Movie Review – The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot is just shy of being an instant classic. It’s the best-animated movie I’ve seen in some time. During the movie, my wife leaned over and said that it reminded her of Iron Gian, which is absolutely a classic A+ animation. Just to be mentioned with Iron Giant is a compliment.

The plot is also easy to follow. This is one of those movies that you could watch with no sound and it would make sense. That means young children will comprehend much of the story. There is also plenty to laugh at. The theater was full of young children and they all seemed engaged and I could hear them laughing and commenting throughout the movie.

While Wild Robot may not be in the league as WALL-E and Iron Giant it will still undoubtedly appeal to a wide range of ages; from young children, to senior citizens.

Themes

The Wild Robot accomplishes a tough challenge by exploring multiple themes through concise storytelling.

More Than Our Programming

The most prominent theme explored is the idea that we can be more than our programming. On the surface it’s the robot (Roz) that accomplishes this challenge. Still, subtly, every character in the story becomes more than their programming by going against their natural instincts and learning to work together for survival.

Making It Right and Forgiveness

Roz is dedicated to protecting Bright Bill—the baby bird. The story briefly examines hurt feelings and trust issues and how to resolve them.

Wild Robot is more than a simple story that moralizes on one topic. It covers many moral issues but never feels like it is moralizing. The narrative never feels forced into a situation where things are happening specifically to reach a specific agenda.

AI and Humanity

Wild Robot taps into our current fascination with artificial intelligence, challenging us to consider what truly defines consciousness and emotion. Through Roz’s journey, the film poses questions about adaptation, survival, and the nature of humanity itself. What I get out of the story is that purpose is what leads to humanity. As long as Roz has only one finite purpose she is just a robot. But once Roz is assigned a task that is impossible to complete she becomes more than just a robot. Maybe an aspect of humanity is having a purpose that is unattainable. Maybe, maybe not. But something to think about on a rainy night.

Animation Style

The animation style doesn’t break any new ground, but the choice of design for the characters, specifically Roz—the robot—works well. Even though she’s a robot with no ability to smile or frown, the animators were able to express her emotions through subtle and realistic eye changes.

Director Chris Sanders, known for his work on Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon, brings his signature blend of heart and humor to Wild Robot. His experience in creating lovable non-human characters shines through in Roz’s design and character development. Lupita Nyong’o’s nuanced voice performance as Roz is particularly noteworthy, conveying a wide range of emotions despite the character’s robotic nature.

Grade: A-

About The Peetimes: This was a very hard movie to find good Peetimes for because there are so many emotional scenes that shouldn’t be missed. The first and second Peetimes are, good. But the last Peetime is only for emergencies.

There are extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of The Wild Robot.

Similar Movies

Fans of Wild Robot might also enjoy other animated films that explore themes of belonging and identity, such as WALL-E, Big Hero 6, or the series Love, Death & Robots for a more mature audience. These works similarly blend technology with emotion, challenging our perceptions of what it means to be human.

Rated:	(PG) Thematic Elements | Action/Peril
Genres:	Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi
Starring:	Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor
Director:	Chris Sanders
Writer(s):	Chris Sanders, Peter Brown
Language:	English
Country:	United States

Plot
After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island’s animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.