6 Best Science Fair and Robotics Competition Movies

By Vlad Zakh · April 11, 2026

The nervous energy of the science fair table and the robotics competition floor has powered heartfelt underdog stories about curiosity and ambition. In October Sky (1999): A coal miner’s son dreams of building rockets and escaping his small West Virginia town. Equally memorable is Big Hero 6 (2014): A young robotics prodigy and his inflatable healthcare robot form a superhero team to fight a masked villain.

Big Hero 6 (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 90% Metacritic 74

A young robotics prodigy and his inflatable healthcare robot form a superhero team to fight a masked villain.

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-traveling adventure to meet a family from the future.

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's invention of a bouncing, energetic substance threatens to save his struggling college.

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 dreams of building rockets and escaping his small West Virginia town.

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's accidental invention of a bouncing substance leads to comic chaos.

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, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually 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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