6 Best Science Fair and Robotics Competition Movies

By Vlad Zakh · April 11, 2026

Science fairs and robotics contests have powered heartfelt underdog stories. Big Hero 6 has a robotics prodigy and his inflatable healthcare robot forming a superhero team, Spare Parts has four undocumented students building an underwater robot, and Meet the Robinsons has an orphan’s invention sending him time-travelling. Flubber, October Sky and The Absent-Minded Professor round out the six.

Big Hero 6 (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 90% Metacritic 74

A boy genius and his inflatable robot nurse become an unlikely superhero team.

Directed by Chris Williams & Don Hall · 1h 42m · Rated PG

Won 1 Oscar17 wins & 58 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Spare Parts (2015)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Four undocumented immigrant students build an underwater robot to compete against elite university teams.

Directed by Sean McNamara · 1h 55m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Cinemax Amazon Channel, Angel Studios, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Meet the Robinsons (2007)

TMDB ★ 6.9

An orphaned boy's science fair invention leads him on a time-travelling adventure to meet a family of his own.

Directed by Stephen J. Anderson · 1h 35m · Rated G

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Flubber (1997)

IMDb ★ 5.3 RT 24% Metacritic 38

An absent-minded professor invents a gravity-defying green substance with a mind of its own.

Directed by Les Mayfield · 1h 33m · Rated PG

3 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

October Sky (1999)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A coal miner's son defies his father's expectations to pursue his dream of building rockets.

Directed by Joe Johnston · 1h 47m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A distracted chemistry professor invents a bouncing substance by accident, and the trouble starts from there.

Directed by Robert Stevenson · 1h 36m · Rated G

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Science Fair and Robotics Competition Movies

Big Hero 6 (2014)

Spare Parts (2015)

Meet the Robinsons (2007)

Flubber (1997)

October Sky (1999)

The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)

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