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Fender Pinwheeler is the deuteragonist of Robots. He is Rodney's best friend, and acts as the comedic relief.

He was voiced by the late Robin Williams.

Physical Appearance

Fender is a rusty red robot with light brown eyes, a cylindrical head with (what looks like) a hand crank on top, a big nose, a pointy chin, a thin waist, flat-bottomed feet, and thin limbs that are prone to falling apart.

During the film, Fender loses his right eye, head, arms, and rear end. After he is captured by a sweeper and taken to the Chop Shop, Fender's legs fall off right before he is about to be melted down. In a panicked attempt to escape, he hastily grabs a different set of legs and puts it on. However, Fender soon realizes it is a set of female legs, complete with high heels and a skirt. He is seen with these new legs for the rest of the film. Shortly after, he is shown wearing wires on his hand crank that resembles long hair. Additionally, during the final battle, he dons a headpiece resembling viking horns and wields a spear.

However, since Rodney and Bigweld are put back in charge of Bigweld industries and spare parts are placed back into production, it is very likely that Fender got back his former legs, which is further supported in the last picture inside the Robots Movie storybook.

Personality

Fender is quirky, upbeat, whimsical, and sometimes melodramatic. He often serves as a comic relief during otherwise dreary or serious scenes. However, he is also very loyal. After his head falls off and Jack Hammer cannot supply him with the proper pieces to get it reattached, Rodney is able to fix his neck. In return Fender takes him in to live with him at Aunt Fanny's boarding house. During this time he offers a sympathetic ear for Rodney to tell his troubles to, and tries to cheer him up afterward. He also helps Rodney crash a party to meet Bigweld, and later attacks Cappy, believing she is trying to arrest Rodney. Fender cares very much about the well-being of his sister, Piper, as he tries to keep her out of trouble and away from danger. However, the two still often squabble, as any siblings would. During the movie, Fender meets a girl named Loretta Geargrinder and falls in love with her. The two are seen dancing at the end of the movie, and she apparently does not mind his new, female lower-half.

At the beginning of the movie, Fender is depicted as somewhat of a scammer. When he first meets Rodney, he takes his picture and tries to charge him $50 for it (it is later revealed that there wasn't any film in the camera). He also attempts to sell him a map to the stars' homes. Later, when Rodney is unconscious and stuck in a garbage can, Fender steals his foot. However, this side of Fender disappears as he gets to know Rodney better and becomes his best friend.

Trivia

  • Despite Piper often being called in character profiles Piper Pinwheeler, Fender is not referred to by his last name.
  • Before the final battle in the film, he somehow lays an egg.
  • After Rodney and Bigweld ran Bigweld Industries together, and put in spare parts back at production, it's highly likely they made spare legs for Fender that looked like his real legs, as in the last page of the Robots Movie storybook, he was shown with his correct legs.
  • Fender has similarities to Flik from A Bug's Life.
    • Both have kind-hearted siblings (Rodney and Flik). Ironically, near the ending, Fender's sister went against him, whilst Flik didn't go against his brother.
    • Both are openly stubborn and self-centered in their personality and conduct.
    • Both show no mercy or compassion, especially for their followers/minions.
    • Both choose to hurt the main protagonist (Piper and Atta) because they despise the protagonist'a advice and/or interference.
  • Fender's name used to be Bumper, but he had to change it when he and his family moved into the country.
  • Robin Williams' first animated voice since Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996).
  • After Fender steals Rodney Copperbottom's foot, Robin Williams delivers the line "Foot, don't fail me now!", which is similar to the phrase "Feet, don't fail me now!", made famous by Stepin Fetchit.
  • Eddie Murphy, John Goodman, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Billy Crystal, Tim Allen, Bruce Willis, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Samuel E. Wright, Larry the Cable Guy, Chris Rock, Jason Alexander, Randy Quaid, Hugh Laurie, Josh Gad, Ben Stiller, Stephen Fry, Steve Carrell, Ricky Gervais and Danny DeVito were considered the role of Fender before Robin Williams was casted.
  • Dan Castellaneta (who also replaced Williams as the voice of Genie in The Return of Jafar, and Ramón in the Happy Feet video game) was considered to voice Fender in the Playstation video game. However, in the final game, he has no voice lines.
  • Fender Pinwheeler in Robots similar Donkey in Shrek.

Memorable Quotes

"YEAH! I'M LOVIN' IT! LOVIN' IT! LOVIN' IT!"

"Put your head between your legs."

"If I seem to be getting smaller, it's because... I'M LEAVING! FOOT DONT FAIL ME NOW!!!"

"Aunt FAAAAANNY! We brought someone!"

"He's been rear ended..."

"We are leaving in a HUFF!"

"KAKAAAA! KAKAAAAAAA!!! RRRRRRIIIICOOOOOLAAAA!!!"

Gallery

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