With the buzz surrounding their latest film, The Wild Robot, it was about time DreamWorks Animation got its groove back. The 2020s seem to be the decade in which the studio has been trying to create something different with their stories. However, you couldn’t tell while looking back at their last three theatrical efforts. While Kung Fu Panda 4 was a decent entry for the franchise, Trolls Band Together was instantly a cash-grab sequel nobody wanted, and everybody, including me, forgot about Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. The trailers looked promising after they were released, and the glowing reactions from festivals convinced me to see it after not going to the theater in almost a month. The attention paid to animated movies that are not part of a franchise dwindles. And though what we have here is based on the book series by Peter Brown, I believe The Wild Robot is absolutely one of their strongest films in maybe a decade.
What’s the Story: A Universal Dynamics cargo ship lands on an inhabited island, where only one robot, ROZZUM unit 7134 (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), or Roz for short, seems to be there. Awakened and activated, she is intelligently designed to complete tasks and services. She must learn to adapt to living in the wildlife with the other animals on the island, including understanding their languages. Once she accidentally crushes on a goose nest, Roz cares for the lone egg. Once it hatches, the little orphan gosling imprints on Roz, naming him Brightbill (voiced by Kit Connor), where it’s her mission, along with a sly fox named Fink (voiced by Pedro Pascal), to raise him and prepare him for migration by teaching him what to eat, swim, and fly when he gets older.
When I saw the trailers months back, I thought this was their spin on Wall-E, The Iron Giant, or a more approachable Hayao Miyazaki film. Surprisingly, it might be that and more. I’ve never read the books, but I see copies of them at work while sorting, so they must be popular among kids. There’s something about watching a movie about a robot wanting to explore more than what they’re programmed for and become human within their environmental surroundings. What didn’t surprise me about why The Wild Robot worked for me was the proven track record of writer/director Chris Sanders. The same man behind The Croods, Lilo & Stitch, and the iconic How to Train Your Dragon, has once again delivered a refreshingly simple and ultimately beautiful piece of work. But it has the potential to be a classic, making sure every crucial moment counts for knowing about the characters in this sort of post-apocalyptic landscape.
Nyong’o was the perfect actress to voice Roz, allowing us to connect strongly with her through this journey. But let’s be honest: The Oscar winner can’t do much wrong in my eyes. With no humans around to be a service to them, she takes it upon herself to be helpful to the animals around her. Once she overrides her programming, the progression of her character and the development within Nyong’O’s voice is understandably believable to where she belongs. Connor does a great job as Brightbill too. As he grows up, we see he doesn’t fit in with the other geese, and Brightbill is considered different, especially since he wasn’t raised by a traditional mother. Aside from them, Pascal as Fink was amazing, and it took me a while to figure out it was him. Playing a comic relief fox but, deep down, is lonely and lucky to have Roz as a companion. The rest of the voices also compliment the fact these are recognizable stars a part of the film but never distracting, with the likes of Ving Rhames, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Matt Berry, and Mark Hamill lending their voices to the animals.
But if you’re wondering if the animation is the greatest, it is. Animated films like this are worth seeking out in the theater since everybody will be in awe of the quality shown in pushing the boundaries of how everything looks. At first glance, you would not know this was from the same studio behind Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. But it’s a strong testament to the hard work everyone has put together. I love it when animators are up for a challenge, change visual styles occasionally, and do more beyond traditional CGI. It looked like computer animation and paint-like backdrops that I admired, and it almost came out like a vibrant storybook, managing to look great in every scene to the point that I imagined roaming in the forest on a warm fall evening. Every detail is breathtaking, especially on an IMAX screen.
When it takes the opportunity to have morbid jokes about death, even though the film’s target audience is children, it’s strange. But they still made me laugh whenever this family of possums had this curiosity about the subject. Plus, it’s the nature of animals trying to eat other animals. Beyond the craftsmanship of the animation, there’s this theme of finding family and this sense of belonging I didn’t expect going in. What you get is this mother-son relationship with Roz and Brightbill that gives it the well-deserved heart about what it means to take on this responsibility as a parent tasked to look after someone. Despite not having a kid of my own yet, it’s easy to see why those who will resonate and understand Roz is willing to protect what she loves. And everyone, including myself, has gone through those times of questioning if I fit into the right place, whether of being loved or in general. And having a DreamWorks flick makes me tear up more than twice, which is a genuine rare. It was so unexpected from them, coming from a nearly 30-year-old; there’s nothing wrong with holding back the waterworks (thankfully, nobody was sitting in my row).
Probably the only problem this has going for it is the third act kind of falls for the generic type of climax one would expect. If it was in the book, it’s cool, but something like this didn’t need a clear-cut villain to create conflict. That’s not to say it ruined the experience since my engagement with the story never disappeared, having me leave the theater happy after some unfortunate news personally. If there was another family film everyone could enjoy alongside Inside Out 2, thank goodness for this. And by that, it’s guaranteed an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. And as of right now, it’s my number one choice to win.
Overall, The Wild Robot surprised me not only with its fantastic animation and Lupita Nyong’o’s voice performance but also with its intriguing and unquestionably mature plot, which brings together key life lessons that anybody can relate to. I haven’t seen many movies this year that are in the 9/10 range, but here we have one that families should catch immediately.
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