Directed by Chris Sanders and based on the book series of the same name by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot follows a robot named Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) who after getting shipwrecked on a deserted island must learn to adapt to its new surroundings. Building relationships with the native animals, Roz soon develops a parental bond with an orphaned gosling and starts to become more than what she was programmed for.
Dreamworks has been recently attempting to make a comeback in animation and so far they have had some successes with some recent films, including The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots The Last Wish, and Kung Fu Panda 4, but they were still in need of a more creative and original film that could make a major impact on audiences. This brings us to this film, which got the attention of many people with its trailers due to its premise and uniquely gorgeous animation. Even my mother commented on how the animation looked very much like her watercolor pieces she had made as an artist over the years and how heartfelt the film felt with its tone. She really wanted to see this film with me but then she suddenly passed away three weeks ago, so last night I ended up going alone to see the film in her honor. I came out of the theater feeling a vast amount of emotions that stayed with me for the rest of the evening as a result of this magnificent animated film that reminded me a lot of her and had its own unique elements that moved me immensely.
The Wild Robot is the best Dreamworks film made in years, having masterfully crafted animation, phenomenal voice performances, thunderously epic music, and a powerfully emotional story that hit me hard in ways I never expected. It is by far one of the most passionate animated films that Chris Sanders and Dreamworks have put out in a long time, one that eclipses even the most recent successes for the studio.
There’s a lot to discuss when it comes to this film but I think the most important element to talk about first is the animation, which is by far the best and most visually unique animation I have seen out of all of Dreamworks projects. There have been clear signs of Dreamworks testing the waters of new animation styles in some of their recent films but this felt like a larger leap into new territory, having watercolor-styled visuals that are breathtakingly beautiful in every single frame from the moment the film starts to the very end. There are certainly some visual inspirations based on Hayao Miyazaki’s animated work that can be seen throughout the film in certain shots, but a majority it feels very much its own thing and I really love how unique it is.
I was fully absorbed into the beauty of the untamed wilderness of this world as well as the endless amounts of detail given to the characters and their surroundings. The landscapes and their backgrounds leap off the big screen with a dazzling array of natural colors that mix in 3D and 2D animation together in a perfect creative blend that truly stays in your mind long after seeing it. Characters and creatures move with extreme fluidity, making their animalistic movements, physical comedy, and even occasional action sequences look visually stunning and pleasing for the eyes. For me personally, it’s easily the best-animated film I’ve seen this entire year in terms of visuals.
The voice cast is absolutely phenomenal in this film, playing their respective roles to perfection and truly feeling like they are playing actual characters rather than celebrities playing themselves, which was a common problem in past Dreamworks films. Lupita Nyong’o as Roz is the true heart and soul of the film, delivering yet another fantastic performance in her career, especially right after an immensely powerful performance she had several months ago in A Quiet Place Day One. Lupita puts forth immense range as Roz, starting off with a very robotic and non-emotional voice that evolves into a more emotional and passionate voice as Roz begins to evolve beyond her original programming as a result of staying on this wild island and caring for the orphaned gosling she adopts.
Roz’s journey is very much a chaotic fish-out-of-water kind of story at the beginning but then quickly transitions into a powerful and moving journey about motherhood and how kindness can actually be a survival instinct, even when it feels like the whole world against you. I found Roz to be a very inspiring character in this film that I think a lot of people will relate to, but for me personally she reminded me very much of my own mother who went out of her way to be there for me and others in need despite numerous struggles she endured in her life.
Kit Connor delivers a wonderful performance as Brightbill, the young orphaned runt Canada goose who is raised by Roz as her own son. He is another relatable character in the film that is on an inspiring coming-of-age journey that shows how important a parent’s guidance can be in people’s lives, as well as to never let the world tell you what you can or can’t do. The way his relationship with Roz develops over the course of the film is very much an emotional rollercoaster that shows the ups and downs that can occur in any parent/child relationship that again I think a lot of people will find relatable. Even with the special circumstances that resulted in Roz raising Brightbill one of the most important lessons to come from their relationship is to never take your loved ones for granted, especially the parents that have raised and supported you all their life.
