“Fly like you, not like them.” Children’s movies about robots certainly aren’t uncommon – see Robot Dreams, Transformers One, and other recent examples just from this year. While DreamWorks has had its fair share of franchises, adaptations, and even unfortunate flops (Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken) in its lifespan, there’s a good chance that, after almost thirty years, The Wild Robot will be their masterpiece. While DreamWorks themselves are already iconic to the animation industry, it’s rare to see an animated film, or almost any film with this amount of heart in it. This wild robot finds her way into the hearts of animals and viewers of all ages alike.
A state-of-the-art robot designed to fulfill every human desire, ROZZUM Unit 7134 is thrown out of her element, suddenly stranded on an island only inhabited by wildlife. Her artificial intelligence leaves her striving to fulfill her goal of assistance, yet every creature cowers away from her alien presence. However, an unfortunate and tragic accident leaves her with nothing but an egg…an egg that, sure enough, imprints on the bot, making it the first creature that needs her. One small problem – ROZZUM (later nicknamed “Roz”) has zero training on the needs of a baby gosling.
“No one does,” a busy opossum mother assures Roz. “We just make it up.”
Still practically alone on the island, Roz struggles with her limited knowledge to get the instinct of a mother goose. She makes an unexpected friend in the mischievous, very adorable Fink, a fox who begins with tricky intentions but comes to care for the baby gosling just as much as Roz does. The two have become the gosling’s parents – naming him Brightbill, the two manage to put together enough to teach him to swim and fly for the upcoming migration. Yet as the trio comes closer to the end of their journey, they realize there’s only so much they can do for the maturing goose. As he is teased by his peers, he learns a shocking truth about his ‘family’, dramatically altering their relationship in ways they might not get the chance to correct.
While having plenty of light-hearted and comedic moments, the film doesn’t shy away from the more tender part of its subject matter. Roz knows, deep down, that this isn’t the ‘right’ thing to be doing – she has the function built-in to return herself to headquarters and for everything to go back to normal. But what was normal, anyway? Does she truly want the strange new warmness she feels from her task to be erased from her? They may not be a traditional family, but Roz, Brightbill and Fink certainly become a family along the way. Even when Brightbill starts to realize what the rest of his kind think of his life and the origin of Roz coming to care for him, his urge to reject them to fit in socially is conflicted with the genuine love he has for his mother. While uplifting overall, having a box of tissues handy might be necessary.
The story is complemented by its exemplary animation. While I already mentioned Fink, the animation captures the entirety of the island well. Its wildlife is certainly endearing, but it never reaches the point of being cutesy enough that you can’t take its story seriously. Its action sequences are well-done, though they do bring a certain level of PG-rated intensity to the story that was less present in the original novels. While Roz is in a fair amount of peril at times, and as previously mentioned it has the potential to be the tearjerker, the general sense of love radiating from the film triumphs. Not only in its powerful found family, but in how a divided island of predators and prey can find something in common with one another through a strange robot. Lots of parents will likely feel a tug at their heartstrings as Brightbill grows up, and how he comes to understand the undying love that comes from his mother, no matter the circumstances.
While Roz is feeling something very strange for a robot – emotions – the story never decides to make her general patterns even as human as something like Chobits. There’s a certain comedic roboticness to her nature throughout, ensuring the film has nothing close to a human presence through almost its entire length – yet, at the same time, it feels more human than the majority of animated films that come out in a year. Roz vocally acknowledges that everything about motherhood goes against her programming – it “delayed [her], damaged [her], and violated [her] protocols, potentially voiding [her] warranty.” Yet Fink can cut through the robot speak and tell Brightbill what she really means – “She loves you very much.”
Overall, The Wild Robot is an exceptional work from DreamWorks, with its success proving the audience for heartfelt animation. The story is easily accessible for all ages while touching upon themes of family and survival which bring a connection to an older audience. The love between Roz, Fink and Brightbill makes their journey ever the more powerful and, while at times emotional, elevating.
The Wild Robot is currently playing in theaters across the United States and is available for digital rental and purchase.
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