Every now and then a movie comes along that exceeds expectations and delivers an enjoyable and memorable experience. Such is the case with the new Dreamworks animated movie “The Wild Robot” which is based on the first book in a series by Peter Brown who also helped write the screenplay.
The story centers on a robot service unit named Roz (Lupita Nyong’o), who finds herself on the shores of a remote island after coming online in her crate which has washed upon a shore.
With a programmed priority to serve, Roz is unable to find who ordered her and the various animals either flee from her or are hostile to her despite her best efforts.
When an unexpected situation places her in the care of a Goose egg, Roz becomes the guardian to a hatched Gosling she names Brightbill (Kit Connor), and with the help of a Fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal); Roz learns the ways of caring and the animals after learning their various languages.
Along the way she discovers she is more than her programming as her caring nature at first seems out of place in the wild but her desire to complete her task to help the Gosling helps her face the numerous challenges they face along the way.
Along with being a fish out of water story; the film has a great depth of humor and character and the jokes work very well for adults as well as younger viewers the numerous themes in the film resonate well without being overly heavy or preachy.
There are also several observations about nature and the delicate balance as well as how we impact it but those are done in support of the story without being the main focus as the core is a tale of friendship, love, and finding a place in the world which is universal for most.
The animation seemed to be a blend of styles ranging from cutting edge to more retro but from start to finish I was utterly captivated and charmed by the film and I noted several people in our screening were having an emotional reaction to the story and characters as it is a very strong contender for the best animated film of the year.
There are currently two more books in the series available to adapt and hopefully we will be able to see them in the future as this was a truly memorable and magical film for the entire family and one of the best films of the year.
4.5 stars out of 5
