on this show too. I think it pays homage to past animation in a way. By the way, does Paul Coker Jr. work on the animation? Because in a way, the way the characters are drawn kinda look like his art in a way.
Overall a good cartoon, but it might not be for everyone.
Overall a good cartoon, but it might not be for everyone.
Terrible, disgusting, dreadful...Need I say more??
chester-gray13 March 2003
This has got to be one of the dumbest shows ever on television. There is absolutely no plot to it. The animation is very poorly done, as well as the voices. I think they are trying to make a sort of animated version of Mork and Mindy(an alien sent from another planet to monitor human activities) but they couldnt make it work the first time and they could'nt make it work the second time either.
What can I say...This show really sucks.
merovingian_exe17 November 2003
I'm sorry but this show really sucks. The animation is bad, it has no plot, makes no sense,it's not funny,& the voices are terrible. I think when they made this show they were going for the old-school 80's look but I feel they failed terribly.
One word: STUPID!!
busterbunny198330 October 2003
This is pure idiocy. It may very well be the stupidest thing i have ever seen in my life!!! First off, it is the most annoying thing to air in a very long time. There also does not seem to be any evidence of any kind of plot whatsoever. And the god-awful animation definately leaves something to be desired. My rating:-5 out of +10.
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