‘The Wild Robot’ Movie Review: Dreamworks’ Latest Is Its Best, An Animated Gem Bursting With Heart
Photo from Dreamworks
From Joe Peltzer
Move aside Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar (and How to Train Your Dragon and The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots)… there’s a new hit Dreamworks animated film demanding to be seen on the biggest screen possible. The Wild Robot is a perfect adaptation of its source material flush with stellar writing and beautiful visuals that grab onto the heart and never let go.
In the film, robot Rozzum unit 7134 (Roz) washes up on an island shore seeking to fulfill her purpose in assistance of needed tasks. Roz soon is forced to adapt to her surroundings as she takes on the role of an adoptive parent to a newborn gosling, testing her capacity for love amidst her rigid programming. First published in 2016, Peter Brown’s novel “The Wild Robot” explores a heartwarming tale of technology, nature, love, and sacrifice, spawning two follow up novels (“The Wild Robot Escapes” and “The Wild Robot Protects.”) The film adaptation, written and directed by Christopher Sanders (The Croods, Lilo & Stitch), stars Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of Roz, Pedro Pascal as the devious fox Fink, and Kit Connor as young Brightbill, among others. Building off of it’s talented and committed voice cast, The Wild Robot quickly cements itself as the best animated film of the year with messages of family, belonging, and self-love.
As far as adaptations go, the success of this film can be tied straight to the clear reverence Sanders has for the source material. Avoiding the common pitfalls of many book-to-film projects that seek to add and/or alter, The Wild Robot follows the established through line that made the novel such a hit in the first place. The story is brought to life with colorful and unique animation that flourishes in scenes that push the capabilities of the modern artist, surrendering the limits of animation and producing true art. It comes to life with a large assist from an incredible soundtrack that features two new songs written and performed by Maren Morris, tearjerkers in and of themselves and strategically placed for maximum emotion.
It’s hard to imagine anybody else voicing Roz now that Nyong’o has given the character a voice. She navigates the changing affects spurred by the robot’s developing attachment to Brightbill with grace and conviction, setting Roz apart from so many other robot characters we have found ourselves inundated with. You not only grow to admire her developing free will, but to cheer for her (and the rest of the characters) throughout.
What sets The Wild Robot apart is the impactful writing; when Fink tells young Brightbill to “fly like you, not like them,” the theme of individuality and uniqueness smacked me upside the head and elicited numerous tears. More over, it is a simplistic story that doesn’t try too hard in terms of the humor, the speeches, the important moments… rather it all flows naturally from beginning to end, save for a minor lull in the second act. Absent are the all-too-common jokes and innuendos intended to make a child giggle without understanding, but land well with the adults accompanying them to the film; The Wild Robot is more wholesome than that, and still very funny. Instead, the finished project can best be described as wholesome family fare, as well as the stereotypically used, but apt description of “fun for the whole family.” The script rides intelligence rather than slapstick, a welcomed departure from other Dreamworks entries.
The Wild Robot is a shoo-in for a Best Animated Feature nomination at next year’s Oscars, and dare I argue that it potentially could break into Best Picture? This is pure, sweet, strong storytelling at its finest delivered via an astonishing animated vessel, Dreamworks’ most enchantingly gorgeous film to date and one of the best films of the year.
Rating: 4.5/5
The Wild Robot hits theaters on Friday.
