As many of you may know I am 43, single with no children of my own. As such I’ve always felt a little separated from the human experience of mothering or nurturing children. At times I’ve even wondered if I have what it takes to raise a child as clearly it is not something God saw in the cards for me to experience?
It is this personal questioning that made me especially appreciate the beautiful film from DreamWorks: The Wild Robot. This is a wonderful movie that explores the power of shepherding another life and how the act of parenting changes us.
The parent in question here is Roz a robot marooned on an island with seemingly no humans in sight. As she explores her environment she looks for a purpose but comes up empty until she meets a little gosling geese Brightbill. She is told she needs to help her new charge eat, learn how to swim and fly and in order to fill this purpose she must grow and change even though her programming may fight such orders.
There are many things that impressed me about The Wild Robot but what stood out the most is director and writer Chris Sanders boldness to not feel a need to dumb down the story for kids. This is a grown up story. We don’t really get Brightbill’s perspective. How many animated films are there that focus on the parents and their journey? I can think of 2 off the top of my head, and they are both anime films- Tokyo Godfathers, and Wolf Children. Both are examples of films with huge humanity and such is The Wild Robot. It may be about a robot but at its core it’s about someone changing from the act of parenting.
The technicals of the film are also superb with some of the most beautiful animation I’ve seen from DreamWorks and the pitch-perfect voicework. Everyone fit so well into their characters that I was not distracted by celebrities like Lupita Nyong’o or Pedro Pascal. The sound design was also lush and created an immersive natural experience when combined with the animation.
My only real critique of the film was the score by Kris Bowers didn’t always fit with the actions happening on screen and the use of songs by Maren Morris feels out of place.
Other than that 2024 will be hard-pressed to produce a film I like more than The Wild Robot. I found it oddlly comforting that if Roz could find a way to raise Brightbill maybe I would have what it takes if ever given the chance? What a wonderful thought from a stunning animated film. I highly recommend watching it in the theater if you get the chance. An all time classic.
Smile Worthy
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Finally got a chance to see this in a local theater – on the very last day of showing. Can’t say I’ve seen or heard much about this film – discovered it from your blog. What a wonderful experience! Great sense of humor and humanity (without a human in sight) – a big cut above anything else currently playing at the metro-plex.
Great review. I personally loved this movie. The previews alone definitely got me interested in seeing this, but I wasn’t prepared how much I would love this film. The story was incredibly heartwarming and deep and definitely emotional. I teared two or three times in the movie, and I really connected with it….and when a film can do that….it truly is something magical. Plus, the animation was gorgeous and almost like a painted style-esque illustration and the voice talents were solid across the board. All in all, I loved The Wild Robot, and it deserves all the praise that moviegoers and critics have given it.