It has been such a long time since I have seen a DreamWorks Animation film.
I think the last one would have been part of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. However, there was one film that was piquing my interest, The Wild Robot looked absolutely stunning from the trailers, and I couldn’t wait for it to come out. Releasing in cinemas just in time for the school holidays, I was excited to catch a special preview screening, and I am so glad that I got up early on a Sunday morning to catch it. This film is incredible.
Based on the children’s book of the same title written by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot is an animation film written and directed by Chris Sanders. In a future Earth, Robots and Artificial Intelligence has become a normal part of life. However, when a cargo ship delivery of Universal Dynamics robots runs aground in the wild, one of the ROZZUM robots survived in one piece. Their prime directive is to complete tasks given to them by their owners, however, with no human in sight, Unit 7134 sets out to find a task.
Calling herself “Roz” for short, she finds herself wandering through the forest and unintentionally scaring the animals. In an attempt to understand the wild creatures around her, she sets herself into a learning mode and teachers herself how to speak to them.
After failing to find a task to complete, Roz (voiced by Lupita Amondi Nyong’o) decides it is time to return to base. However, in an attempt to find higher ground to boost her signal strength, tragedy unfolds and Roz tumbles down the mountain, landing in a tree and destroying a Goose Nest.
With one egg surviving and Roz saving it from the clutches of a hungry fox named Fink (voiced by Pedro Pascal), the egg hatches and the hatchling imprints on Roz. As the gosling grows, Roz names it Brightbill (voiced by Kit Connor) and now with a prime directive to raise the gosling before winter comes, Roz must overcome her programming as a robot to become the bird’s mother.
One of the first things that drew me to this film was the animation style. In a step away from the smooth classic renderings of animations in the past, The Wild Robot is what I could best describe as a moving canvas. The animals and wilderness are designed like a painting, with no smooth edges and visible brush strokes. Whilst in comparison, Roz is clearly designed to look almost out of place. With clean lines and a metallic finish, the design draws a very clear delineation between nature and technology. The Wild Robot is so visually stunning, you could easily pause it at any moment and hang it up on the wall as art.
What I wasn’t prepared for how good The Wild Robot’s story would be, right from the start when Roz finds herself as the adoptive mother to Brightbill, the eyes were welling up with tears. This film is such an enthralling and beautiful emotional rollercoaster. It is also very funny with plenty of parenting jokes for the mums and dads in the audience. Most of which come from an opossum named Pinktail (voiced by Catherine O’Hara) and her litter. Pinktail is also an important mentor for Roz, giving her plenty of advice on how to raise a child.
The Wild Robot is more than just a loving story of a robot becoming a mother, it is a tale of love, sacrifice, acceptance, and that regardless of who you are or where you come from, it is possible to live harmoniously with each other. There is also plenty of action in the final act. The Wild Robot really has everything in perfect balance.
The voice acting is impeccable. With a whole forest full of creatures, the voice cast is quite long, but some credible mentions to the recurring characters include Matt Berry as Paddler the beaver, perfectly smug with a dry sense of humour, exactly what I expected from Berry. Bill Nighy as Longneck, the old wise goose that helps Brightbill find his place amongst the flock. Fantastic in their roles are Ving Rhames as Thunderbolt the falcon, and the legend himself Mark Hamill as Thorn the grizzly bear. Shout out to Catherine O’Hara as Pinktail, the perfect representation as the exhausted mother with one too many kids. We also have Stephanie Hsu as the evil robot Ventra that is sent to retrieve Roz.
In the leading roles, Pedro Pascal is wonderful as the sly and cheeky fox, Fink. As a natural predator to geese, Pascal perfectly portrays the emotional battle between wanting to feast on Brightbill or become his friend. Kit Connor as Brightbill is wonderful. Being raised by a robot, his vocabulary is also very robotic. Connor must have had the best time creating this character because it shines through in what you see on screen. The chemistry between the two is natural, believable and entertaining.
Of course we have the titular character, the Wild Robot herself, Roz, voiced by the wonderful Lupita Amondi Nyong’o. Her portrayal of Roz is thoughtful and sweet. Nyong’o was able to build a slow growth of Roz from a curious robot to a loving creature by slowly changing the voice from a classic monotonal robot to one that has more emotional personality and depth as she speaks. It is ever so subtle, but extremely clever. And for a character that has almost no expressive features, Nyong’o does an incredible job of voicing emotion.
The Wild Robot is one of the best, if not the best film I have seen all year. The emotions I felt during this film are unmatched. I laughed, I was excited, I was anxious, but most of all – I cried… a lot. I was not expecting to cry so much during The Wild Robot. It is just such a beautiful and heartwarming film. It has enough fun and humour for the kids, but at its centre, it is a beautiful story of love, motherhood and sacrifice. I implore you to go and see this. It might just surprise you. It sure surprised me. But whatever you do, take tissues, you are going to need them! Lots of them!
Opening in cinemas nation wide on the 19th of September, The Wild Robot is the must-see film of the year. Check your local guides for session times.