With lush, plush animation and featuring Pedro Pascal as a talking fox, The Wild Robot is destined to only be truly disliked by sociopaths and the mudgiest of curmudgeons. Although too generic in message and style to be the instant classic some seem to be confusing it for, writer/director Chris Sanders has crafted a movie that will make so many parents and children cry. That’s the aim of any animated family film: loud, snot-covered weeping.
Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) is basically Alexa with limbs. Shaped like a volleyball with appendages, the corporate droid was created to help customers. Instead, she gets stranded on island filled with a wide variety of wildlife that would absolutely never coexist together on one island. After an accident leads to goose carnage, a gosling mistakes her for his mom.
Built to please, she accepts her new task, names her adopted son Brightbill (Kit Connor), and begins raising him with the help of a fox named Fink (Pascal). The clock is ticking though, as Brightbill must learn to be self-sufficient and fly before winter comes to the island. He doesn’t and dies of starvation and frostbite.
Kidding! Nothing in the plot here goes even slightly outside the bounds of expected. It’s the kind of movie where things happen at the end because it would be a lot cooler if they did, not because it is paying off some intricate setup or idea. The biggest surprise you’ll get is delight upon hearing Matt Berry’s voice if you didn’t know that he played a beaver. Which you know now. Sorry.
Oh sure, there’s a weirdly violent climax, but it’s mostly just a kind, simple movie about the importance of connecting with others and a celebration of selflessness. You remember selflessness, right? It’s that thing that people are mercilessly mocked for in modern society. Pretty sure new translations of the bible have Jesus saying things like “Thou shalt get yours first, bro.” So, while there’s nothing new under the cartoon sun here, spending some time thinking about being nice to those who are sweeter and smaller than you feels pretty good.
Another potential source of good feels: If you have any fond memories of your parents, they’re going to smack you about the head and face. This isn’t so much recalling specific incidents so much as particular feelings of safety and devotion. Again, if you were lucky enough to be someone who grew up with wonderful human parents or, apparently, a tender mechanoid.
All the voice acting is lovely, with Nyong’o delivering a truly remarkable performance. Conveying genuine emotion through the veil of computer generation is always tricky, but it is made even harder when the character is restricted by robotic-sounding speech. Nobody would want Siri for a momma, but Nyong’o’s warmth elevates her maternal machine.
The Wild Robot isn’t going to be a cultural phenomenon, at least partially because “be kind” joined “eat my shorts” in the pantheon of left-behind phrases. But it is pretty, and it is nice. And that’s pretty nice.
Grade = B
Other Critical Voices to Consider
Valerie Kalfrin at the Alliance of Women Film Journalists says “I’ve long had a weakness for robots that burst with personality, from R2-D2 to The Iron Giant to WALL-E. The Wild Robot, while not as transcendent as 2008’s WALL-E, is nevertheless a gorgeous and gratifying animated film about discovering where you fit. Through a robot that experiences empathy, it encourages an audience’s compassion, celebrating kindness as a survival skill.”
Sarah Gopaul at Digital Journal says “It’s moving without ever feeling like it’s working up to a big ‘pull on your heartstrings’ moment, while still ensuring the viewer is fully engaged in the narrative from beginning to end. It’s undoubtedly one of the — if not the — best animated movies of the year.”
Kofi Outlaw at comicbook.com says “With its visual splendor, a mix of ironic humor for adults and slapstick for kids, a talented cast, and some powerful themes about family bonds, The Wild Robot delivers like only the greatest animated features can.”