The Wild Robot – movie review

School holidays are once again upon us, and there are plenty of options for some family friendly films to enjoy with Harold and the Purple Crayon, the Australian film Runt, and the animated origin story of Transformers One. However, easily the best of the bunch is the superb animated The Wild Robot, which has been adapted from the trilogy of illustrated books written by Peter Brown. It’s a beautifully animated and moving story that explores universal themes that will resonate with audiences of all ages.

The film is set in a not-too-distant future and centres around an AI powered multi-purpose machine known as the Rozzum Unit 7134, or Roz for short (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), a product of Universal Dynamics. Roz has become shipwrecked on an island inhabited mainly by forest dwelling creatures. The mission-oriented Roz soon learns all the different languages of the creatures that inhabit the forest ecosystem. But unable to contact the company to effect a rescue, Roz slowly adapts to life in the forest even though the animals initially regard her as a monster and treat her accordingly.

She eventually finds her purpose in raising an orphaned gosling named Brightbill (Kit Connor, who played the young Elton John in the biopic Rocketman) and helping him to prepare to take place in the annual migration. She receives help from the mischievous and wily Felix the fox (Pedro Pascal) and Pinktail, an opossum (Catherine O’Hara). As she moves out of her comfort zone and adapts to her new maternal role Roz becomes more human.

The Wild Robot has been written and directed by Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch) who emphasises the themes of family, friendship, motherhood, community, not judging a character by their appearances, identity, and the very nature of existence. Sanders even celebrates a community coming together as one to protect themselves from an outside threat, and the film also paints a picture of corporate greed. These universal themes will resonate strongly with audiences and they lend the material a rich emotional resonance.

Sanders’ world-building is superb and he creates a richly detailed and grand natural environment. The visuals have been inspired in part by the works of Monet and Japanese master Miyazaki. The CG animation is spectacular and allows the audience to immerse themselves into this rich, unique environment. The film is richly layered with plenty of visual humour.

The film’s treatment of Roz taps into that same vein of cute, funny and almost human robot creatures such as R2-D2, C-3PO and even Wall.E. and Sanders imbues the material with a strong sentimental streak.

Sanders has assembled a strong vocal cast to bring the characters to life. Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave) is outstanding and her endearing and nuanced delivery brings a human quality and warmth to her interpretation of Roz. Mark Hamill (of Star Wars fame) voices a grizzly bear named Thorn; Bill Nighy brings his usual lugubrious style to his role as Longneck, a wise and avuncular old goose who encourages Roz and Brightbill; Matt Berry (What We Do In The Shadows) plays Paddler, a beaver; and Ving Rhames (the Mission: Impossible series) voices the character of Thunderbolt, a character not in the book but created especially for the film. Stephanie Hsu (Everything, Everywhere, All At Once) provides the voice of Vontra, an evil robot from Universal Dynamics which has been sent to retrieve Roz, a plot device which sets up a final confrontation between the creatures of the forest and the technology of the outside world.

The Wild Robot is yet another winner from Dreamworks Studios and is a great option for a family-friendly film for the holidays.

Greg King

Other reviews you might enjoy:

• The Call of the Wild – movie review
• Robot Dreams – movie review
• A Quiet Place: Day One – movie review