I sat in the Cinemark University City Penn 6 with my boyfriend waiting for our 9:40 p.m. screening of The Wild Robot to start. Our only other option this late was Smile 2, but we weren’t in the mood for anything too heavy. Our middling expectations for The Wild Robot were set by a decent 30–second teaser and the vague knowledge that Kit Connor (the heartthrob from Heartstopper) would be doing an American accent. We went into the film essentially blind, seeking mere childlike wonder and excitement.
What fools we were. As the end credits rolled, I looked over to my boyfriend as we hysterically sobbed. I then called my mother as soon as I could. Thanks, DreamWorks.
The Wild Robot not only defied my mediocre expectations but set a new standard for the studio. Based on Peter Brown’s 2016 children’s novel of the same name, The Wild Robot marks DreamWorks’ first foray into the world of lovable robot protagonists, reminiscent of Disney hits like WALL–E and Big Hero 6. The film tells the story of Roz (Lupita Nyong’o), a futuristic helper robot who washes up on an island absent of human life or technology. Roz does what she can to survive in nature and find her way back home, but along her journey, she finds herself responsible for raising an orphaned gosling named Brightbill (Kit Connor). At the center of the film is Roz’s relationship with her adopted son and the changes she undergoes by becoming a mother. It's refreshing to see such an original, captivating animated story unfold in the theater as opposed to the current slew of animated cash cow sequels (*cough* Wreck it Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet *cough*).
The story is only enhanced by the film’s animation, which left me breathless for the duration of the film as I sat in the theater. In a cinematic landscape dominated by naturalistic lighting and muted colors, The Wild Robot stands out from the beginning, opening with a depiction of a violent thunderstorm which fades into a crystal blue shore. This vibrance is complemented by the style of the animation, straying from the typical snoozefest of photorealistic CGI into unapologetic animation; Chris Sanders fuses modern CGI capabilities with a hand–painted aesthetic, making other CGI films look dated and uninspired.
On top of the animation, The Wild Robot’s voice cast is stacked and unrecognizable in their roles. I’m normally skeptical of animation studios throwing in as many big names as they can, but each of these actors excel in their vocal performances. The film is spearheaded by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o’s portrayal of Roz, who delivers a mesmerizing performance of a monotonous robot coming to terms with natural emotion. Alongside her is her sly fox companion Fink played by the Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal, who acts as Roz’s guide into the world of nature. Additional names include the aforementioned Kit Connor as Brightbill, comedic legend Catherine O’Hara as Pinktail the opossum, and Mark Hamil as the brown bear Thorn.
The Wild Robot also marks the triumphant return of DreamWorks’ original animated cinema. The last DreamWorks film I saw was Boss Baby 2: Back in Business. Although I thought it was hilarious, I found myself struggling to sit through DreamWorks films as I grew older, and not because of my changing taste. They went from animation classics like the Shrek series and Kung Fu Panda to … Boss Baby 2: Back in Business.
The quality decline in DreamWorks’ films was palpable. Over time, their films stopped trying to tug at our heartstrings and started tugging at our wallets. Older DreamWorks films like Megamind and How to Train Your Dragon, though still geared toward children, had heart. The post–2010 slew of DreamWorks films with hits like Turbo and the Trolls trilogy feels like a glorified Cocomelon, giving kids something to stare at instead of their iPads.
Sure, the visuals of those other movies are enough to capture the attention of any dreamy–eyed kid out there, but The Wild Robot has something other animated films lack today: heart. The film grapples with maternal love, loss, and mortality with grace, echoing animation all–timers like Finding Nemo. Nowadays, animation studios are afraid of putting anything serious at the center of their stories, but The Wild Robot handles these weighty themes as though the film was geared to a more mature audience. The Wild Robot has broken the cycle of the past few years of media–slop, and has created something fresh.
An important note before you see The Wild Robot: you WILL cry. You don’t have a choice. Though there were only five or six other people in the theater that night, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. These weren’t tears of sadness, however—these were tears of gratitude and love.
