The Wild Robot follows ROZZUM Unit 7134, Roz for short (Lupita Nyong’o), as she gets lost on an island with no human life. She meets a whole bunch of animals and after an accident, she ends up taking care of a baby goose, Brightbill (Kit Connor). Their relationship provides such a powerful force at the centre of this film that it pushes The Wild Robot to the top of the year’s best animated feature list.
Sanders directs a near-future world that is familiar enough to relate to, and distant enough to tell his story, an adaptation of Peter Brown’s novel of the same name. The ROZZUM robots are designed to complete whatever tasks they are given and while that sounds mildly dystopic, Sanders doesn’t spoon-feed you the rules of this future. His world is developed enough to tell Roz’s story and moves at such as speed that it gives ample info to follow the journey.
Kris Bowers’ score adds to the fun along with two original songs from Maren Morris that color the film, including “Kiss The Sky”, a Best Original Song candidate. The animation, Dreamworks’ last time doing it in-house, is beautifully rendered in a way that pushes animated film forwards. The backgrounds feel like paintings that the animals play in, utilizing tech built for recent projects like the excellent Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
The animals’ personalities flow through detailed facial expressions and movement, not to mention a voice cast that is filled with talent. Nyong’o’s range is on display as slight changes in Roz’s voice throughout the film tell us how Roz has grown. Connor, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, and especially Bill Nighy provide personality to the characters as they run and fly and tumble across the screen.
The only thing to consider is where The Wild Robot falls on the all-time animated list. It is an excellent film, although it packs so much into its 102 minutes that a few threads can feel unfinished, such as Pascal’s Fink the red fox’s back story and a funny yet jarring Ving Rhames falcon that appears out of nowhere. Those are definitely nitpicks because The Wild Robot is a technically and emotionally masterful film that elevates animation as a medium entirely. It’s appropriate for all ages and if you’re lucky enough to take your kids to see this you’re going to get a lot out of it too.
It is a pity that Dreamworks won’t be handling their animation in-house going forward and here’s why. Brown has a second book in the series and along with The Wild Robot’s commercial and critical success, a sequel is inevitable, and seeing the same team that made this film return would be amazing.
4.5/5
Review by: Kevin Jacobs