Another one of my favorite performances and characters in the film was Pedro Pascal as Fink, a mischievous red fox who is the first animal that Roz helps and befriends. Pedro Pascal has proven numerous times in recent years that he has immense range when it comes to playing various characters and that continues to be the case here with this sly but lovable fox that oozes with charm, humor, and surprising amounts of heart. Fink has the usual traits a fox can be known for but underneath it all, he is an extremely lonely individual who secretly wants nothing more than companionship, which he ends up unexpectedly finding when meeting Roz.
I expected Pedro’s performance as this character to get a lot of laughs out of me, which he certainly did, but I definitely did not expect to be so emotionally invested in him as I was with Roz and Brightbill, but that largely comes down to his fantastic performance as the character and how wonderfully written he is. I’ve even found myself relating to him in terms of feeling immense moments of loneliness in my life and seeking companionship during the most difficult times.
The supporting cast of characters are all wonderfully brought to life by their respective cast members who have their own amazing spotlight moments in the film, even if it isn’t as long as the leading characters. Catherine O’Hara once again shines with her hilarious and charming performance as Pinktail, a mother opossum who gives Roz some advice on raising Brightbill. Pinktail and her opossum kids managed to get me laughing so damn hard throughout the film in various moments, which definitely helped balance out the more emotional parts of the film that occur throughout.
There is also Bill Nighy as Longneck and Ving Rhames as Thunderbolt who both bring wisdom and immense presence with their voice performances as mentor characters to Brightbill that I very much enjoyed even with their limited time on screen. Matt Berry also plays a funny grumpy beaver named Paddler who was honestly one of the most underrated characters in the film due to the various actions he does throughout the film.
We also get a very surprising and almost unrecognizable performance from Mark Hamill as Thorn, a grizzly bear who doesn’t have as many lines as the rest of the cast but was still an awesome inclusion who had his own great moments in the film.
Another surprising performance came from Stephanie Hsu as Vontra, a robot of Roz’s race who is also the film’s primary villain. Even though she isn’t introduced until much later in the film she makes her own impact as a great villain that is very cold and calculated but portrays it through an unsettlingly joyful demeanor pulled off perfectly by Stephanie Hsu. She felt a bit like GLaDOS from Portal in some ways and works as a perfect polar opposite of Roz.
The film has a very emotional story that brings immense amounts of heart, charm, and humor that I found to be extremely moving, especially with how personal it got for me at times and how it had many themes layered into it like loneliness, grief, motherhood, and even nature vs. technology. Everyone is going to have various emotions when watching this film depending on what characters or themes you end up relating to the most but I can confess that I found myself relating to a lot of it, especially after recent events, and I was left as an emotional mess by the end of it.
It is such a beautiful crafted story created by Chris Sanders that feels timeless, which is something I feel has been largely missing from most Dreamworks projects for years. There is no dated dialogue or jokes present throughout the film but instead it looks, sounds, and feels like a fairy tale that is memorable and impactful for all the right reasons.
Elevating this film to higher levels of greatness is an epic score provided by composer Kris Bowers, who delivers the best film score in his career so far. He is most well known for his musical work in Bridgerton but I honestly think the entire score of this film beats that out by landslide for how powerful it sounds and how it truly moves you in many scenes. The last time I ever felt truly moved by a Dreamworks score in a theater would have to be the first How to Train Your Dragon film, which funnily enough was another film directed by Chris Sanders. There are also two original songs by Maren Morris featured in the film that are all beautifully performed and are extremely fitting for the film’s narrative.
The Wild Robot is a film that I believe will have a major emotional impact on everyone who watches it, though I don’t expect it to be exactly the same as the way it impacted me given what I had recently experienced. I highly encourage everyone to go out and see this amazing film especially on the big screen as it is very much worth watching, and it could encourage Dreamworks to keep making more passionate and creative projects like this going forward. I’m going to give The Wild Robot an A+ = 100.
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