I had been looking forward to seeing The Wild Robot ever since I first saw the trailer many months ago. As someone who loves nature and animals, I knew I would enjoy the movie, but I didn’t know that it would become one of my favorite movies of all time.
The movie is based on the best-selling book by Peter Brown. It follows a robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) named ROZZUM unit 7134, or Roz for short. She is shipwrecked on an island uninhabited by humans but teeming with animal life. The animals view her as a monster at first, but she observes their habits and tries to form connections. She befriends Fink, an outcast fox (voiced by Pedro Pascal), and raises Brightbill, an orphaned gosling (voiced by Kit Connor) after accidentally destroying his family’s nest. Throughout the movie, Roz forms more connections with the animals on the island and develops emotions that no other robot can feel.
In my opinion, this was one of Dreamworks Animation’s most beautiful films. From the beauty of the landscape changing throughout the seasons to the movement of each animal, there was so much attention to detail in the animation. In addition to the island and its animals, the animation also did a great job of grounding the film in time. One of the most powerful moments shows a flock of geese flying over the Golden Gate Bridge, which is submerged underwater. Subtle hints like these make it clear that the movie takes place in the future without filling the audience with apocalyptic dread. This lack of dread made the film appropriate for children, but all of the beautiful details and entertaining storylines made it equally enjoyable for adults.
One of the things I think the film did very well was its portrayal of loneliness and alienation. Each of the main characters is alienated in some way, and each of these ways are unique. Roz is an outsider who the animals view as a monster, Fink is solitary and not well-liked by his fellow forest creatures, and the geese do not accept Brightbill as a member of their flock because he was raised by a “monster.” While not fitting in is a common theme in movies, especially those suitable for children, I think this film did an exceptional job at making these characters and their experiences both unique and relatable. As someone who has had many experiences with alienation throughout my life, this theme comes up frequently in my writing, and I will take a lot of inspiration from this movie. How these characters experienced alienation and loneliness fit perfectly with the story and were not at all forced. The writing did a great job of making each plot point feel natural, including the way Roz learns to understand and communicate with the animals and the way she begins to feel emotions for the first time.
I honestly cannot think of a single point of criticism I have for The Wild Robot. Between the animation, the characters, the voice acting, and the writing, it was by far one of the best movies I have ever seen. If you are looking for a heartwarming story filled with beautiful imagery and jokes that are even funnier to adults than kids, I highly recommend checking out The Wild Robot for your next movie night. The film is still in theaters and is also available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime.
Junior Carrie Teti is the Arts & Leisure Editor for The College Reporter. Her email is cteti@fandm.edu.