“The Wild Robot”: A Beautiful and Deeply Emotional Journey
Just as with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish in 2022, DreamWorks surprises us by delivering one of the best animated films of the last few years. Here is why you should not miss The Wild Robot.
Summary
ROZZUM unit 7134, a robot created to assist humans with everyday tasks, is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island.
Her efforts to adapt to the surroundings lead Roz to build relationships with the island’s animals, and become the adoptive mom of an orphaned gosling.
My Expectations Were Met
I’ve been dying to watch The Wild Robot ever since I first watched the trailer in theaters in July, and I’m happy to say that when the time came, I was not disappointed. This might be one of my favorite films, not only of 2024, but of the past five or six years.
The Wild Robot is based on the 2016 novel of the same name, by writer and illustrator Peter Brown. And this film adaptation was directed by Chris Sanders, known for his work in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch (a childhood favorite of mine) and DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon.
A Visual Masterpiece
The Wild Robot took inspiration from Disney Animation’s classics, as well as the works of Hayao Miyazaki, to achieve its final look. The production team also built upon the technologies used in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Bad Guys, two DreamWorks films that were visually different from most of their previous projects.
What we got as a result is a beautiful animation, full of color, where everything seems to be hand-painted with love. It perfectly conveys the pureness and innocence of the story and its protagonist.
All the animal characters are wonderfully designed, and this, accompanied by a good script, makes them endearing and memorable.
Motherhood and Finding Purpose
We live in a time when the idea of motherhood is treated as lesser, and even demonized by most media. It seems that, by society’s modern standards, being a mother is not something remarkable and important, but a punishment, an impediment for women to reach their full potential. For the last ten years or so, Hollywood has been adamant about feeding us that message under the label “female empowerment”. In that context, it’s quite refreshing to find a story that shows motherhood in a positive light, and explores the deep bonds between a mother and her child.
Raising Brightbill faces Roz with a task she was unprepared for. The baby goose is the most demanding creature she has ever come across. He craves not only food and shelter, but also time and affection, which the robot was not programmed to deliver. Learning and adapting to her new son’s needs and being confronted with difficult decisions about his wellbeing, awakens a part of Roz that cannot be erased or reprogrammed. The bond with Brughtbill transforms Roz, and gives her a purpose for existing.
Reception and Box Office Results
With a budget of $70.000.000, The Wild Robot has made over $190.000.000 at the worldwide box office. It must be considered that in many countries the film was released just last week, so I expect it to make more money before the month is over.
As much as I know that this film will not be nearly as financially successful as Inside-Out 2 or Despicable Me 4, The Wild Robot is without a doubt the best animated project of 2024. No one can change my mind. Its biggest shortcoming in bringing people to theaters could be that, even though the animation and characters are kid-friendly, the themes explored by the film are more geared towards an adult audience. Topics such as death, love, and the meaning of life are approached with admirable simplicity, but most of this will fly over the kids’ heads.
That being said, this is a movie that certainly deserves to be seen on a big screen, and that is worth the price of the ticket. It’s a deeply emotional experience that reminded me how wonderful cinema can be. If you have the chance to watch it, I recommend you don’t miss it.
