Despite the notion that animated films are primarily for kids, they exist for everyone. Films such as WALL-E, Toy Story, and Ratatouille tell meaningful, emotional stories that appeal to a wide range of viewers, regardless of age. Today, I’m happy to report that Dreamworks’ new animated film, The Wild Robot, is among them. I would say this masterpiece is the best movie I have seen so far this year.
Based on the book series by Peter Brown and directed by Dreamworks veteran Chris Sanders, The Wild Robot is set on a solitary island on a distant future Earth. The film stars Lupita Nyong’o in a fantastic performance as the robot ROZZUM 7134, or Roz, who is stranded on an island by a storm. After initially causing trouble for the local animals, Roz learns their language and teams up with a trickster fox named Fink, voiced by Pedro Pascal, to raise a young Canadian goose and ensure he embarks on his migration.
These three make up the core of the movie as they slowly bond and become a found family. I cannot emphasize enough how good the performances are. Nyong’o initially voices Roz in a bland, emotionless, repetitive tone, but slowly feeds more and more emotion into the robot’s voice throughout the film. Pascal might be the least complex character, but his comedic timing is on point and he plays off all the other characters extremely well. Kit Conner, who voices the young goose Brightbill, is magnificent. His performance allows us to truly learn about and love Brightbill in the same way Roz does. He is nervous and unsure of himself, but he is determined and full of heart at the same time. At no better point is this illustrated than during the scene where Brightbill learns to fly. The entire sequence brought back vivid memories of my childhood when I was first learning to ride a bike. It’s a scene that both parents and children will be able to look at and recognize themselves in, accompanied by some incredibly triumphant music.
In addition to the three leads, this film boasts an impressive supporting cast, with names like Catherine O’Hara, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, and Bill Nighy. Each character serves to build up the thriving, beautiful island that Roz finds herself on. Even with just a few lines of dialogue, we understand the personalities of each animal living there, and it’s heartwarming to watch the community grow closer throughout the film. By the end of the movie, what was once a land of predators and prey has become a community that has held back an army of robots and saved one of their own. This forest is just as much a character as Roz, Fink, and Brightbill, and the movie captures that effortlessly.
Another amazing quality of this movie is the animation. This is the final film that was animated fully in-house at Dreamworks, and I have to say they went out with a win. The Wild Robot boasts an incredible style of art that mixes CGI with a hand-painted look to create impressive visuals and stunning backgrounds. Every frame of this movie could be drawn out on a canvas. The hand-painted look of the forest and natural environment also serves to contrast the design of Roz. Roz’s design makes her feel incredibly uncanny, with the way she moves and how she activates the various tools equipped in her body. When the film starts, her smooth shiny form is in total contrast to the dirty, lived-in look of the forest. However, by the end of the film, months of living in this forest have led to her being covered in moss and scratched up, which truly makes her feel like a part of her environment. The scenes with her dirtied form represent her at her most human self, going to any lengths to protect her adopted son and her home, as well as fighting against the robots trying to take her back and turn her into that uncanny robot she was at the beginning of the film.
The final positive aspect of this movie is the ending. The last 15–20 minutes are when the movie is at its best, taking place at night among haunting visuals. Flashes of flaming forests, animals and robots clashing, and rain falling illuminate the struggles of Roz and Brightbill as they try to stay together. When the robots win the battle, the movie ends on a bittersweet note; Roz chooses to return to her original programming, confident that doing so will protect Brightbill and all the animals of the forest from future attacks. However, Roz still seems to remember Brightbill after being reset, which indicates that the decision to raise him came entirely from her heart.
The Wild Robot is a beautiful, emotional masterpiece. Not only is it the best movie I have seen this year, but it is one of the best animated films I have ever seen. Hopefully, this signifies a new era for Dreamworks. I think this film will be a strong competitor in the Best Animated Feature race in the upcoming Academy Awards, and honestly, I hope it wins. I could not recommend this gem of a movie any more.
