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Everyone remembers the Italian Stallion taking on Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, a fight now forever immortalized in Sylvester Stallone’s Director’s Cut, but now Sly has removed the movie’s robot, Sico, who will only be seen in the movie’s original format. Rocky famously gave Sico to Paulie on his birthday in one of the movie’s more surreal moments, and the two bonded, to the point where Paulie even referred to Sico as “his lady” after programming the mobile valet to have more feminine characteristics. Now, speculation swirls around why Stallone made the decision to take the robot out of Rocky 4.
Sico, the only robot to be a card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild, is a memorable part of Rocky 4 despite the fact that the robot seems a little offbeat for the franchise. While some fans see the robot as a detraction from the tension in the plot, others appreciate the heartwarming aspect it brought to the film for Paulie’s character. Now, it’s as divisive for the creative forces behind the movie as it is for the fans, with Sico’s creator Robert Doornick and Rocky Balboa himself going the distance in a fight about creative control and conflicting interests in preserving Sico’s legacy.
There Are Conflicting Stories Over Why Rocky 4 Cut The Robot
Its creator has come forward with a few theories about why Stallone made the decision to remove his work from the film, and Stallone has made a rebuttal about why the Rocky 4 Director’s Cut doesn’t include the robot. Doornick maintains that Stallone cut the robot in a money-saving PR stunt, and is trying to no longer pay Sico’s royalties, whereas Stallone has said that removing Sico helps make Rocky 4 a more grounded film. The Sico sections are amusing and sentimental, but at the same time, when juxtaposed against the Ivan Drago and Rocky Balboa rivalry pull focus away.
At the same time, editing Paulie’s robot out of the Director’s Cut isn’t the same as removing a prop, and Sico’s royalties, given to Doornick, have allowed him to donate the robot’s services to schools, hospitals, senior centers and more. Without corporate earnings, Sico isn’t able to reach as many people in need as a helpful public relations ambassador. His presence in the movie also serves to highlight how far Rocky has separated himself from where he came from.
As it turns out, Sico wasn’t just part of Paulie’s heartwarming storyline, and there’s a touching reason why the robot was included in Rocky 4. Originally, Sico was developed to entertain Seargeoh Stallone, one of Stallone’s sons who has autism. Sico is an acronym that stands for “socio-psychological phenomenon” and is used as a tool to help facilitate and develop bonds with people who are neurodivergent. His appearance in the movie helped introduce him to a much wider audience who may have never heard about his abilities in the area of mental health.
While he was created for an altruistic purpose, Sico never truly fit the Rocky 4 narrative, but the fact remains that he’s become associated with the film in large part due to how incongruous he is in it. Unfortunately, removing him affects visibility for Sico and his creator, and minimizes Paulie’s partof the plot, even though it serves Stallone’s greater creative purpose. Fortunately, Sico is Working with a UK group to develop a computer animated sequel centered on Rocky’s robot, so even if he’s taken out of the Director’s Cut of Rocky IV, he’ll still live on for his fans (via International Robotics).
Source: International Robotics
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