The Wild Robot (2024)
Director: Chris Sanders
Screenplay: Chris Sanders
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Matt Berry, Catherine O’Hara, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu

Remember the best years of animation? The Disney Renaissance, the rise of Dreamworks? The period in which even the financial failures were noble and the seemingly unimaginative held charm? The 1990s were a special time for anyone fond of 2D, 3D, American, Japanese, or European styles of animated cinema. We thought we’d never see the likes of it again, but in recent years we’ve seen the Vincent van Gogh film Loving Vincent combine 65,000 oil paintings to tell its story, have been able to see everything from metaphors of first periods to mental health awareness across Pixar films, and have witnessed Sony Pictures Animation blow the old formulas to shreds with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Now Dreamworks – whose 2022 release Puss In Boots: The Last Wish was a first indicator of a new, more creatively and visually distinct direction for the long-troubled studio – offer The Wild Robot, a film so great it certifies that which we’ve suspected for a while: we’re living through a new feature animation renaissance.

An adaptation of Peter Brown’s 2016 children’s book of the same name, The Wild Robot tells of an assistance robot that is accidentally washed ashore an island uninhabited by humans and gets to work finding a creature to help. Through some unfortunate circumstances, the robot (named Roz and voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) finds a gosling egg, and thus finds a creature to assist and a task to complete. What follows is a loving, empathy-driven story of found family and coming-of-age filled with themes regarding parenthood, community, animal rights and so much more.

 

 

The Wild Robot is a dense film, stuffed to the brim with meaning that is both said aloud in the dialogue and packed tightly into its exceptional animation. Its setting, in the wilds of an unknown island inhabited by everything from foxes to bears, geese to porcupines, is beautifully realised in a painted style that both symbolises the origins of the work in the children’s book and makes this film a unique visual experience, while the mix of animals ensures a genuinely concerning level of threat to our heroes as the circle of life comes to bear.

There is so much to love for regular cinemagoers and small children alike here. The character animations are creepy or threatening where necessary, but the vast majority of the film is populated by characterisations that draw a smile and encourage a loving embrace of all that makes our planet so beautiful. From motherly archetypes to unseen artistes and right through to some of the most adorable baby animals you’ll find anywhere, there are also so many interesting characters to become invested in and a whole world to fall in love with. In addition to its themes being rich and its story being filled with profound meaning, The Wild Robot will maintain a child’s attention and give ready adults a reason to smile again and again and again.

In a film this visually and conceptually stunning, the voice work of the cast may go under the radar, but the input of Lupita Nyong’o in particular is exceptional. The Oscar-winning actress transforms her cadence to that of what we’d expect of a robot for the film’s opening moments, but the expertise of this performer come to the fore as the film progresses and the story demands a more human touch. Nyong’o’s exceptionally friendly tone is stretched and moulded to new factors that exemplify a sensational understanding of her assignment and a memorable central figure for this story. With the increasingly popular Pedro Pascal in support as a lovable rogue archetype (in this case a fox named Fink) and the distinct voices of Matt Berry, Bill Nighy, Catherine O’Hara, Ving Rhames and Mark Hamill amongst the support, each character is as distinct audibly as they are visually.

In bringing this emotional and powerful tale to life with such detail and creativity, Dreamworks have confirmed their re-emergence as one of the best studios in the game. The Wild Robot is a treat; a film that will make you smile, laugh, and clench your fists because of how cute it is, but one that will equally make you cry. For children short on attention spans, and adults seeking wholesome, loving cinema packed with meaning and good intent, The Wild Robot is an unmissable theatrical experience.

Score: 22/24