Flubber is a 1997 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Les Mayfield (who had previously directed another John Hughes scripted remake, Miracle on 34th Street) and written by Hughes and Bill Walsh. A remake of The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), the film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and stars Robin Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, Christopher McDonald, Ted Levine, Raymond J. Barry, Wil Wheaton, and Clancy Brown with Jodi Benson providing a voice. The film grossed $178 million worldwide and received negative reviews from critics. In selected theaters, the Pepper Ann episode "Old Best Friend" was featured before the film. Plot Professor Philip Brainard, of Medfield College, is a mad scientist who is developing a new energy source. He does this to raise enough money to save the college from closure. His preoccupation with his research distracts him from his fiancée, Sara Jean Reynolds, who is the president of the college; he has already missed two wedding dates as a result of this, much to Sara's anger. On the day of the third attempted wedding, Brainard is approached by his former partner Wilson Croft, who has profited from ideas he has stolen from the chemist and now desires to steal Sara from Brainard and make her his wife. Brainard takes this declaration as a joke. Before Brainard can make it to the wedding, his latest experiment shows quick progress, forcing him to miss this latest wedding date. The resulting substance created from the experiment is a sentient green goo with enormous amounts of elasticity and kinetic energy. It increases in speed as it bounces and proves to be difficult to control, wreaking havoc on the neighborhood before the professor finally manages to capture it. Weebo, Brainard's hovering robot assistant, classifies the substance as "flying rubber", leading Brainard to christen it "Flubber". Brainard continues to work on Flubber into the early morning, looking to stabilize the Flubber's movement as opposed to stimulation. Brainard's incorrectly set watch alarm goes off at 6:30 am, and Weebo informs him that he has missed the wedding. Brainard goes to Sara's office and unsuccessfully attempts to explain the situation to her, after which he becomes all the more determined to prove the Flubber's worth and win her back. Meanwhile, Medfield College sponsor Chester Hoenicker (who is first seen in a newspaper article as the one threatening to foreclose the college) is disappointed that Brainard has failed his