Rent The Wild Robot on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: Chris Sanders (screenplay), Peter Brown (book)
Directed by: Chris Sanders
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Dee Bradley Baker
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.
Verdict
This is one of the most touching and heartfelt movies I've ever seen. Through a robot and a goose this explores parenthood, being marginalized, belonging, and self sacrifice. A robot that needs a task finds a goose that needs a guide, managing to rally a forest full of animals to fight together. While the animals are fearful of the robot at first, dire circumstances bring them together. The art style is beautiful. This is a movie you could pause at any point and have an amazing picture. Combined with the soundtrack, this movie is an amazing experience with numerous strong scenes.
Watch It.
Review
This certainly isn't a new idea, but this packages together concepts of overcoming the odds, an unlikely parent figure, improbable friends, and even a fight against authority, doing so with an absolutely enthralling look and charming soundtrack. I liked this movie nearly from the start and it only got better. The emotional moments don't just land, they succeed beyond all expectations.
The art style is gorgeous, using a hand drawn look along with excellent framing. Robot ROZZUM Unit 7134, Roz (Lupita Nyong'o), ends up on an uninhabited island. Her programming dictates she find a task to complete, and she finds that task in a goose. Roz becomes a parental figure, having to take care of this goose she names Brightbill (Kit Connor). She has help from a fox, Fink (Pedro Pascal) who provides comic relief. Roz isn't built for this, and she doesn't know how to be a parent... no one ever really does but that doesn't prevent you from doing the best you can. Roz fulfills that because her one mission is this goose.
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| Lupita Nyong'o voices Roz |
Roz sees behavior and nature as programming. To understand this new world, she first sits and listens. This allows her to translate how the animals communicate. It's a cute and easy way to acknowledge how the animals speak English.
Roz must teach Brightbill how to fly. She builds a runway so that she can run and help him reach speed. It's such an amazing moment, a culmination of everything it means to be a parent. As a parent, you just want to see your kids succeed, and this creates imagery that captures that feeling. Roz doesn't even have an emotional attachment to this bird, her only goal is to help him succeed despite any hurdles. Roz doesn't acknowledge the sacrifice, it's part of her mission.
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| Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal voice Roz, Fink |
While Roz understands the animals, they still fear her. While a robot is all Brightbill knows, he's not conditioned to interact with other geese. Not only that, he's a runt and the other geese look down on him for that. This is such a sweet movie, and that's not an insult. The hurdles the characters must overcome and endure generate empathy. I quickly developed an affinity for these characters.
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| Kit Connor, Lupita Nyong'o voice Brightbill, Roz |
Initially the driving force is Roz preparing Brightbill for migration. He leaves, having learned how to fly, and both regret not having expressed how much they care about the other. Through Brightbill's flight, we get some subtle world building like seeing the Golden Gate Bridge under water. While Brightbill migrates with the geese, Roz unites all the animals of the forest during an unusually cold winter, survival overcoming their fear.
The ending is so touching, implying that Roz has developed a heart, or somehow altered her directives where her memories of Brightbill can't be deleted. Their connection transcends programming and electronics. Against all odds and despite their inherent differences Roz and Brightbill are parent and child and nothing can change that.
I don't know what it is about animated movies that make them easier to connect to emotionally. It might be that animated animals are able to pierce the cynical barrier most of us have erected when watching human characters. That makes the moments of victory in this movie even stronger. While it's a simple story, it's done incredibly well.
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